Stud of Sale

I have recently been informed the I am a “Stud of Sale”. I agree. Confidence, baby! If you don’t believe it, then what? I can’t even talk about it.

I am currently studying ‘Spin Selling’ by Rackman. I’d say it’s pretty popular in the industry for those of us who read. If you haven’t read it, you need to. If you have, re-read it. Here’s the link:

Spin Selling by Rackman

I’ll post a review as soon as I’m done.

Until next time…

Keith Porterfield

a Student of Sales

Simple

Try going one full day without your computer. Wait, read the rest of this article and then do it.

A friend of mine brought this to my attention. She spilled a glass of red wine on her laptop. Everything she’s been working on for the past two years is on that laptop. I think her data can be salvaged. I really don’t think the hard drive was affected, but we’ll see. Anyway, we were sitting talking about the events of her day when she said, “I wonder what my life would be like if I didn’t use a computer for everything I do?” Collectively, we said, “Simple”.

Everyone knows that computers are meant to make our lives easier. Sometimes, however, I am convinced that they do just the opposite.

Here’s my solution:

• Take a day to go without the computer. You may have to briefly plan for this. If you are a blogger, this may involve writing an extra post and setting it to publish on a specific date or inviting a guest to post for you that day. To take it a step furthur, add your cell phone to the mix. You may have to let those close to you know in advance that you will be unavailable on your cell for the day. This keeps people from worrying about you.
• Get out of the house. If you’re in sales and don’t have a cell phone or computer you have to get out of the house (or office). This may be just what you needed. You have to get in front of people to sell anyway. Why not go out and meet some people? Don’t make it all about a sale and you just might have some fun. If you aren’t in sales or want to take a break from the grind, go for a walk or some other fun activity.
• Write out your To-Do list. When I was in elementary school, I learned how to write a word and it’s definition over and over until I learned it (or just the word for spelling). I still do this on a rare occasion. Anyway, the work invloved in manually writing something goes a long way towards making you commit it to memory.
• Save time by skipping the e-mails and RSS feeds. Lately, I have become increasingly aware of how much time I spend checking my e-mail and RSS feeds. When I have a 8a-11a window to call on prospective B2B clients and a 6p-8p window to call on prospective individual clients, an extra 30 minutes to check my e-mail is out.
• Make dad happy. My dad HATES computers! If I told him I decided to go without the computer even one day a week, he would probably jump with joy. He is constantly saying we need to ‘Get back to the basics’. I don’t know, dad, let me look this up on Google. Father’s Day is coming up…maybe I’ll try and put this post to work for a Happy Father’s Day.

Well, it was fun but I have to go.

Until next time…

Keith Porterfield

a Student of Sales

How to ‘Just Get Started’ B2B

The process I’m about to show you is intended for insurance sales. Specific wording for your industry may be substituted.

Goal:

‘Just Get Started’ contacting Businesses about my Work Site Program

Action Plan:

• Open a word document.
• Type out the following:
  • Company Name:
  • Phone:
  • Gate Keeper:
  • Sales Dept. Name:
  • Phone:
  • Benefit Program:
  • Open Enrollment:
  • Decision Maker:
  • Phone:
  • Appointment:
  • Blog Interview:
  • Potential Interview Topics: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Sales
• Open the yellow pages.
• Call on you choice of industry.
• Fill in your form as you go.
• Follow up

This is straight forward. Let me explain a bit to make sure it is clear.

Gate Keeper: The person that answers the phone is the gatekeeper. It doesn’t matter who this is. Write down the name of the person that answers the phone. It may be more than one person. If you get transfered to someone else, write down that persons name as well. These people will become important to you as you establish a relationship with your client. As time goes by, you may be able to ask for this person as a contact point within the company. Make the gatekeeper your friend!

Sales Department: Many companies, such as yours, have a sales department. You need to know the company’s salespeople. Ask if a salesperson is available. You will learn a lot about the company structure this way. In a larger organization, you will be able to gain valuable information from a salesperson. In a smaller company, you may reach the decision maker herself. Salespeople are valuable resources.

Appointment: Always ask for the appointment. No matter how the call goes, ask for the appointment. Whether you speak with the decision maker or not, make it clear that you want an appointment with that person.

Blog Interview: If an appointment is hard to obtain, pull out your secret weapon. Ask for an interview of the owner for your blog. You’ll need to draw up questions for this one. My personal favorite topics to discuss are Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Sales. Most decision makers will jump on this opportunity. Make sure you bring up your sales position when conducting the interview. If you don’t have a blog, now you have a reason to start one.

That’s all I got. Let me know if this works for you. I’m off to ‘Just Get Started’ calling some businesses.

Until next time…

Keith Porterfield

a Student of Sales

Prospecting

Every name and every phone number should be an opportunity. Did you know that you can use the classifieds as a prospecting tool? You just have to talk and listen (more effective: listen then talk).

Goal: Increase my sales calls by 10 per month.

Action plan:

1. Pick up the paper everyday.
2. Take 30 minutes to call on various classified ads.
3. Take notes on the seller’s good (used cars work best for me).
4. Take notes on the seller’s situation (Why do they want to sell this car?).
5. Mention your job title.
6. Try to set a time to meet with the seller.
7. When meeting with seller ask for an interview (sales call).

That’s all I have for today. Let me know if this works for you. I’m off to pick up the paper.

Until next time…

Keith Porterfield

a Student of Sales

Persistence Pays

Tom Reilly and Kae Groshong Wagner know about this.  I’ll know later.  I just don’t have the will and drive to write anything here…..

I’m not looking to get paid on this one.

I guess I could tell you about my college experience…nah, maybe later.

Until next time….

Keith Porterfield

a  Student of Sales

Close the Sale!

First things first.

Closing the sale should be easy!

You should have the client telling you what they want by the time you are finished with your sales presentation. I’m a firm believer in this principle…you will not persuade me otherwise.

You must listen. You must ask. You must present in such a way as to make your client “see the light“.

O.k., I back tracked on this post. I just finished reading Spin Selling by Neil Rackham. You’ll find that post in more recent postings. Don’t get confused, just read on…

You start with the end in mind. See my post called Sales Magic Trick.

Then you proceed to ask Situation Questions. Find out where you client is towards this end.

Continue by asking Problem Questions. Based on their situation, what problems could your product or service solve? Don’t solve them yet…just read on.

Next ask Implication Questions. It’s not easy, but build up that problem they just told you about. Make them see it in terms they can relate to. Lost productivity, high turn over, complacency, whatever.

Finally, Need-payoff Questions. Well, I see that your problem is big. Would this help solve it? How so? Is that worth doing? How else is this solution beneficial. Build up the solution you have to offer instead of the problem they have. Get them to tell you why your product or service is so great.

This is my take on the subject. I believe it to be true. If you think you need more info on hard Closing techniques…

Changingminds.org has a great section on this subject. It’s very practical and useful. Quite frankly, I think it is all inclusive.

Powerhomebiz.com has a good article on how to handle objections when asking for the sale.

Evidentially, Brian Tracy is an expert on Closing the Sale.

Until next time…

Keith Porterfield

a Student of Sales

Get Over Yourself

So you think…

when you just get started, you don’t know enough to speak with authority about your product or service. If you don’t know the answer to their question…people won’t take you seriously.

One piece of advice, Get Over Yourself.

Everyone started somewhere, but they started. No matter what they are doing, they started somewhere! Do you know that your product or service is valuable? (If it’s not, you might think about selling something else.) Can you describe it in general terms? Can you describe the benefits to your client? What else are you waiting for?

If someone writes you off because you didn’t know every detail, you didn’t need them as a client. I’m assuming here that you’ll be professional, prepared*, and persistant. In other words, if you walk into a place with cut off shorts and a tank top on trying to sell your bookkeeping service to an accountant…you might still make the sale as long as you follow up. It’s unlikely, but possible.

*When I say prepared, I mean that you have an idea of what your client does, what you do, and how you might be of service to them.

You don’t have to know the answer to every question if you know where to find the answer and make sure you follow up.

I know people who have been selling for twenty years and still don’t know the answer to every question. Do you think they get self conscious about having to tell the prospect, “You know, I’ll have to look that up.” I doubt it. That just gives them time to work up a proposal or figure out an angle.

One thing that helped me begin to get over myself was the following statement:

It’s all about the baby!

It’s not about you. You can make it about you, but you’ll be wasting time!

I have been told that I spent so much time learning and studying that I never seemed to get anything done. It’s called PARALYSIS of ANALYSIS…then I realized, “It’s all about the baby.“

If you are in sales to make money, you have to get in front of people. If you hide away and become an expert on your product or service, only to realize that your entire warm market was sold by your colleague while you were learning…you’ll starve.

Here’s another few thoughts. Work above your potential, dress nice, go to the doctor, and get spiritual.

Work above your potential: How can that be possible? I don’t know, just do it! If you’re stuck, do something. Call a potential client. If you are like me, that’ll get you in the mood to call on another potential client. I guess what I’m saying is grounded in science. You know potential energy vs. kinetic (motion) energy? An object in motion tends to stay in motion. An object at rest tends to stay at rest. If you are more motion than rest, you might tend to stay more motion than rest. So, action produces more action.

Dress Nice: If you wake up one morning and feel like staying home, do me a favor. Take a little longer shower (If you take your shower at night, take another one in the morning). Spend a little longer on making your appearance A+. Dress in your best clothes. I promise it will help at least a little. If you make it a habit to look your best at all times, you’ll grow more confident. Just don’t take it too far, that’s called a narcissist. Then you’ll really have to get over yourself. If you still don’t feel like doing anything after you’ve dressed nice then you might try the following:

Go to the doctor: There was a time in my life that I didn’t want to do anything. I went to work because I had to. I ate only when I had to because I would get so hungry I would shake. I medicated my depression with alcohol. I was generally a total mess. I know many people who are probably in this same situation. They are undiagnosed and depressed. If you can’t get over yourself after a good soul searching and conscious effort to present yourself appropriately…go to the doctor.

Get Spiritual: I believe this is one thing that can help anyone. Whatever your choice of spirituality includes…practice it. I believe in Christianity. However, I don’t believe you have to go to church everytime the doors are open. At any rate, maintaining that there is a power greater than yourself makes it much easier to…you guessed it, Get Over Yourself.

Molly Gordon, Tonya Pinkins, Kevin Eikenberry, and James Roswell Quinn all have their own take on ‘Get Over Yourself‘.

I personally like Molly’s article best. It’s a top ten list of Ways to Get Over Yourself.

Tonya Pinkins has written a book on the subject with activities to complete throughout. It’s $23.95 17.96. I haven’t read the book yet, but that’s the title, Get Over Yourself. I’ll post a book review as soon as I’ve read it.

Kevin Eikenberry has a blog and the link above is an article he wrote on ‘Get Over Yourself‘. He talks about Adult Pouting and Picking Your Battles.

James Roswell Quinn might know a lot about the subject. However, I’m not sure if he truly has learned how to get over himself. He sells his eight CD set entitled, Get Over Yourself for just under $200. Let me know what you think about it if you pick it up.

As always, any feedback is appreciated.

Until next time…

Keith Porterfield

a Student of Sales

Power Words

Have you ever been mesmerized even almost attracted to a smooth salesperson? I can say that I have. Honestly it’s one of the reasons that I knew I would be good at the career.

I’ve always had a charm with the ladies. If I could just build upon that charm, I could not be stopped in sales. When I say charm I mean it in a deeper sense of the word. I don’t want you to think that I always had only my interest in mind. I knew how to talk to the ladies because I made it a point to listen and be truly interested in their well-being. I believe that in doing so I portrayed a confidence that attracts most ladies. Now, balance must be maintained or else you come across as needy and clingy.

I don’t want to get too far off topic here, so let me state my point. I’ll save the rest for a later post.

You have to portray confidence to be a succesful salesperson.

Confidence in sales comes from many different areas. Training is vital. A knowledge of your product is essential. However, there is one aspect of confidence that is universal to sales. By the way, when I say SALES, I don’t mean it in a traditional sense. Every person in the world is in a sales environment everyday of their life. Think about it. To be posted later. Right now, it’s POWER WORDS!

Wikipedia has their definition here.

Emurse has a ‘complete’ list of POWER WORDS.

I have a list of twenty six power words that I have committed to learn. I already know the words, but I will use these words at the right time and often. Starting…now.

Here’s my list…

Address – “That’s a good point! Let’s address that.”

Balance – “We want to balance your work and family life.”

Budget – “How much have you budgeted for this?”

Communicate – “I’m not here to sell you anything. I really want us to communicate.”

Determine – “We will determine your need.”

Encourage – “Well, I encourage you to consider the benefit.”

Focus – “Let’s focus on you.”

Generate – “This product generates peace of mind.”

Host – “I’m hosting 5 business owners at a dinner party next week.”

Identify – “We identify clients.”

Join – “Join me for a walk through a study in sales.”

Keep – “Let’s keep that in mind.”

Localize – “We want to localize 10 qualified prospects this month.”

Maximize – “I’d like to maximize your profits.”

Motivate – “My job is to motivate you to take action.”

Navigate – “Well, it can be complicated; but I’m here to navigate.”

Organize – “When we organize your finances, you’ll feel much better.”

Prepare – “You have to prepare for the inevitable.”

Qualify – “You qualify for our newest offer!”

Reward – “You must find a balance to risk and reward.”

Strategize – “I’m confident we can effectively strategize this process.”

Target – “Locate the need, target the sales.”

Urge – “I urge you to act decisively.”

Visualize – “O.k., visualize this…”

Witness – “I want you to witness the amazing benefits our product offers.”

Yield – “This profession yields incredible profits and enviable leverage.

p.s. – In my “Rain Man” way, I used the alphabet to create my list. It’s not necessary.

Also, when talking to someone about money. Consider using the word budget. For example, check out the way these two sentences strike you:

1. “How much can you afford?”
2. “What can you fit into your budget?”

The first sentence makes your potential client feel like they are constrained by money. The second, while accomplishing the same task, makes the potential client feel more empowered. You’ve assumed they have a budget and are in control of their financial situation. Then, that they are able to direct how much monetary value is placed in your product or service. You’ve successfully created the image of negotiation.

You can appropriately qualify your client using the proper POWER WORDS.

I’m just getting started here folks. Get ready!

There is more to come on the subject of POWER WORDS. I just have to run right now.

Until next time…

Keith Porterfield

a Student of Sales

Time Management

Time Management for sales people is one of the most important subjects to master. I’ve recently read a book by Dave Kahl entitled:

10 Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople

This book gave me some valuable insight to the methodology of a career minded sales professional. Dave Kahl has been in sales for over 30 years and I do recommend this book to anyone looking to become more effective with their time.

Here are a few of the things I learned by reading this book:

1. Get grounded. (For me this meant to get over myself. I’ll tell you more about that in a later post.)
2. Think about it before you do it. (This is all about planning. You’d be amazed at how much more effective you will become when you plan your work. It goes further than simply making daily to-do lists.)
3. Create systems. (What a concept! It’s almost so simple you overlook it. Most every desired result can be broken into parts that create a system. Start with the output if you have to. Input, process, output, tools, discipline.)

Dave has included what he calls ‘Tips from the Troops’. I’ve listed a few of my favorites below:

· Call yourself and leave a voice-mail message. Then listen critically. Would you return a call to this person? You can improve your results by practicing and refining your messages as you listen to your messages to yourself.

· Have lunch with prospects. This is one of your best uses of time. You’ll eliminate the need for an additional sales call during the day, and you’ll develop a more personal relationship.

· Before every meeting, distribute a written agenda with an estimated ending time.

· Launch the new habit strongly.

· Always leave a message on a voicemail. Every time your customer hears your name, it registers—like a repeat advertising impression.

· Just do it. Indecision is a big waste of time.

 

These are just a few of his tips. I won’t go into great detail about the contents of the book because I want you to go buy it. I truly believe you will find it a valuable use of your money and time. As I implement the lessons I’ve learned from Dave I will talk more about each one.

 

If you want to know more about Mr. Kahle click here.

 

P.S. – If you don’t have the money for the book, go to his site anyway. He has a ton of articles available free of charge!

 

Until next time…

 

Keith Porterfield

a Student of Sales