Should You Ask "What's Your Budget?" By Jill Konrath

Shortly after my last newsletter went out, I got an email from Lauren. She liked my article, but was frustrated because she couldn't easily Tweet about it. Now that may not be one bit important to you, but check out what happened next.

Lauren's email continued: Unless I'm missing something, you don't have that capability enabled which I'm *very* surprised about. You are considering social networks when doing this, right? If not, we're more than open to speak with you about how we could help you.



I was impressed. She'd spotted a potential opportunity for her business and immediately followed up on it. Plus, her message made it clear that I was lagging behind where I should have been.



The only thing she didn't know was if it was important to me. It was. I wrote back:

Thanks for your note! And, I am guilty as charged. My email service provider does have social media capabilities, but I haven't started using them yet. It's time to get on it!

I also need to get my blog social media friendly. I don't have anyone working on that right now. It's a small project, but a necessary one. Interested?



Of course, she was. She asked, "What's your budget for this?"



That's exactly what traditional sales training tells you to ask. To find out if you're dealing with a qualified buyer, you're supposed make sure they have money in their budget for your product or service.



It was the wrong question to ask!



Suddenly all the progress Lauren was making came to a screeching halt. I didn't have any money in the budget. Nor could I respond intelligently to her question since I didn't have a clue how much time and effort it took to accomplish the task.



Yet I was a qualified buyer. I had money to spend; it just wasn't allocated to improving my social media presence.



When I told Lauren I was stumped, she was surprised at my reaction. After all, it was a fair question to ask from her perspective. Knowing my budget, she could propose a solution that would fit within it.



But in the end, that wouldn't be the right thing - for her or me.



Still confused? Let's say your car is making some worrisome noises. One day in the parking lot, an automotive specialist hears it and approaches you.



He says, "Your car is really idling roughly. With the way it's sounding, I'm not sure if you'll make it to your business meetings next week. Have you thought about getting it fixed?"



Of course, this captures your attention. You respond, "Yeah, I am a little worried. What's happening? What are your thoughts?"



He asks, "What's your budget?"



Is that really what you want to hear?



Of course not. You don't know what's wrong. You don't know how much parts and labor cost. You just want the darn thing running so you can work.



And even if you don't have any money in the budget, you'll find some if it's important.



You'd much rather hear him say, "Mmm. Let me take a better look and give you a recommendation. I'll need to ask you some questions."



Then I bet you'd love him to come back to you with a couple of options. The first one would show you what it would take to solve the immediate problem, while the second would focus on upcoming needs or additional ideas.



Here's the deal.



The "What's your budget?" question only works for planned purchases.



When Lauren contacted me, I was interested. And, I was willing to spend the money if I felt it was a good business decision.



That's just like the 90% or more of the prospects you deal with on a regular basis. They still haven't decided if they're going to change from their status quo. They don't have money in the budget for new investments.



In short, they haven't yet made that critical Second Decision that I describe in my new book, SNAP Selling.



How you deal with prospects who've already decided to change is fundamentally different from how you deal with those who could be tempted, but haven't yet committed to taking action. Remember that next time you're worried about the budget!

About The Author:

Jill Konrath, sales strategist and bestselling author of Selling to Big Companies and SNAP Selling, is a frequent speaker at annual sales meetings, kick-off events and professional conferences.



For more articles like this, visit www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com. Sign up for the newsletter and get a BONUS Sales Call Planning Guide.

5 Scripts to Overcome the “Just Send Your Material” Objection By Mike Brooks

One of the biggest traps sales reps fall into is the “Just Send Your Material” objection.  In their zest to create leads to call back, most reps will oblige and send their quotes, demos, and other information thinking that they at least have a chance to close the sale once they call back. But let me ask you: “How many people who tell you this actually close?”

If you’re like most reps, the answer is very few.  So how do the top 20% handle his obvious brush off?  They use carefully prepared scripts to handle this objection and get their prospect to reveal how interested they really are.  Below you’ll find 5 new scripts to help you separate the real buyers from those prospects who will just end up wasting your time:

Just Send Your Material” Response #1:

I’ll be happy to do that __________, but until we know if this is truly a fit for you, we’d be wasting your time.  If you’re serious about learning how this can actually help you, then I’d suggest we take a couple of minutes right now to discuss your situation.  After that, if you’re really interested, I’d be glad to get something out to you – is that fair?”

Just Send Your Material” Response #2:

“I’d be happy to _________.  Quick question though and please be honest with me: When do you think you’ll be serious about moving on something like this?

Just Send Your Material” Response #3:

If you like what you see, when would you be ready to place an order?"

Or, “Sure, and after you review it, how soon are you looking to make a decision on it?"

Just Send Your Material” Response #4:

“Before I do, I want to make sure you'd be ready to act on it if you like it.  Let me ask you a quick question: (Ask qualifying questions on budget, decision-making process, etc.)”

Just Send Your Material” Response #5:

___________, my experience is that information like this, even when it’s this good, usually just gets buried under a stack of paper and that doesn’t do either one of us any good.  Now that we’re on the phone together, I can answer any of your immediate questions and then you’ll be in a better position to decide whether or not it makes sense to send you information.  Let me ask you about your needs for this type of (your service or product).”

About The Author:

If you found this article helpful, then you will love Mike’s bestselling book on inside sales: “The REAL Secrets of the Top 20% - How To Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone.”  You can read about it by clicking
here: http://www.mrinsidesales.com/secrets_and_CD.htm

Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, works with business owners and inside sales reps nationwide teaching them the skills, strategies and techniques of top 20% performance. For more information, visit: http://www.MrInsideSales.com

Expect To Win by Jim Meisenheimer

Expectations are like a two-sided coin. Heads you win, tails you lose.

You can expect the best outcomes or you can expect the worst outcomes.

You can expect to win or expect to lose. It's your choice.

Our lives are loaded with expectations. Our expectations influence us and influence others as well. Let me give you a few examples.



Medical

There's an interesting article in the current issue of Forbes Magazine. The title is, "The Nothing Cure." It seems like Ted Kaptchuk, of Harvard University, has helped people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.

His cure is nothing more than "fake acupuncture delivered with lots of warm talk from a sympathetic acupuncturist - without using needles." The article cites a trial which included 262 people suffering from severe irritable bowel syndrome. Amazingly - 62% of the people who received the fake treatment got better.

Here's what Kaptchuk says about the results. "Our own will, imagination and belief can modulate the course of illness." Researchers are finding that expectations that a treatment will help, will help produce lasting effects on symptoms of many diseases.

Let's see if I got this right. Simply expecting to feel better after a placebo treatment can actually make you feel better.

Your expectations matter!



Golf

My wife and I are members of the Lakewood Ranch Country Club. Bernadette and her friend Alexis entered the women's member member matchplay event. Even though they both have high handicaps they won their matches and made it to the finals - last Saturday.

Three days before the final event Bernadette took a one-hour golf lesson.

I expected her to win. I even wrote her a note which said, "Every day, in every way, your golf game is getting better and better. Go out and play like you've never played before!

Expecting to lose never entered her mind. She expected to win.

And guess what - she did and won the event with Alexis.

Expectations matter!

Sales

Did you ever expect to get clobbered on your pricing? Sure, who hasn't?

Then during the sales call, you get clobbered and start thinking, "I knew that was going to happen."

In this case, you can expect to get clobbered on your pricing, or you can expect to get a better price for your product. Two different expectations with two different outcomes.

Expectations are the ultimate equalizer for entrepreneurs and professional salespeople.

Always expect the best outcomes and you won't be disappointed.

Your expectations matter.



Sales Management

Hey - if you're sales manager always expect the best selling results for every one of your salespeople.

Expect your salespeople to win and they will!



Finally, "If your will, imagination and beliefs can modulate the course of an illness," then maybe your expectations can influence the outcome of your next sales call. Just something to think about.

I believe actions follow thoughts. Why have negative thoughts when you can choose to have positive thoughts?

How you think is everything about everything in sales.

Why expect to lose, when you can expect to win?

Always expect the best outcomes for yourself.

Always expect to win!

About
The Author:

Make sure you check out Jim's Sales Trailblazer program: http://salestrailblazer.com

Jim is a
Sales Strategist and is the creator of No-Brainer Selling Skills.
He shows salespeople and entrepreneurs how to increase sales,
earn more money, have more fun, and how to do it all in less
time. His focus is on practical ideas that get immediate results.
He offers Advanced Sales Management Workshops, Sales Coaching,
Consulting, In-house Sales Training Programs, and a wide variety
of Learning Tools i.e. books, special reports, sales manuals,
and CDs.Jim Meisenheimer
is a member of The National Speakers Association, where he earned
the C.S.P. designation, Certified Speaking Professional. He
has authored five books including, "The 12 Best Questions
To Ask Customers," and the recently published “57
Ways To Take Control Of Your Time And Your Life”.

Websites: http://www.startsellingmore.com/

http://www.meisenheimer.com/

 

Observations, Humor, Maybe a Sales Tip by Art Sobczak

Greetings!



This week I'm dumping out my file of tidbits
that I always collect...and I see these aren't
necessarily all sales tips as much as rants,
humor, stories...oh well, here goes...



Life's Little Annoyances

There are many of life's little annoyances we
encounter daily. Opinion Research Corp. of
Princeton, NJ, surveyed people and asked about
21 common annoyances. Coming in second place
was "Not getting a human on the phone."



We all can relate as salespeople.



(Also, if you hear complaints about that
from your prospects and customers about your
company you might want to have someone who
can affect that fix it.)



Oh, the top annoyance? Hidden fees added to
bills. Again, do your invoices contain any
of those?





Learning Just a Bit From a Cheesy, Hard Sell Sales Rep

Speaking of annoyances, the Do-Not-Call List has
thankfully almost eliminated what was typically
voted the top one: telemarketing calls at home.



However, hard-sell telephone pitchmen are still
out there, ignoring laws and trying to squeeze
money out of people.



While driving to a college football game last
Fall in Oxford, MS to see Ole Miss play, a buddy
and I were listening to a sports radio show that
predicted the point spreads of football games.
It was quite cheesy and was essentially a
commercial for various subscription services
that promised to pick the point-spread winners
of top games. By calling their 800 number you
could supposedly hear one of those picks for free.



Curious about their sales techniques, and looking
for some entertainment I called the number from my
cell. I put the recording on speakerphone as we heard the
screaming used-car-salesman-sounding guy pitch
his service. We got a good laugh.



Then the next day, my cell rings, showing the
call coming from an unidentified 800 number.



I answer, and immediately recognize the voice
from the betting service. He jumps into an
animated, yelling sales pitch. I am certain
it is a recording. That is, until after two
minutes or so he goes for the close. I remain
silent. Then the voice says, "So what credit
card do you want that on buddy?"



I said, "I don't."



Then, he/the recording pretty much ignored
my response, and continued pitching the service.
Then he closed again: "Let's start making you
money my friend. Which credit card?"



I continued, and so did he. Now, I'm wondering
if it is a recording, or the guy himself, live.
To test him, I threw out a nonsense response:"I'll put it on my Costco card."



Without missing a beat he replied, "I know that
some people can see humor in losing but we take
winning seriously and that's why we will give
you the point spread winners..." Finally, he
wore me down and I just hung up, shaking my
head that this kind of approach was still
going on.



I thought that was the end of things. I was
wrong. He called again Monday, same approach.
I told the voice--or recording to take me off
of his list. He continued pitching as if I had
said nothing. I hung up.



He called again the next day. Same thing! I
still couldn't tell if it was a recording and
a voice recognition program that was trained
to give responses to certain replies. I was
so annoyed I began using rather colorful
language to describe him, his lineage, and
something to do with his mother. He replied,



"No need to use profanity my friend. So when
you get your picks from us each week..."

Unbelievable.



I thought it would never end. Calls came the
next two days. Finally, they stopped by the
weekend, when I imagine they generated a fresh
batch of leads.



So, any useable sales lessons here? Well, I
did observe that the recording--or guy--was
undaunted by resistance, essentially ignoring
it and continuing. Granted, he was over the
top with it, but too often legitimate salespeople
are too quick to give up when faced with the
slightest resistance. Instead, in many cases
we can reply with, "I understand," or "That's
OK," and continue questioning.





Be Careful About What You Habitually Say

We really need to be careful about the speaking
habits we possess and when they might pop up.



In the local Omaha daily paper an article on
holiday etiquette shared a humorous phone
mishap: a woman was wrapping up a an internal
phone conversation with her company's IT director.



Before hanging up she said, "I love you Larry."



She said she did it out of habit, "You know how
you tell your family you love them on the phone..."



He was not family. Doh! She immediately called
back and apologized. Luckily, he saw the humor
in it, and nothing more.



Continue Having Your Best Week Ever!



Art



QUOTE OF THE WEEK

" If we all did the things we are capable of,we would astound ourselves."

Thomas Edison

About the author:

Art Sobczak, President of
Business By Phone Inc., specializes in one area only: working
with business-to-business salespeople--both inside and outside--designing
and delivering content-rich programs that participants begin
showing results from the very next time they get on the phone.
Audiences love his "down-to-earth,"entertaining style,
and low-pressure, easy-to-use, customer oriented ideas and techniques.
He works with thousands of sales reps each year helping them
get more businesses by phone. Art provides real world, how-to
ideas and techniques that help salespeople use the phone more
effectively to prospect, sell, and service, without morale-killing
"rejection." Using the phone in sales is only difficult for people who use
outdated, salesy, manipulative tactics, or for those who aren't
quite sure what to do, or aren't confident in their abilities.
Art's audiences always comment how he simplifies the telesales
process, making it easily adaptable for anyone with the right
attitude.

Contact Info

Art Sobczak

Business By Phone Inc.

13254 Stevens St.

Omaha, NE, 68137

402-895-9399

ArtS@BusinessByPhone.com

www.businessbyphone.com

Dealing With High-Maintenance Salespeople by Brian Jeffrey, CSP

Having a high-maintenance salesperson around is like owning an older car that requires constant tinkering to keep operating. Unfortunately you can't give a high-maintenance salesperson an oil change or replace a few parts, although I've often felt that a dynamite enema might just do the job!

In case you're wondering what a high-maintenance salesperson is, it's one of those people who seem to require almost constant attention to keep operating properly. Sometimes it's not a matter of the person needing attention, it's more a matter of the person wanting attention.

Wants to Talk

Highly social salespeople fall into this latter category. These are usually bright, cheery individuals who like people and like talking to people. Sometimes, when they don't have anything of real substance to talk about, they'll chat about anything or simply make up problems and situations that require the advice of someone else, usually you.

These people will often go into long, drawn-out explanations of situations and then seemingly ask for advice. I say seemingly because if you look into their eyes, they're not listening to you. They're waiting for their next opportunity to talk. In other words, they're not looking for a solution to their real or imagined problem; they just want to talk about it.

Unfortunately, these types of salespeople take the same approach with their customers. They prefer to talk than listen and miss key information and buying signals. This can result in lost sales, the wrong thing being sold, product returns, disgruntled customers, and a small multitude of other sales management aggravations.

Many of us end up with salespeople like this because we hired them. They seemed charming and outgoing during the hiring interview and you felt they would really get along with people, both inside and outside the company. And you're right, they do. In fact, that's often all they do! They don't sell; they just make friends.

Then the question becomes, What do I do now? The salesperson's job is to sell, which is a measurable activity. Being measurable means you can set measurements (sales and activity quotas) that need to be met or exceeded if the person is to maintain his or her eligibility for employment.

Needs Help

What about the second type of high-maintenance salesperson — the one who needs rather than wants attention? These people are usually suffering from one of three ailments: lack of experience, lack of skills, or lack of confidence.

Sales managers occasionally end up with this type of salesperson because they were sloppy in their hiring process or they were desperate for a warm body and this person came along at the right time for the salesperson and the wrong time for the sales manager. The salesperson got the job and the sales manager got the problem.

If the constant need for attention comes from lack of experience, shame on you. Why did you hire someone without relevant experience? I know, I know, selling looks easy and anyone should be able to do it. Well, selling isn't easy and not everyone is suited for the job. It's better to hire someone who has been out there banging his head against the selling wall and who brings some selling street smarts to the job.

If lack of skill is the problem, train 'em! I figure that over 80 percent of salespeople have had no formal sales training. That doesn't mean they can't sell, it just means they're doing it instinctively and that may or may not work. When it does, they're successful. When it doesn't, they are ripe to receive some formal sales training.

If the person has the experience and the skill but he's still camped on your doorstep asking questions and seeking direction four times a day, he probably has a self-confidence problem. He's unsure of himself and afraid to make mistakes.

Give people permission to make mistakes. That's how they grow, learn, and gain experience. Now if they keep making the same mistakes over and over again, you have yet another problem.

If you have a salesperson with a self-confidence problem, I recommend The Dale Carnegie Course, the Christopher Course or perhaps Toastmasters. Any one of these programs will boost a person's self-esteem, self-worth, and self-confidence. They're a great investment in personal growth for any individual.

The End is in Sight

When you find your job as sales manager and coach turning into one of simply a shoulder to cry upon, it's time to change the rules. Help your people help themselves. This may mean giving someone a new career opportunity in another company or simply giving them the tools and the freedom to go to the next level of personal growth.

If you want more information on how to do this dastardly deed, read my article Is It Time to Dump Your Duds.

-0-

About the Author

Brian Jeffrey is President of Salesforce Assessments Ltd. His company works with sales managers who want to make the right hiring decisions and build a strong sales team using his sales assessment test. For more articles like this and your free copy of "The 8 Biggest Hiring Mistakes Sales Managers Make" go to => www.SalesforceAssessments.com

The One Real Key to Your Success By Mike Brooks

Every so often I feel it’s my responsibility to remind you about the single most important determinate of success, happiness and well being.

Like gravity itself, this law of being is constant; it is unchanging and completely dependable.  Every person relies on and uses this principle, consciously or unconsciously, and it never fails to deliver the exact results according to your understanding of it.

The rich, the poor, the successful, the struggling – all manner of men and women the planet over are using this law or principle of being, and it has been this way since the beginning of time.  Right now, right here as you are reading this, you are using it, too.

The exciting thing about this principle is that as soon as you truly understand and begin using it constructively with belief and expectation, you can turn your life, circumstance, your income, health, or anything else completely around.  This law can be summed up very simply:

“Everything in your life is an exact duplication of your consciousness.”

In other words, whatever images you hold in your mind, in your consciousness, will always be manifested outward as your experience.  It is the simplest of truths that you cannot hold one belief and image in your mind and manifest another.

That’s why some sales reps (the top 20%) are, and always will be, more successful than others.  That is how they believe themselves to be; it is how they see themselves, and they will always produce the exact results according to their belief.

There’s a very easy way to prove that this is so.  Ask yourself, “Isn’t it true that the results in your life, in every area, down to every detail, are an exact mirror of what you think about it all day long?”

If you’re honest, your answer is yes.  Now the question may come into your mind, “Yeah, but the reason I’m thinking about it all day long is because that’s how it is for me.  The circumstances are there (I’m not making enough money; don’t have the house/car/relationship I want, etc.) so of course that’s what I think about all the time.”

Let me ask you: “What if it was EXACTLY the other way around?”  What if your thoughts actually caused you to take repetitive actions that actually CAUSED the unwanted situations in your life to recur?

If you’re willing to consider that your thinking and beliefs might actually be the cause – rather than the results – in your life, then you are ready to finally claim the spiritual power that is the one truth that rules all of existence – that everything in your life is an exact duplication of your current consciousness.

There are books written about this power of manifestation (some call it the Law of Attraction), and it is and always will be true.  I think Dr.
Robert Anthony said it best in his book, “Advanced Formula for Total
Success”:

“Take all the money away from a person who is a millionaire – one who has the consciousness of a millionaire today – and within a short time he or she will be a millionaire again.  Riches start from the mind, not your pocketbook, bank account or investment.  The pocketbook, bank account and investments are the effects, not the cause.  The cause is always an idea or belief.  A person is not rich because they have money.  They have money because they are rich in consciousness.  They believe that they are rich.

Again, this is the reason that the rich will always get richer and the poor will always stay poor until they change their consciousness.”

This is why an astounding 90% of all lottery winners or people who inherit or win large sums of money end up broke and in debt – in other words, back to their original level of consciousness – in 3 years or less.  This is a concrete and measurable example of this law in action.

So, what can do you do about it?

First, stop blaming other people, companies, competition or the economy for your current circumstances.  They are not the cause; your current beliefs and repetitive thinking are and always will be the cause.

Second, make a commitment to begin treating the source – your consciousness.  You can do this by picking up and reading daily, any of the books you currently own on the power of belief, law of attraction, consciousness conditioning, and begin reminding yourself of the truth, daily.

Third, begin changing these believes and your consciousness with whatever techniques you find work for you.  There are many different ones to chose
from:  You can use affirmations, meditations, becoming aware of and changing your self-talk, hypnosis sessions, prayer, practicing gratitude, or any other practice that will develop and change your consciousness.

Here are three resources I use every day that help me keep my consciousness (and attitude) right so I can remain in the top 20%:

Beyond Positive Thinking, by Dr. Robert Anthony

Find and Use Your Inner Power, by Emmet Fox (both available on Amazon.com)

Hypnosis CD’s on Success (just browse Google to find some you like)

I hope some of what you’ve read here today resonates with the truth inside of you.  If you have used your power before, then you know what I’m talking about.  Make a decision that today is the day you begin believing in and creating the life you know is possible for you.  Just remember: “If someone else can have the things in life that you want, then YOU can have it, too.”

And you will, as soon as you change in the images in your consciousness.

About The Author:

If you found this article helpful, then you will love Mike’s bestselling book on inside sales: “The REAL Secrets of the Top 20% - How To Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone.”  You can read about it by clicking
here: http://www.mrinsidesales.com/secrets_and_CD.htm

Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, works with business owners and inside sales reps nationwide teaching them the skills, strategies and techniques of top 20% performance. For more information, visit: http://www.MrInsideSales.com