One of the most difficult thing to get new (and even some seasoned) salespeople to remember is that sales is not about pitching. It’s not fair to say pitching rarely works because it does and there are instances where it is perfect. Example of this are the county fair and TV infomercials. In that environment Pitching is perfect you have anywhere from 5 seconds to 2 minutes to make your sale or you will never see your customer again. In that instance I say pitch away…. Really it’s all you’ve got.

For the rest of us it’s time to Ditch the pitch! I have a secret for you… Top salespeople are smart! The key to getting on top and staying there is learning your product inside out. You have to be creative, interesting, and free thinking. Most important you need to engage your customer.

Selling in today’s marketplace means asking questions. It means learning about your client, where they are now, what issues they are facing, and where they want to go in the future. Only after you have done all of that should you start formulating solutions.

This is easier said than done, because so many people are trained (by bad sales people) to expect a pitch. It is common to here “Just give me your pitch” or “How soon can you get me a proposal?” from clients. This is the ONLY time I’ll pitch and I still do not pitch on my product! I pitch based on my need for more information. Basically my “Pitch” is a longer version of this conversation: I have hundreds of solutions, how can I give you a proposal when I have no understanding of what your REAL issues are, what you have tried so far, and what you are ultimately trying to accomplish. My real version of this pitch is more like a 3-5 minute conversation and any reasonable person should be able to understand why this data is important. If they don’t… I move on. I am simply not willing to waste my time writing proposals where my chance of winning is similar to winning the lottery. I don’t want to guess what the right solution is, I want to KNOW. Refusal to participate is the final portion of my pitch and believe it or not it frequently turns the situation around for me. If this approach does not change the tide for me I would rather move on to someone else interested in solving their problems, invest my time there, out perform my peers, and win the deal!

I’m interested to hear what others think about pitching, and the processes they use to avoid falling into that trap. If you have a story to share or some thoughts on the issue leave me a comment and I’ll get back to you ASAP!

-Brad

Popularity: 11% [?]

Selling a prospect on a first call is among the greatest challenges in the sales profession. Being able to turn a prospect into a customer quickly and efficiently takes tremendous selling skill.

Should a salesperson close a sale in one call?

Closing a multi-million dollar supplier contract to a corporate client in one call is uncommon, if not impossible. But to those who sell in customers’ homes, sell on the phone, sell door-to-door, or sell in a retail environment, closing the sale in one interaction is often the best way to achieve stellar sales performance, if you can do it. And that’s a big “if”. In some product categories, you’ll be out of work quickly if you don’t learn to close the sale on the first call, because few prospects will buy from you if you don’t.

I’ve seen many salespeople who had solid—if not outstanding—B2B sales experience who have failed miserably in sales positions which required closing the sale during the first call. Some excellent salespeople simply cannot do it, and many who have built their careers on sales relationships and repeat business are unable to navigate through one call close scenarios successfully.

Like it or not, salespeople who sell home improvements, timeshares, retail jewelry, and other products and services must close the deal while the customer is present because this is the period of peak interest in your product. Once the meeting ends, these prospects’ interest in your product or service decreases, and with it, the likelihood that they will buy from you.

Here are eight questions that will help you determine if you have what it takes to become a one call closer:

1. Can you engage your prospects very quickly?

Prospects warm up to some salespeople quickly, while they take a long time to warm up to others. If you have the ability to quickly develop rapport, get your customer talking, and allow them to feel very comfortable with you, you have the first building block of one call closing success.

2. Do you understand how to build sales momentum?

One call closers start the sale immediately, and with every passing moment, bring the prospect closer to becoming a customer. With each successful move forward, sales momentum is created. This isn’t accomplished with brute force, aggressiveness, or manipulation; it’s masterfully accomplished by understanding how customers buy and why they make decisions to move ahead versus decisions to “think about” a purchase.

Do your sales interactions have a feeling of forward movement? If so, you might become the next great one call closer. On the other hand, if your interactions are tentative, explorative, or lacking direction, you might fail in a one call closing sales environment.

3. Are you timid or tentative?

If so, you’re not a good candidate for a one call closing sales position. One call closers act decisively, assertively, and purposefully.

4. Are you persistent enough to ask for the sale several times, in several different ways?

In many product categories, the sale is typically rejected by the prospect the first time the salesperson asks for the sale (or the first five times!). To close the sale, you’ve got to be willing to ask for the sale again and again, in different ways.

5. Are you a great negotiator?

Prospects present objections left and right, not necessarily because they’re not interested, but because they’ve got Status Quo Paralysis. This is the affliction many (most?) shoppers have when it gets time to make a buying decision. Rather than say “yes” or “no”, they say “I have to think about it” or “your prices are too high.” This is where the skill of negotiation comes into play. You’ve got to be able to navigate through objections with ease and dexterity if you want to close the deal on the first call.

6. Do you focus unfailingly on the prospect’s needs and desires, and make that the foundation of your sales interaction?

Prospects only care about themselves. They do not care about you, except to the extent that you can get him what he wants. One call close specialists have a special ability to focus on the prospect’s needs with laser-like accuracy.

7. Can you perform consistently?

Selling in a one call close environment is like being a professional athlete. In pro sports, there isn’t any room for error. Things move quickly, and you have to be at the top of your game during each and every outing. One call closers have incredible consistency.

8. Are you highly skilled at selling?

Selling is a collection of skills. As a basketball player makes split-second decisions repeatedly during a game, a salesperson must do the same thing during a sales interaction. There isn’t much time to analyze or strategize. If you’re highly skilled at selling and have created an advanced understanding of customers and of how to sell, you could be the next great one call closer.

Popularity: 32% [?]