Selling To Cautious Thinkers (C)

Cautious Thinkers (often called analyticals or controllers) live a very disciplined, logical life.  They focus on the details, avoid quick (risky) decisions, and hate to make mistakes. They are skeptical of most salespeople’s claims unless backed up by volumes of data.  You will often find them in technical or financial positions.  They make up just [&hellip

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“Can We See a Demo?”

Many companies place a great deal of reliance on demos to showcase their products and services.  While a demo can be a great way to show off your product, often it is not being properly utilized to close business. Salespeople arrive at the meeting, anxious to “demo” their product to show how it will improve [&hellip

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The Rules

1. Follow your sales process. 2. See Rule #1. 3. If I act like a salesperson, I’ll be treated like one. 4. Prescription before diagnosis is malpractice. 5. My prospect must convince me he has a problem that needs to be fixed. 6. The harder I push for a “yes,” the more likely I am [&hellip

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Winning Negotiating Tactics

Successful negotiation involves mastering several moving parts.  Attitude, preparation, solid fundamentals, and knowing how to deal with concessions are the four key elements to being a good negotiator.  Let’s look at each. Attitude You must approach any negotiation with the right mindset. Your objective should be to create a win-win result; both parties need to [&hellip

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Presenting Your Solutions

While some would put a great deal of emphasis on delivering a great presentation to close the business, what you do before your presentation, especially in the area of gaining a superior understanding of your prospect’s business challenges, is the most important part of selling in a complex, relationship sale.  People usually develop buying preferences [&hellip

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Discussing Money

Understanding the financial details relative to the sale is critical.  The following pieces of information are an important part of the qualifying puzzle: The financial impact of the pain on the company and the prospect. What the prospect is willing to invest to eliminate the pain. The financial resources available (budget) to address the pain. [&hellip

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Selling To Influencers (I)

Animated, energetic, and friendly, influencers (also known as extroverts or socializers) are great talkers, but typically poor listeners.  They are optimistic and trusting, and relationships are their top priority.  Rejection is very difficult for them.  They tend to live an undisciplined, fast-paced life.  You’ll often find them in positions that require lots of contact with [&hellip

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Features & Benefits

“Features & benefits” have been a selling “staple” for many years.  Salespeople have been trained on product knowledge and told to educate their customers about their “features and benefits.”  This is a strategy that has seen its better days.  F&B was the right strategy when the salesperson’s job was to educate the prospect about the [&hellip

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Your Recipe for Prospecting Success

When prospecting, salespeople usually focus on the wrong end of the problem.  They focus on results, typically on the number of appointments made which, unfortunately, are virtually impossible to control with any degree of certainty.  When they don’t achieve those objectives, prospecting becomes a very depressing activity.  Yet we all realize that without enough prospecting [&hellip

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