Sales Training Blog | Colleen Stanley

Many salespeople have heard the phrase that selling is an art and a science. This phrase is moving beyond a cliché with the new research on the science of selling and persuasion. Sales professionals who desire a true competitive advantage know and apply the science behind how and why prospects make buying decisions.

The first step is studying the old brain, called the amygdala. It is a small almond shaped structure, located above the eyeballs. The amygdala is often referred to as the reptilian brain as it is the oldest part of the brain. It screens all stimuli coming into the brain and does so without logical thought. It’s often referred to as the “fight or flight” portion of the brain. It is this part of the brain that salespeople must pay attention to and adapt their approach. Many untrained salespeople send prospects into “fight or flight” mode because of outdated selling techniques and how they show up to a sales meeting.

Here are two ways that salespeople can sell to the old brain and increase sales:

#1: Stop asking leading questions.

For some reason, salespeople change their language during a sales call. They ask leading questions such as, “So if we could show you how our product can save you thousands of dollars, would you want to move forward?” The old brain hears a close coming, defenses go up, and the prospect goes into “fight or flight” mode. The responses vary from objections (fight) to a “think it over” (flight).

Another place is the sales process where salespeople ask leading questions is after delivery of their value proposition. “We work with companies who are experiencing this, this and this. Are you having any of these issues?” This leading question makes a prospect feel cornered and he/she responds with a “not really” or simply holds the conversation card close to the chest. The result is a superficial conversation versus a transparent conversation.

Leading questions try to lead the prospect to the salesperson’s desired outcome, not the prospects. The old brain doesn’t like leading questions because they are manipulative and inauthentic. A better thing to say is, “I’m not sure if you are having any of these issues….” It gives the prospect control of the call and eliminates “fight or flight” responses.

#2: Seek the truth, not the sale.

The old brain is always on the lookout for danger. When a salesperson shows up to meeting with the intent of closing the sales, the energy in the room changes and the old brain knows it. Guard goes up and level of conversation goes down. If you want to close more business, change the intent of the sales meeting to seek the truth and do the right thing.

Great salespeople lose attachment to the outcome of the sales meeting. This is a mindset more than a selling skill. They are not focused on commissions; they are focused on uncovering the prospect’s problem and figuring out if the prospect is committed to fixing it. When a salesperson seeks the truth versus a sale, he asks better questions, the right questions, and the tough questions. The result is a relaxed sales meeting where both parties have an open dialogue.

Sales is an art and science. Make sure your selling skills include the science of selling to the old brain.

Labels: "emotional intelligence sales training", "emotional intelligence training"

The NCAA Final Four is this weekend – celebrating the very best that college hoops has to offer. This year’s tournament had many shockers – West Virginia’s upset over No. 1 seed Kentucky, and Northern Iowa’s upset of No. 1 seed University of Kansas. The four teams standing are Butler, Michigan State, Duke and West Virginia; all of which displayed amazing athletic performances thus far and great overall seasons (regardless of the outcomes in the next two games).

The skill level of the teams and athletes that make it to this point is incredibly high, and it’s almost impossible to say which team going head-to-head is “better” than the other when it comes to skill. If the winner cannot be determined by skill level, what is the winning edge? Is it sheer luck? If only luck could take us that far….. The deciding factor in winning is emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups. What makes top performing athletes excel over their competitors who have the same skill set? It’s emotional intelligence.

Let’s look at two emotional intelligence traits and how they relate to winning in athletics and winning in sales:

Self-Actualization: Ability to realize your potential capacities. An on-going, dynamic process of striving toward the maximum development of your abilities and talents.

A top performing athlete is not content with being second place. When you watch the leaders of the college basketball teams, they have the drive and desire to do what it takes to win – every bit of their being longs to be the best – and the most important part? They truly BELIEVE they can do it.

Are you sales self-actualized? Do you have high goals to achieve and know in your heart of hearts that it can be done? Or is there a voice of doubt holding you back? The best way to get self actualized is to be very in tune with your wants, desires, and capabilities. A good way to do this is to take some time each day to journal and explore the deep thoughts that so often get pushed aside by the logistics of your day. Become aware of yourself in order to become the best you can be.

Stress Tolerance: Ability to effectively withstand adverse events and constructively cope.

It always amazes me how many games come down to a buzzer shot. It amazes me even more how these young athletes stay completely cool and calm under the intense pressure. Top players not only take the last shot, but want to take the last shot. Have you ever noticed how they are not in the least bit surprised they hit the game winning three-pointer? They live for the 3 – 2 – 1…..

How do you handle stressful sales situations? A rep we work with came to the realization that she needed to work on her stress tolerance after an unfortunate scenario with a prospect. She has been building a relationship with this important client for months, and was now at the solution alignment (proposal) phase. The prospect became very demanding – asking for unrealistic deadlines, nit-picking each sentence of the proposal to death – so much so that the salesperson snapped at the prospect and lost the account.

We see it all the time. Salespeople do not handle stress well, are not assertive enough to appropriately manage expectations, and end up losing business.

Learn what you stressor “hot buttons” are so you can properly manage them and adapt appropriately. When that sales stress creeps up, so something to relieve it in a positive way – a walk around the park, a chat with your sales manager or a friend who understands your demanding business. Whatever you do – don’t let it interfere with your sales process – you will wind up looking like sales amateur.

When watching the games this weekend, think about how the players and coaches use a mixture of knowledge of the game with emotional intelligence traits – it will be the deciding factor of who takes home the trophy.

Salespeople can often get caught up in labeling their calls. Is it cold, warm or hot? Here’s a tip: they all require similar selling skills. A skilled telephone conversation requires the ability to build rapport, deliver a compelling value proposition, and ask good qualifying questions. Here are three ways to enhance your sales conversations – regardless of the temperature.

Build Rapport:
How many of you have hung up the phone with a prospect and said, “I just wasn’t connecting with this person?” You might be focusing on the wrong part of the conversation. The astute salesperson immediately tunes into the non-verbal part of the sales conversation, which accounts for up to 88% of communication when using the telephone.

Top salespeople are masters at matching and mirroring the prospect’s rate of speech as well as specific words being used by the prospect. If the salesperson is speaking to a prospect who speaks slowly, the salesperson speaks slowly. If they have a rapid fire prospect on the phone, the salesperson matches and mirrors by kicking up the pace. The biggest mistake we hear in most sales conversations is salespeople talking much faster than the prospect because of nervousness or lack of focus. The prospect cannot keep up with the conversation, no rapport is built, and no appointment is set. Likeability is the key to moving the sales forward.

Compelling Value Propositions:
The key word is compelling. Most value propositions focus on the salesperson’s organization versus the prospect’s problem; i.e. “We are a 100-year-old firm specializing in blah, blah, blah. We are experts at blah, blah, blah.” The prospect is immediately bored and writes the phone call off as another conversation with a self-centered salesperson.

The well trained salesperson has a customized value proposition designed specifically for the industry and the decision maker. For example, when our organization calls on construction firms, we use statements such as, “We work with construction companies who are tired of going to beauty contests, only to end up in second place.” The phrase “beauty contests” is industry jargon in the construction business. It shows we know their world. Is your sales team integrating statements in their value proposition that show the prospect they understand the prospect’s business or are they using the same phrases for all prospects?

Qualifying Questions:
How many of you have been referred into an account only to discover the prospect has no money or pain? Hot calls need to be qualified just as carefully as a cold call. In fact, they need to be more carefully qualified. A warm introduction often causes salespeople to get sloppy and forget key qualifying questions (after all, they were referred in or the prospect called them). The main question to ask your sales team is: Did you gather information or did you gather evidence of a problem that the prospect is serious about solving?

Whether your lead is being generated by a cold call, introduction or LinkedIn, remember that a solid sales conversation with all of the above ingredients must occur. Build rapport, develop customized value propositions and qualify.

Good Selling,

Colleen Stanley
Chief Selling Officer

Labels: "sales management training", "sales success", cold calling, denver sales training, prospecting, qualifying

Last week’s Academy Awards marked the end of awards season. The Oscars are a defining moment for many people in the film industry – from producers to directors to cinematographers; the industry’s best are honored.

As outsiders, we watch the Oscars to see our favorite actors being honored for their work. The “boring part” of the almost 4 hour program (when we leave the couch to take the chicken out of the oven) comes when the behind the scenes awards are presented; i.e. sound mixing, art direction, costume design. We don’t know these nominees’ names – they’re not as fascinating as Sandra Bullock or James Cameron – but they must be pretty important….they ARE up for an OSCAR, right?

Who are the behind-the-scenes people in your business who need a Sales Support Oscar? As a salesperson you get the award likened to Best Actor (we could go on and on about parallels between sales people and actors here). As a sales manager you would get Best Director. If you’re worthy of the Sales Oscar, then you’re behind the scenes people should probably be nominated as well.

Some possible Sales Oscar nominations:

• An assistant who manages your calendar and keeps you on task to close deals – without who you would have “chicken with head cut off” syndrome

• A marketing coordinator who whips out great sales sheets and materials with a positive attitude – you know you can always go to her when you’re in a bind

• A custodian who ensures you walk into a nice, clean office every morning to start your day off right

• The coffee shop barista who knows your drink without you ordering it – and knows you’re in a hurry to get to your next appointment.

• A spouse who understands your hectic schedule and supports your dreams

Most of us have the intention to acknowledge those deserving of it, but we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the day, and acknowledgements take a back seat. In the spirit of awards season, take a moment to stop, reflect and thank. Don’t worry about having a gift, simply say the words to let them know what they do makes a difference.

In the latest issue of Westword, there is an article about a woman who was the victim of a terrible car accident, in which her insurance company dropped her coverage after finding a loop-hole so they wouldn’t have to pay. This got me thinking about honoring agreements and doing what you say.

We’ve all done it – committed to something that we later regret. It happens in our work lives and our personal lives. Do you ALWAYS want to go to your niece’s play on a Saturday when you have a million other things to do? Do you have ALWAYS want to stay at the office until 8pm to get a proposal out because you overextended yourself that day and said it wouldn’t be a problem? The person on the other side of your promise doesn’t care how it gets done or how much you’ve overextended…they only care that you do what you say you would.

Sales is all about trust. If you do not do what you say, even on the smallest of promises, your deal is killed. An example of this would be “I’ll call you back in 10 minutes.” If it’s 20 minutes later and you make that call, the prospect has gotten a small taste of distrust and will be likely to carry that throughout the entire courtship. When you say your company has 24-hour call response does that actually mean 9pm – 5pm call response? When you say there’s always a live customer service agent available does that really mean the wait time is 30 minutes to speak with that agent?

A way to make sure you follow-through on your promises is to be realistic when making them. If you’ve had back-to-back appointments all day, do you really think you will be any shape to come back to the office at 7pm and start working on a proposal? Yes, some can do this without any problems, but are you that person? Know your limitations. If you do not, your work will suffer, and you will lose business.

In the case of the insurance company that dropped their client, they would have paid $200,000 in medical expenses had they simply honored their agreement. Instead, they paid $37 million due to a judgment in the court of law. How much are broken promises costing you?

Labels: denver sales training, sales leadership development, sales seminars denver, sales tip of the day, sales training colorado, sales training denver, salesperson skills

All across the world, people are glued to the TV watching the Winter Olympics. The attraction to the Olympics is universal. Spectators are addicted to “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” “The Games” serve as a fertile ground for teaching sales teams how to win. There are many learning points and below are three to discuss with your team:

1. Do the Work

It’s a good thing our athletes didn’t subscribe to the hours of work suggested in the book, “The Four Hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferris. I’m pretty sure mastery at this level isn’t accomplished by practicing just four hours a week.

The biggest takeaway sales teams can learn from top athletes is the allocation of time; They invest more time practicing than performing. They invest hours in preparing for five minutes of glory on the ice or snow. They are masters of the emotional intelligence skill delayed gratification. They are willing to do the work in order to reap the reward. Unfortunately, most salespeople don’t invest enough time in practice. In fact, their practice sessions are often conducted in front of prospects. (And sales managers wonder why close ratios aren’t better!)

Give this quiz to your sales team today to determine level of mastery:

· Please give me your value proposition for this buyer in this industry.

· What’s a common problem your prospects have? What are the questions to quantify the cost of the problem?

· Throw out a common objection and listen to the answer given by your sales team.

Are the answers worthy of a bronze, silver or gold?

2. Mindset – “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”

Johnny Spillane, Steamboat, Colorado resident and member of the Nordic Combined Unites States Olympic Team, looked like he was set to take the gold until Jason Chappuls from France edged him out by four tenths of a second. Johnny gave his best throughout the event, and ended up just short in the last seconds. (I think he just ran out of gas.)

How many of us in sales have given up before crossing the finish line because we are tired and/or the competitor is in the lead? Closing business is as much about selling skills as it mindset. When you have lost a piece of business, can you look yourself in the mirror and say, “I gave 150%. I engaged until the very end.”

3. Mastery – “Good is the enemy of great.”

This quote by Jim Collins nicely sums up the type of athletes showing up at the Olympics. They don’t have the luxury of being good because good doesn’t earn them a seat on the Olympic team. Olympic athletes are masterful. They invest thousands of hours in practice and being coached.

“Sales Olympians” possess the same qualities and mindset because they know today’s business environment is competitive and good is not good enough to win business. Great is now entry to the game of sales. Is your sales team good or great?

Enjoy the 2010 Winter Olympics. It is a great tutorial in building high performance sales teams.

The research results are in: Multitask­ing doesn't work and isn't going to until the human brain can be re-engineered and/or cloned.

The brain is a powerful computer, with its hundred billion neurons and trillions of synaptic connections. However, it has limitations.

In a recent study, a group of Microsoft workers took an average of 15 minutes to return to serious mental tasks, such as writing reports or computer code, after responding to incoming e-mail or instant messages. They strayed off to reply to other messages or browse news, sports or entertainment Web sites.

The same thing happens to many sales organizations. Companies worry about competition, but instead, should worry about the misuse and abuse of technology. Salespeople spend entire days in "check mode": checking voicemail, e-mail and PDAs. They're so busy checking in, they never get to doing prospecting and business development.

So what's a company to do? Here are a few principles to endorse and enforce at your company.

Love the one you're with -- Bad manners don't win business. Cell phone/PDA addiction is creating a generation of people who just don't get it. Most of us grew up with Mom and Dad telling us not to speak with our mouth full. Now, Mom and Dad need to tell their adult children not to speak with their mouth full of a cell phone.
The next time your salesperson takes an electronic gadget, turned on, to a lunch meeting, ask them why: Are they going to call their guest, who's sitting across from them at the table? Are they going to take a call while they're talking with their customer?

Who is more important? The client and prospect, or an incoming phone call?

A colleague recently shared her story of a first meeting with a financial planner. The purpose of the meeting was to determine if he was the right professional to design her financial future. She quickly decided he wasn't when the planner took a phone call during their meeting, sending a clear message she was No. 2 on his priority list. She figured treatment of her portfolio would look the same way.

Smart salespeople know that giving undivided attention to prospects and clients is one of the best ways let them know they're important and valued.

Be present and in the moment -- Companies invest in training and hold meetings, only to have knowledge go down the drain because no one attending the training or meeting is "in the moment."
Participants live in the past or the future, worrying about what they've missed or are going to miss. PDAs line up on conference tables, with participants staring intently, making sure they don't miss a single message.

They don't miss any messages. However, they miss plenty of content, learning, sharing of best practices and eventually, results.

Play the quiet game -- You have to wonder if salespeople think other business people will think they're more successful because they have a permanent attachment to their ear. (It's scary how many people are walking around talking to themselves these days.)
We know you have a job and are important. Congratulations. The general public really doesn't care to hear your conversation in the elevator, restroom, restaurant or car.

When's the last time you encouraged your sales team to take some time to just think? Yes, think and not do. Turn off the radio, CD, cell phone and free up your mind.

A relaxed mind produces some of the best ideas and solutions. Sigmund Freud said, "Great decision in the realm of thought and momentous discoveries and solutions of problems are only possible to an individual working in solitude."

So what else were you working on while reading this article?