Best Selling Skills

7 Ways to Cut Loose from Old Sales Thinking

2011-05-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

7 Ways to Cut Loose

from Old Sales ThinkingBy Ari Galper, Founder of Unlock The Game™

Sooner or later, we all backslide into old ways of thinking about selling that lead us down the wrong path with potential clients.

A few weeks ago, I had a phone conversation with Julie, who has been struggling with the

old-style selling methods that her manager insists are the only way to sell their company’s technology solution.

Regardless of what product or service you’re selling, you should be able to relate to her dilemma.

Outdated sales skills fail to address the core issue of how we think about selling and unless we get to that core and change it once and for all, we’ll go on struggling with the same counterproductive sales behaviors.

And we’ll continue believing that we’re always just one new sales technique away from the breakthrough we’re looking for.

New Thinking = New Results

Maybe it’s time to take a different approach. Maybe we need to analyze our thinking and identify why we’re not making more sales.

Take a look at the table below and think about your current selling mindset.

How would your selling behaviors change if you changed your sales thinking?

Let's take a closer look at these concepts so you can begin to open up your current sales thinking and become more effective in your selling efforts.

1. Stop the sales pitch. Start a conversation.

When you call someone, never start out with a mini-presentation about yourself, your company, and what you have to offer.

Instead, start with a conversational phrase that focuses on a specific problem that your product or service solves. For example, you might say, “I'm just calling to see if you are open to some different ideas related to preventng downtime accross your computer network?"

Notice that you are not pitching your solution with this opening phrase. Instead, you're addressing a problem that, based on your experience in your field, you believe they might be having. (If you don't know what problems your product or service solves, do a little research by asking your current customers why they purchased your solution.)

2. Your goal is always to discover whether you and your prospect are a good fit.

If you let go of trying to close the sale or get the appointment, you’ll discover that you don't have to take responsibility for moving the sales process forward.

By simply focusing your conversation on problems that you can help prospects solve, and by not jumping the gun by trying to move the sales process forward, you’ll discover that prospects will give you the direction you need.

3. When you lose a sale, it's usually at the beginning of the sales process.

If you think you’re losing sales due to mistakes you make at the end of the process, review how you began the relationship. Did you start with a pitch?

Did you use traditional sales language (“We have a solution that you really need” or “Others in your industry have bought our solution, you should consider it as well”)?

Traditional sales language leads prospects to label you with the negative stereotype of “salesperson.” This makes it almost impossible for them to relate to you with trust or to have an honest, open conversation about problems they're trying to solve and how you might be able to help them.

4. Hidden sales pressure causes rejection. Eliminate sales pressure, and you’ll never experience rejection.

Prospects don’t trigger rejection. You do -- when something you say, and it could be very subtle, triggers a defensive reaction from your prospect.

Yes, something you say.

You can eliminate rejection forever simply by giving up the hidden agenda of hoping to make a sale. Instead, be sure that everything you say and do stems from the basic mindset that you’re there to help prospects identify and solve their issues.

5. Never chase prospects. Instead, get to the truth of whether there’s a fit or not.

Chasing prospects has always been considered normal and necessary, but it’s rooted in the macho selling image that “If you don’t keep chasing, you’re giving up, which means you’re a failure." This is dead wrong.

Instead, ask your prospects if they’d be open to connecting again at a certain time and date so you can both avoid the phone tag game.

6. When prospects offer objections, validate them and reopen the conversation.

Most traditional sales programs spend a lot of time focusing on “overcoming” objections, but these tactics only create more sales pressure.

They also keep you from exploring or learning the truth behind what your prospects are saying.

You know that “We don't have the budget,” “Send me information,” or “Call me back in a few months,” are polite evasions designed to get you off the phone. Stop trying to counter objections. Instead, shift to uncovering the truth by replying, “That's not a problem.” No matter what the objection, use gentle, dignified language that invites prospects to tell you the truth about their situation without feeling you’ll use it to press for a sale.

7. Never defend yourself or what you have to offer. This only creates more sales pressure.

When prospects say, “Why should I choose you over your competition?,” your instinctive reaction is to defend your product or service because you believe that you are the best choice, and you want to convince them of that. But what goes through their minds at that point?

Something like, “This ‘salesperson’ is trying to sell me, and I hate feeling as if I'm being sold.”

Stop defending yourself. In fact, come right out and tell them that you aren’t going to try to convince them of anything because that only creates sales pressure. Instead, ask them again about key problems they’re trying to solve.

Then explore how your product or service might solve those problems. Give up trying to persuade. Let prospects feel they can choose you without feeling sold.

The sooner you can let go of the traditional sales beliefs that we’ve all been exposed to, the more quickly you’ll feel good about selling again, and start seeing better results.

"Learning to walk away may be the hardest part of selling because we've been so conditioned to pursue anyone who we believe could benefit from our solution or who shows interest in what we have to offer. The longer you've been in sales, the longer it may take you to rewind the tapes in your head.

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7 Ways to Cut Loose from Old Sales Thinking

2011-05-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

7 Ways to Cut Loose

from Old Sales ThinkingBy Ari Galper, Founder of Unlock The Game™

Sooner or later, we all backslide into old ways of thinking about selling that lead us down the wrong path with potential clients.

4. Hidden sales pressure causes rejection. Eliminate sales pressure, and you’ll never experience rejection.

5. Never chase prospects. Instead, get to the truth of whether there’s a fit or not.

6. When prospects offer objections, validate them and reopen the conversation.

7. Never defend yourself or what you have to offer. This only creates more sales pressure.

The sooner you can let go of the traditional sales beliefs that we’ve all been exposed to, the more quickly you’ll feel good about selling again, and start seeing better results.

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7 Ways to Cut Loose from Old Sales Thinking

2011-05-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

7 Ways to Cut Loose
from Old Sales ThinkingBy Ari Galper, Founder of Unlock The Game™

Sooner or later, we all backslide into old ways of thinking about selling that lead us down the wrong path with potential clients.

A few weeks ago, I had a phone conversation with Julie, who has been struggling with the
old-style selling methods that her manager insists are the only way to sell their company’s technology solution.

Regardless of what product or service you’re selling, you should be able to relate to her dilemma.

Outdated sales skills fail to address the core issue of how we think about selling and unless we get to that core and change it once and for all, we’ll go on struggling with the same counterproductive sales behaviors.

And we’ll continue believing that we’re always just one new sales technique away from the breakthrough we’re looking for.
New Thinking = New Results
Maybe it’s time to take a different approach. Maybe we need to analyze our thinking and identify why we’re not making more sales.

Take a look at the table below and think about your current selling mindset.

How would your selling behaviors change if you changed your sales thinking?

4. Hidden sales pressure causes rejection. Eliminate sales pressure, and you’ll never experience rejection.

5. Never chase prospects. Instead, get to the truth of whether there’s a fit or not.

6. When prospects offer objections, validate them and reopen the conversation.

7. Never defend yourself or what you have to offer. This only creates more sales pressure.

The sooner you can let go of the traditional sales beliefs that we’ve all been exposed to, the more quickly you’ll feel good about selling again, and start seeing better results.

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"How to Sell Using The Phone and The Internet --

2011-05-11T10:27:00.002-07:00

"How to Sell Using The Phone and The Internet --
Without Sacrificing Your Soul!"

...A Conversation with Ari Galper and Perry Marshall

Selling doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your values of truly wanting to help people. But there are forces in the marketplace that say you have to "close" people and use sales techniques that feel awkward and inauthentic.

This priceless recording with Ari Galper, the world's leading authority on how to create trust between buyer abd seller -- and Perry Marshall, considered the leading thinker on online marketing -- will make you stop and think about how you can grow your business, without having to degrade your integrity as a sales person or marketer.

-- Learn 3 head-spinning mindset principles that show you how to create trust with new prospects

- Discover how to Unlock The Game of sales and marketing using an integrity-based approach

- Take away new easy-to-use sales strategies you can use only a few minutes after you listen to this call

Click Here to Listen

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his free cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don't know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit

Sales Success Store

To your success,

Ari Galper
Founder, Unlock The Game

"How to Sell Using The Phone and The Internet --

2011-05-11T10:27:00.001-07:00

Sales Success Store

To your success,

Ari Galper
Founder, Unlock The Game

Unlock The Game Malaysia - Ari Galper

2011-05-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Best Selling Skills - Unlock The Game - Ari Galper

2011-05-07T10:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Unlock The Game®

Unlock The Game is a radically honest sales and cold calling approach based on integrity and common sense. It challenges traditional sales thinking and helps you achieve better sales results.

It's the missing link -- a new mindset and language that converts selling into a natural conversation between you and your prospect.

It's incredibly effective.

It offers you a new way of thinking about selling, from cold calling -- the most dreaded selling experience of all -- to the end of the sales process.

You don't have to abandon the selling skills you already know -- Unlock The Game gives you a new approach and new tools to help you let go of old behaviors that bring you negative results.

Best of all, it's easy to learn.

"Unlock The Game is a breakthrough that takes the rejection out of selling"

"Eventually, you'll find that asking "Maybe you can help me out for a moment?" feels easy and relaxed because you're humanizing your call by being your genuine self. You're not using the canned phrases that every other salesperson that day has used. "

He has been interviewed on major news networks such as CNN/Money and SkyNews and is a sought-after international speaker and trainer, having shared the stage and mastermined with successful entrepreneurs such as Mark Victor Hansen, Dan Kennedy, Joan Rivers, Harry S. Dent, Christopher Howard, Frank Kern, Eban Pagan, Perry Marshall, Chris Cardell, Bill Glazer, Alexandria Brown and many others.

His personal insights on how to build trust between buyers and sellers continue to break new ground in the sales industry. (Ari's personal insight sample here).

Ari is based in Sydney, Australia with his wife Michelle and their two sons and daughter Toby, Nathan and Jaime. (Learn about Toby here.)

Sales professionals from the following companies are now successfully using Unlock The Game: Motorola, Gateway, Clear Channel Communications, Brother International, Fidelity National Mortgage, ERA, Pitney Bowes, The NPD Group, AFLAC, State Farm Insurance, Coldwell Banker, Radisson Hotels, AON Consulting, Pre-Paid Legal, Telecom Plus, Century 21 Realty, Executive Search Group, RE/MAX and Realty Executives.

Unlock The Game™ has been available for over 10 years and has helped thousands of sales people, entrepreneurs and business people in over 38 countries including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand.

For more infomation and to receive your Free 10 Lessons from Mrv ari galper Plaese email to me at zededdi@gmail.com or log on to unlockthegame.webstarts.com/zededdi