The Automotive Sales Training Blog

2011-02-08T21:11:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

2011-01-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

So you have a Don’t you want something NEW and Better? Of course you do. Okay, so what’s next?

To make more money

The first thing you have to do is decide on what you want this year. Brainstorm with yourself and your loved ones to understand what better looks like. Then put these goals in writing. You are just kidding yourself if you don’t. Your goals should include designing a lifestyle that is worth living. Just earning a living sucks! Design YOUR life!

Write a work plan to make it happen. Set goals for both income and outgo. That’s right. Make plans that

are bigger, better, and more fun than last year—better than ever!

Don’t live with regret. Plan your business vehicle sales and income to meet your opportunities for a better personal life. Do it now. Don’t procrastinate again like last year. Get up, dust yourself off (from the broken promises and dreams of last year) and start dreaming the lifestyle you want. What are the things that would motivate you to higher sales and more fun?

New boat – Caribbean vacation – new piano – buy vehicle - hot tub – new kitchen – pay off debt – college fund – help out a family member – support a child starving in your community,city,state,America or the World – build a new home, put money on a course that works for you as an investment.

There is no business like the automotive business to increase your income. There are no income limits but those you place upon yourself. So take the blinders off. Leave past sales and lifestyles in the past and look at your life again.

What is missing? What would you like to do or have that only a little more money would buy? What places in this world have you not been to yet? Put them on the list and make the trip. You get the idea. Think big, better, exciting more FUN!

Do the math.

Take last year’s income and increase it by whatever it takes to achieve the lifestyle you want for your family and yourself.

Let’s say the increase you desire is $10,000 more than last year.

You divide $10,000 by your average commission last year plus $30.00.

You divide that by 12 for the monthly sales target required.

You divide that by 4.3 for the weekly sales target required.

Guess what? The extra sales to increase your income this year is well under an extra sale a week. Probably only about ½ a sale a week. You can make that happen. Of course you can.

Make your action plan right now.

You already know what it takes to make what you did last year, so write down what you have to do better this year to make an additional half of a sale extra a week.

The keys to success for 2011.

· Demo more, talk less.

· Drive first during the presentation drive and sell the vehicle with more excitement

· Meet and greet your customers more quickly than the other guys and gals.

· Be more prepared to handle aggressive customers. They are ready. And they buy quickly

· Increase your sales skills. Brush off the old training notes from my training classes or my weekly newsletters

· Follow-up walk-outs better. Get their cell, work and home phone numbers in that order.

· Ask for the business more often, even when you don’t think they are buying.

· Increase your negotiation skills because you are not as good as you should be.

· Work your Contact Management System to the maximum every day.

· Get your sales manager’s involved early in the sales process – don’t (lot drop) or (burn through up’s)

· Buy coffee for your sales manager more to get house deals. (Just kidding.)

Get writing your Action Plan. Review it with your sales manager to get feedback and ideas and support for your efforts. He or she will encourage you and help you keep on track for your personal goals.

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

A Positive Approach to Negative People

2011-01-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

I recently read an article telling managers that they should "get rid of" people whose negative attitudes are adversely affecting productivity and morale within their organizations.

I agree that is a manager's ultimate responsibility, but emphasize the word "ultimate." In far too many cases, managers go from looking the other way to swinging the axe, with the excuse that you can't make people change their attitudes.

"Getting rid of" someone should be a last resort, taken if and only if efforts to induce a more positive workplace environment and the corresponding attitudes of individuals who work there are not successful.

In that spirit, I share some of the most important lessons I've learned about taking a positive approach to negative people in my years with coaching managers and owners. These principles apply not only to management - replace the words "organization"

and "manager" with "family" and "parent" and you can take them home with you.

One: Recognize that toxic emotional negativity is always an outward projection of some inner pain (anxiety, envy, low self-esteem, etc.), and that helping people be more positive at work often means helping them achieve a higher level of self-mastery in their personal lives. To say that's not your responsibility is to sell short your organization, your employees, and the people you serve.

Two: Toxic emotional negativity is like the big smelly elephant in the middle of the living room. Everyone knows it's there, but no one wants to talk about it. Expectations regarding how attitudes are reflected in behaviors should be clear in orientation, performance appraisals, staff meetings, informal coaching, and every other possible venue.

Instead of complaining about someone's negative attitude, managers should have the courage to confront it in a constructive way.

Three: Attitudes are not genetic qualities; they are habits that are directly influenced by organizational culture, the behaviors of peers, and expectations of managers. As with all efforts to change inappropriate or self-destructive habits, fostering a more positive workplace is best achieved with gentle pressure relentlessly applied.

Four: Be clear and specific about the link between values and behaviors. For example, I do not know of an organization or an individual that does not claim to hold Integrity as an important value. Yet I do not know of an organization that does not have a rumor mill, and I know very few individuals who do not at least on occasion participate.

Always remember that, gossip always violates integrity; seen in that light, managers have a higher obligation to eliminate it from the workplace.

Five: Teach people practical skills for confronting toxic emotional negativity. A good example would be for your next meeting with your team(s), break out into small groups and ask people to create skits demonstrating how they would confront inappropriate attitudes.

Most people are very uncomfortable with it, and not very good at it. These are important management skills, and should be taught, role-played, and critiqued (books like Crucial Confrontations, Fierce Conversations and The Coward's Guide to Conflict can help). Likewise, there are very effective techniques for confronting gossip and other inappropriate behaviors.

Six: Give people tools to depersonalize the confrontation.

One of the most powerful tools in the quest for a smoke-free world was the simple No Smoking sign. Instead of confronting someone lighting a cigarette, we were able to point to the sign and achieve the desired result with minimal risk of conflict. When I trained and coached managers at Minolta Corporation. We used the Pickle Challenge that our Spark Plug groups (Top Leading Managers) use to foster a more positive workplace includes cute signs, pickle jars, and The Pickle Pledge as visual prompts to reinforce positive attitudes.

Seven: Be a positive example. It's remarkable how frequently we hear managers whine and complain about how tired they are of hearing their people whine and complain. This is an easy trap to fall into. As a manager (or as a parent), you must assume that you are always on stage, and set an example of a positive and optimistic attitude for those who look to you for direction.

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it”.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

LEADERS MAKE IT HAPPEN!

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

Did You Make Your Appointment?

2011-01-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

   It was about lunch time today when this question popped into my head. I was having lunch with a really good friend of mine whom is a veteran of the car business of about 17 years. It has been a while since we have had the opportunity to catch up and as I was listening to him tell me about his recent frustrations with his GM, my mind started wandering. Now I know exactly what you are thinking, what kind of friend doesn't listen to what a "really good friend" of many years is saying? First and foremost, he was rambling on and on about something negative that neither he nor I can control or change. Not to mention that whenever ANYONE around me starts exhibiting NTTB (Negative Trash Talking Behavior), I quickly tune everything out. I wouldn't want the NTTB infection to set in. Secondly, I had bit into something that had messed up a temporary crown and I remembered (HEY, Why Didn't I Make That Appointment At The Dentist Office?)

   Then of course my mind immediately went to a topic that I want to discuss on my blog and here we are.

Why don't more professionals set appointments every single day?

Why do so called professionals choose to exhibit NTTB instead of working on ANYTHING that pertains to the delivery of a new or pre-owned automobile?

Let's do the math together and figure out why "professionals" choose to sit around the coffee pot and watch the time fade away versus doing the right thing by setting appointments. If a professional makes enough Follow-Up calls everyday and are totally focused on setting appointments, that particular salesperson can and will make at least 1 appointment each and every single day. Let's take a 5 day work week (I know that some of you HORSES out there actually work more...but humor me on this), In a 4 week period (1 month), you will set 5 appointments each and every week. With the closing ratio on appointments being much higher than a traditional "Walk-in", you will have a better chance of having a deal by working your clients this way. For example, if the closing ratio on true set appointments is between 60% and 80% (Depends on which statistic you utilize), you will sell 12-16 units per month just by setting 1 appointment every single day that you are at work. Most unit bonuses that I have seen over the years start at 10 unit sales per month and by utilizing this simple formula of 1 appointment every single day, you will begin to see the fruits of your labor quickly.

   There are many different ways to set appointments and we will talk about the most effective way to set an appointment in a blog coming soon. Until then remember, An Appointment A Day Equals a Pretty Nice Pay Day!

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

I Can't Believe I Just Heard That!

2011-01-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

     As I was in this dealership today doing some consulting services, I heard an employee say something that really made me think. I would like to add that this statement from the employee did not make me think in a positive way either. In fact, what this person said really made me wonder... why is that person even here at work.

     Now before I get to carried away let me just tell you EXACTLY how this statement went down and I will let you be the judge. I was at a dealership today doing my rounds and I walked up to this employee and asked him how he was doing. He said, "I'm ready to go home." I proceeded with "Why is That?" and he says, "You know actually, I wanted to go home from work before I even came in today."

What do you think? How would you respond? Do YOU ever think this attitude and instead of saying these completely ridiculous and absurd words to someone, you behave in a way that is as insane as this? The fact is folks that when you go to work You FEEL better when you are doing something productive. You FEEL better when you are thinking the right thoughts. You PERFORM better when you are following your process and doing what you went to work today to do. You PERFORM better when you think great thoughts. You SELL MORE when you have the right attitude and because you have the right mindset and right attitude...YOU MAKE MORE MONEY.

   This is No Secret At All! This stuff has been out for ages and the same basic principles work every single day if applied. Let's face it, every day something is going to happen that may affect your attitude or cause you to think in a negative way. It's not if something is going to happen, it is when. How you react to the controversies of life and how you keep your thoughts in check will determine how successful you are and how successful you will become.

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

Why Do Customers Have Such a Negative Opinion of Car Salespeople?

2011-01-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

My Guess: Training(or a lack thereof)

I was sitting with strangers in my girlfriend's parents' house over the holidays and running out of casual observations about the Christmas lights, forecasted snow, people's travel plans etc... and just as the slight feeling of awkwardness crept over the ever silent room, one of my new found friends fell back on an old reliable line to break the silence, "So, What do you do for a living?"

Snapped back into the moment, I replied "Me? I train automotive salespeople."

My new friend's plan had worked. The room erupted with conversation and questions about exactly what and how our company helps salespeople, leading to further discussion about the automotive business in general. The older, veteran men in the group recounted old war stories from battles on car lots where they were up against the last commanders of old school sales tactics. You know the stuff; sawdust in the transmission, rolling back the odometer, no truth in lending acts and more...

And despite the passing time, and the group's own acknowledgment that "that sort of thing happened along time ago", the scars haven't healed.

The group goes on to tell me more about how much they dislike the car buying process, car salesmen, and other less than positive experiences they've had buying cars. But when I would get my chance to reply, and ask what specifically the salesperson did wrong, or why the purchase was so bad(purely for my own curiosity and training's sake), they actually had very few legitimate concerns. (I'm going to save the best reason they gave me for another topic entirely because it's a very interesting argument.) But the final question and answer went something like this:

Me "So if I hear you guys right, you've had some bad experiences along time ago, and while all of you don't know exactly what rubbed you the wrong way and all the reasons why, you all dislike the car buying process?"

And the Chorus of "Yes".

I had closed them on the idea, but I didn't even have to, they all came in that night with a negative opinion of the automotive buying process. Why?

Anyone reading will probably agree that customer's have a bad impression because they have to deal with a typical salesperson at the typical dealership. I assume the reason they couldn't tell me everything specifically that had gone wrong with their experience was because they stopped counting. And the sad thing is, most all of the salespeople that messed up, are good people stuck in mediocrity, or worse, because they haven't been empowered with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to be professional.

They haven't been properly trained and supported.

So even though most of the old tricks are gone, and the last of the sawdust has long cleared from the air of the automotive industry, our reputation has barely improved, if at all. It's because the salespeople still aren't GREAT and it's due to a lack of training. If you're running a store, managing or selling, I want you to be conscious of this and use this to your advantage. I didn't write this just to bash the automotive industry, and there's a few tips in here for you salespeople to use....

Use your bad reputation amongst many to show that you're nothing like the rest.

I could write a long list, but I'm just going to give you 5 things I do, to be conscious of, and set myself apart from the majority of others.

1. Ask The Customer Why (not every time, but let them know you're genuinely interested in helping them make the right choice to fit their specific needs. Don't just give yeah, uh-huh, ok, responses during your investigation(you do one right))

2. Keep Them Posted (never disappear or make the customer wait without notice)

3. Don't Ever Lie (so many salespeople blow deals with customers because they fake the facts. Most customers don't like confrontation and don't say anything, they just don't buy from you either. People have done research and often come in trying to see if you are dishonest or not, and like to do a little fact checking.)

4. Watch Your Mouth (a dealership showroom mirrors the acoustics of a small concert venue, sound echoes, and customers hear things you wouldn't want them to. Don't be rude and blow your or someone's deal. Be professional at work. Whatever you do, don't talk anything observational about customer's while they are there. They can hear you!)

5. Crash The Party (nothing looks worse than a bunch of car guys standing around, joking it up, eating, smoking etc... while the customer is there trying to complete one of the biggest and most serious purchases of their life. Have the courtesy to break the huddle and go try to make your own play while other salespeople are with customers.

These things may seem incredibly simple, but do them on a routine basis and watch the results.

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

Increase Your Referrals and Make More Sales

2010-12-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

“Dave, how can I get more referrals?”

“Let me ask you. What have you done to deserve more referrals?”

“Deserve? What do you mean by that?”

Referrals are the most powerful tool in any sales consultant’s arsenal. A referred prospect is much more likely to be ready to listen to you, to trust what you say and ultimately to buy from you. Referrals make your job easier, and help you sell more with less effort and in less time. What else could any sales consultant ask for? If you want to increase your referral rate, however, you have to start not by looking to your existing customers, but by finding out how you conduct business on a daily basis.

Lesson number one: How likeable are you? People buy you first, not your dealership or product line up. So to get more referrals, you have to make like Forrest Gump and give your customers something to sincerely and thoroughly like, trust, and respect in you.

What are you doing every day to be more likeable? Like everything else in sales, there is no magic likeability bullet that works with every guest. Flexibility is key. Remember, the sales process isn’t about you. It is about putting the customer first. But how do you do that?

Lesson number two: Have you made a plan to seek referrals? No? You haven’t? Please don’t make me say, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” Your plan should consist of three parts.

1. Start a monthly Advocate Program: Once a year do a customer genealogy to see who or what was responsible for all the additions to your customer base. The odds are that you’ll find between 5-20 primary referral sources ranging from current clients to friends, partners, and community contacts.

Make an Advocate List of these active referral sources then schedule regular contact with them. Send something — not a brochure or promotional piece — but something they will value and use, like an article or book you think they will enjoy. Make a phone call or invite them to meet for lunch or breakfast.

Whatever you send or do must be of some value to them, not simply an advertisement for you. Your goal is to help them improve their business, not your own. Think about it this way – what could you give them that will help grow their revenue? In helping to grow their business, it won’t take long before they return the favor and help grow yours.

2. Develop a culture of referrals: Ask questions that benefit your guests first. One Evans Consulting Enterprise, LLC sales consultant doubled her referrals simply by asking the following guest-focused question at the end of every guest engagement: “Now, how can I help you?”

By putting the needs of her guests first, she demonstrates that she truly cares about them. When people sense that you care, they tend to want to return the favor. In fact, you may find that many of your guests are genuinely surprised by a question like this because no one has ever asked them that before. That’s why your follow-up question is equally indispensable: “You’ve helped my business grow by becoming part of our family network. I’d like to help your business grow, too. So let me ask you – what type of people do you want to meet to help increase your revenue?”

3. Write letters: If you don’t feel comfortable asking for referrals face-to-face, try the approach that’s worked for sales consultants, direct marketers, and hopeless romantics for centuries: write a letter!

Regardless of the dealership you’re in, an effective letter writing campaign can bring in a steady stream of new leads that will have an immediate and dramatic impact on your bottom line. When drafting your letter, the key is to make sure it says four things:

* Thank them for their business.

* Remind them how you met – especially if it was through a referral.

* Ask them to send you some names.

* Tell them that you will reward them with lunch or a gift basket if their referral turns into business.

Sound simple? That’s because it is. The real beauty is that it works. Yes, some of these ideas require you to know detailed information about your customers, but isn’t that what sales is all about?

Lesson number three: Are you building relationships? At its most basic level, selling is relationship building. To build it, you have to know a few things about the other person who’s in the relationship with you. If you haven’t taken the time to find out and don’t know this information about your guests, who does?

There are countless ways to let them know you care and you are thinking about them. You will soon find what works for you, and then do them often. You’ll start to see results – and more referrals – in no time. I guarantee it.

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

Are you a Quitter and Don't Know it?

2010-12-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

Are you a quitter but just don't know it? We all know individuals or have been faced with this same decision during our lives. No matter what the outcome, we made a decision to give up, cut loose or not go in that direction anymore. Dave Evans the CEO of Evans Consulting Enterprise, LLC always says “If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on the porch”.

Nobody likes to think of themselves as a quitter but statistics would seem to indicate that many sales consultants or customer service workers tend to quit far too soon and far too easily. Andrew Cochran Vice President of Operations said in a lunch meeting during the Annual Kick Off Breakfast for Evans Consulting Enterprise, LLC "It's always too soon to quit," and he shared the following:

only 10% of people actually succeed at what they set out to accomplish
another 10% accept defeat and try to resolve these feelings by turning to various obsessions
finally, 80% of the population simply endure their frustration and blame their lack of success on circumstances

While not referring specifically to sales consultants, Mr. Cochran's words and statistics are probably not that far off the mark. The percentage of exceptional and truly unexceptional sales consultants/customer service workers is proportionately small, while the vast majority sit somewhere in the middle.

Being in the middle of the pack does not constitute failure but it does beg the question, why aren't more sales consultants or customer service workers exceptional?

Our take on the issue is that the number one reason why people do not achieve higher levels of success is because they quit too soon. By quitting we don't necessarily mean throwing in the towel. We mean giving up on actions that lead to success. We mean stopping short or folding too soon. For instance, instead of 75 dials a sales consultant might quit at 60; instead of reaching 10 decision makers for the day, they settle on 5; instead of taking a half hour to gain new product knowledge on a make/model, they would rather spend the time talking about unproductive things with co-workers.

Why do Sales Consultants/Customer Service Workers Quit?

First, it's easy to quit; there's nothing complex about it. The sales consultant/customer service employee simply stops the effort when all that was required was a little perseverance and by practicing “Mastering The Basics”.

Second, quitting is rewarding. Yes, rewarding! When a sales consultant/customer service worker ceases an activity (such as follow-up or by not listening to guests) the frustration or rejection stops immediately.

Third, there is no immediate consequence. Quitting a task is very personal, silent and unseen and there is no immediate reprimand.

Fourth, taking action means change and change is uncomfortable even if it is good for the sales consultant. Many sales consultants take the path of least resistance and quit at this stage instead of enduring the short period of discomfort for long-term gain.

Finally, what any seasoned leader/coach/trainer/educator knows is that many people quit simply because they don't know how to take decisive action to change their circumstance

Some Decisive Ways To Take Action and Not Quit

If you sit in the middle of the pack and suspect you might be "quitting" on yourself by entertaining the idea of a leaving your current position or a making a career change, here are a few decisive ways you can take action, avoid quitting and succeed in commissioned or customer-centered sales.

Ask Yourself This Question

Ask yourself, "Is this what I want to do right now in my career?" If it isn't, if you are working in a position out of desperation and hate it, get out! This is the legitimate time to quit. Many individuals get into sales telling themselves that I will do this until my REAL OPPORTUNITY comes my way. Here is what I know; if your heart's not into it you won't have the motivation required for success. But if you think you can do it, then give it your best shot and continue reading. “If you think you can, or think you can’t, either way you’re right”

Shut up and Take Responsibility Now

Stop being a victim. Victims give up. Stop the irresistible temptation to whine, lament and excuse your behavior. Don’t blame your manager, your store, the BDC, prices, product mix and/or the economy for your less than stellar results. Look in the mirror and say to yourself - "Self, things aren't going so well, what am I going to do about it?" This question puts the onus on YOU and no one else to take responsibility for your success.

Avoid the Quitters

Avoid co-workers who are nothing more than walking, breathing, toxic, cancer breeders who drag you down with negative talk; those who look to justify their mediocre results by pointing fingers at others or at circumstances. Misery loves company. They'll infect you with their negativity and they'll persuade you to quit on hard work or smart work by offering reasons not to push harder. What you need to realize is that they perceive you as a threat if you out perform them. Don’t fall into the trap.

Learn from Winners

Get to know, work and hang out with the winners in the store, the top producers; the best of the best. “Step around your ego”. Ask them questions. Learn. Observe. Absorb. You'll see they do the extras here and there. Copy them. Winners don't quit - they finish the task. If you have ever played or viewed a team sport you have heard the words that “Winning is Contagious” - get infected!

Work a Half Hour Longer

Come in 30 minutes earlier or stay 30 minutes longer each day. Pick up additional sales from another department that opens before the sales department or work on your CRM, product training or creative communication with guests, clients or customers or create a community prospecting plan. What a novel idea! An extra half hour a day amounts to only 2.5 hours per week, but that means 10 hours per month or 120 hours a year. Imagine the dials, connects, visits, presentations and more importantly the sales you will make with an extra 15 days a year? Too tough? Start with 15 minutes more a day and you'll still get incremental results.

Find a Cheerleader, a Coach and a Conscience

Whether it's your manager, a peer, a mentor, a friend, a spouse or significant other, find someone to act as a cheerleader, a coach and above all a conscience. Share with them your daily targets and report the results to them every day. They'll give you high fives, they'll give you advice or encouragement or they'll give you a little frown. Whatever the case, you win.

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

Just Listen Part Two

2010-12-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

So, how do we do it better?

Here are two specific techniques to help you improve your listening effectiveness:

1. Listen constructively

This is very appropriate for our type of work because we are sales consultants. It is more important that we listen “constructively.” Think of “constructively – construction – building.” We need to listen for things upon which to build. Listen for opportunities, problems, opinions, etc. on which we can build our solutions.

One way to do this is to plant a few questions into our mind before every sales engagement. These are questions for which we want to gain the answer. You could, for example, say to yourself before a sales engagement: “What is the one thing that is this customer’s most pressing challenge today?” And, you could ask yourself, “On what basis will this customer make the decision to buy or not?”

By planting those questions into your mind, you sharpen your sensitivity to what the customer says, enabling you to listen more constructively to the customer’s conversation.

2. Discipline yourself to build the habit of responding to your customer’s comments

Here’s how we think the sales interview should go:

· We ask a question

· The customer answers

· We ask another question

When you exercise the habit of responding, you change the format. Now, it goes like this:

· We ask a question

· The customer answers

· We respond to the answer

· We now ask another question

Notice that we have intervened in the process with something we call a “response.” A response is a verbal or non-verbal signal that we send to the customer that we are listening, and accepting what the customer says. It flatters the customer, makes him/her feel good about answering, and encourages him/her to answer in more depth and detail.

Here are two powerful responses:

A. Select one or two words out of the customer’s conversation, and repeat them back to the customer, nodding your head.

Here’s an example. You ask the question, “Which of these challenges are most pressing for you?”

The customer responds by talking for a few moments about his challenges. When he pauses, you say, “back orders” and nod your head. “Back orders” was one of the issues he talked about. You just repeated it, and nodded your head.

That’s a powerful response because it shows the customer that you have listened to the point that you have captured and repeated one of his main thoughts. That feels good to the customer and conditions him to answer the next question with even more depth and detail. Just as importantly, since you were focused on finding a key word or two to repeat, you had to listen to the customer’s conversation! This technique forced you to listen more effectively, and made the customer feel good in the process. This part of a science called Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) which we discussed in another newsletter.

B. Summarize and rephrase what the customer has said, and repeat it back to him

This is similar to the one or two word techniques discussed above, more intense. When the customer has finished answering your question, you say something like this: “Let me see if I understand you correctly. In other words, what you are saying is…………………………” Paraphrase and give him back your understanding of what he just said.

Like the prior technique, this is a powerful tool because it forces you to listen, it engages the customer, and it seeks agreement. Using this a few times in the sales interview will make the customer feel good about you, ensure that you understand him, and create an atmosphere of agreement.

Ultimately, your ability to listen more effectively evolves out of your discipline to apply some of these techniques regularly and methodically. If you are going to listen more effectively, you must first make the commitment to expend the effort to do so.

Dave

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

Just Listen Part One

2010-12-18T22:39:00.000-08:00

I just came across some research that confirmed what many of us in the profession of educating sales consultant have known for years: That purchasers would be "much more likely" to buy from a sales consultant if that sales consultant would just "listen" to the customer. The survey found that some of the worst offenders were experienced sales consultants.

Listening is one of the four fundamental competencies of a professional sales consultant, and yet, the profession is, in general, so poor at it that most customers remark on our inability to do it well.

Gee, if there is anyone I wouldn’t want thinking I was a poor listener, my customers would be towards the top of the list.

Why is listening such a powerful sales competency? First, it is our primary way of digging beneath the surface of a customer’s needs and uncovering deeper and more powerful needs and motivations. That makes it a primary tool – of which the skillful use separates the master sales consultants from the mediocre. For example, it doesn’t take any skill whatsoever to pick up an RFQ, a set of blueprints, point to a vehicle or to write down a list of what the customer says he needs. You don’t have to be a master listener to do that. But to dig deeper and uncover deeper issues, that takes the ability to listen.

Here’s an example. In a routine sales call with a regular customer, the customer says, “We’re thinking of going another vendor. What’s your price?” Lots of sales consultants would look at the window sticker, or look up the price in their rate sheet, turn on the computer or call the office and provide it. There. Job done.

The master would hear the words “Thinking of going…” and dig a little deeper. “What makes you interested in that?” he says. The customer replies: “Well, we’re looking for a solution for a problem with our production performance, and one of the managers mentioned it as a possibility.”

“I see. What sort of problem are you having in the area of performance? ”

“An abnormally slow recovery period after achieving a certain speed.”

“I may have some other solutions. Can I talk to your production manager?”

I don’t have to take this scenario much further to make the point. A visit with the production manager could very well result in a deeper understanding of the problem and the development of an alternative solution with a whole lot more gross margin to it. The master sales consultant, exercising excellent listening skills, hears opportunities where many sales consultants don’t. Listening is the primary tool for digging deeper and uncovering deeper and more significant issues in our customers.

But that’s not all. When we listen, we send a powerful message that we care about the other person. Conversely, when we don’t listen, we send the message that our agenda is far more important than the customer’s trivial ideas and issues. That makes effective listening one of the all time great relationship-building devices.

Listening requires us to take in information, ideas and opinions that are outside our comfort zones. It is, therefore, one of the primary tools we use to grow intellectually, to broaden our views, and ultimately, to become wiser and more knowledgeable. If we never listen to someone with a different perspective, we never consider the possibility that we might be wrong.

From a sales consultant’s perspective, the more we listen, the more different positions, motivations, opinions and nuances we are able to understand and accommodate. The wiser and more capable we become.

Listening positions us as a consultant, not a peddler, in the eyes of the customer. Ultimately, listening provides us our competitive edge.

Dave

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

Rapport Building or Connecting?

2010-12-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

Forty-seven years ago there were hundreds of thousands of other Americans who came from all parts of the world to hear an afternoon of speeches. Some speakers were okay, some were bad; even the main speaker didn’t capture the crowd as anticipated. Almost as an afterthought, a man from Atlanta, Georgia, took the podium. A preacher with a following in the South, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave a speech that has stood the test of time.

That speech resonated with the crowd and like a bolt of lightning, his message spread. But that afternoon, was he trying to build rapport with the large crowd or was he trying to connect with them?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary online defines rapport as relation marked by harmony, conformity, accord, or affinity. According to Wikipedia, rapport is one of the most important features or characteristics of unconscious human interaction. It is commonality of perspective, being in sync with or on the same wavelength as the person with whom you are talking.

Rapport is a popular and ubiquitous concept in sales. A module on rapport is included in virtually every sales and leadership-training course and in almost every sales book. Thousands of books and seminars are dedicated exclusively to the concept of rapport. A Google search for how to build rapport yields a million or so returns and despite all of this, rapport is among the most misunderstood and misapplied concepts in business.

Lesson number one: Rapport is essentially being in sync with another person to the extent that you are able to influence their behavior. The rapport building process is designed to develop common ground with another person through mirroring and matching body language, voice tone and speed, word patterns, eye movement, and even breathing.

There are a number of techniques beneficial in building rapport such as:

· matching your body language (i.e., posture, gesture, and so forth)

· maintaining eye contact

· matching breathing rhythm

In time, when you truly have rapport with another, you have the ability to lead them and change their behavior patterns. A process called neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), embodies these techniques and includes word-pattern matching, eye movement, facial expressions and more. NLP is espoused by many rapport experts as the real key to relationships and influence.

The problem with rapport is that it is just too hard and complex to quickly get into sync with someone enough to influence their behaviors. Few business professionals have the time or inclination to become experts in deciphering word patterns, eye movements, and facial expressions. Learning to effectively and discretely mirror and match people based on their communication style — audio, visual or kinesthetic — sounds really cool in a seminar, but without study of the method and consistent practice, it rarely succeeds consistently in real world business situations with real people.

Lesson number two: Finding common ground is a good thing. The more we have in common with others, the easier it is for them to like us. Make certain that when you find common ground with a prospective customer that you use it in an effort to connect. The dilemma is that the quest for common ground in the guise of rapport building is often awkward, cheesy, and manipulative. Making matters worse are the legions of sales consultants who mistake small talk at the beginning of a sales engagement as rapport building.

Taking their cue from misinformed sales trainers and coaches, they’ll make dumb comments about some random subjects with their guest, customer, client or prospect as if that is enough to initiate a relationship. Remember buyers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. We do this by asking questions and listening to their responses. The responses they give lead us to our next question(s).

Lesson number three: Don’t try to build rapport as if you had a checklist of motions to go through. Buyers are not fooled and find these lame attempts ridiculous and insulting. Some become numb to rapport-building efforts, others think it is just plain offensive.

Lesson number four: The real secret is connecting. Rapport influences behavior; it can be sincere but often feels manipulative. People who feel manipulated will distrust your motivations no matter how pure and will never feel connected to you.

Connecting, on the other hand, is designed to win others over through a focus on their needs. The most effective strategy for winning over — convincing them you are their friend — is to start and end by helping them get what they want. The most insatiable human desires, our deepest cravings, are the desires to feel valued, appreciated, and important.

Lesson number five: The key to connecting and winning others over is, therefore, extremely simple — make them feel important. How do you do that? Listen. Simply listen. Listening is powerful. Truly listening requires self-discipline, selflessness, practice, and patience, yet it is not complicated or complex.

Martin listened to people. So, what do you think? Did he connect or build rapport that day on the National Mall? Which one are you doing?

“Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A person should do their job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Brandon

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

Understand these Four Principals and You are on Your Way!

2010-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

If you’re in sales you need to be learning if you want to be earning. There’s no way around it. Unconscious Selling Competence has roots that date back to the 1940's when psychologist Abraham Maslow created a conscious competence theory, more commonly known as the “Four Stages Of Learning.” These four stages of learning describe how a person learns.

Stage One: Unconscious Incompetence. In this stage you don’t know that you don’t know. This stage can be perilous for professional sales consultants. When you don’t know what you don’t know it’s easy to become over confident in your abilities based upon a false set of criteria. There’s only one way out of this stage: realize you don’t know that you don’t know, then get information and learn it.

Don’t be fooled, ignorance is never bliss. Keep reading, listen to CDs, watch DVDs, or go online to www.worldwidesalestraining.com. You'll soon realize how much you don't know about the selling profession. Then you can go to —

Stage Two: Conscious Incompetence. In this stage you are aware of lack of ability or skill. You recognize where your strengths and weaknesses are in the work you do. A weakness, if not strengthened, can be carried around for a lifetime. For example, “I’ve always been lousy at handling the price objection.” Another example, “I don't like asking for the business; it makes me feel too pushy!”

Imagine your weaknesses as shortcomings all contained inside a block of granite. As a sales representative, your job is to keep chipping away at all the things that don’t add to your personal professionalism. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is a professional sales consultant. Once you are aware of your shortcoming, you can go to —

Stage Three: Conscious Competence. Here you will develop skills as you think about them. This stage is for salespeople who aspire to bigger and better things. They are hungry for the skills they need but do not yet possess. They are committed to self-development. The word quitting is not in their personal dictionaries, but the word perseverance is highlighted. Once this becomes second nature, —

Stage Four is reached: Unconscious Competence. Now customers and fellow employees will think your skills come naturally. The fourth stage is where you want to be if you’re an entrepreneur or a professional sales person. After years of hard work that others may not have seen, you make everything look easy. Pick up the phone and talk to a stranger? Ask for and get an appointment? Identify and solve customer problems? Ask or answer a dozen questions? Naturally weave your way through a conversation? Tailor sales presentations on the fly? Dealing with the price/payment objection? Asking for the business?

No problem for you because why? Oh. That’s right. You have recognized you don’t know everything, have identified your weaknesses, and have practiced to get better.

The only things separating Unconscious Incompetence and Unconscious Competence are dedication, discipline, focus, and your sheer desire and determination to become the best you are capable of becoming.

As Sales Consultants, Service Advisors, Wholesale Parts, BDC, or Internet Sales professionals, we should be looking each day at “Mastering The Basics.” If we wait to engage a guest without continuing practice and role play, we lose. In other words we can’t keep practicing with the guest because we will not get to the next level we were hoping for — Value Selling.

We at Evans Consulting Enterprise, LLC strive to be the innovative automotive industry leader, totally committed to customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, integrity, and teamwork.

“Motivation is the art of getting people

to do what you want them to do

because they want to do it.”

President Dwight D. Eisenhower

(WW II Five Star General and 34^th President of the U.S.)

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

Does Volume Make Up For A LOW Price?

2010-12-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

A phone rings in the sales tower. The phone rockets to an ear. A smile turns to a frown. Shoulders sag. Yes, it is — once again! — a sales consultant pleading with the sales manager to let him give the customer a discount.

“But it makes so much sense to offer the guest, client or prospect a discount,” the sales manager hears. “We’ll finally get these folks as a high-profit customer.” OR “Let’s just make them happy and don’t forget the CSI…”

The sales manager has heard the same plea hundreds of times. He knows it isn’t the best way to do business. Yet for some reason, offering a discount now makes sense. Maybe it is the consultant’s particularly plain and sincere plea. (“It’s the only way this deal will happen!”) Maybe it is that sales have been very slow and unfulfilled month-end sales goals are looming. (“Ten more units to go. Make this sale and it is 9 more units to go.”) Who knows?

Still, it’s as if we’re watching the unveiling of a very slow accident, one that could be completely avoided and yet we are powerless to stop the final crash. But are we powerless when it is we who are in the midst of the negotiations? No

Lesson number one: When discounting becomes an option, a major shift happens with how the sales consultant does their job. No longer are they selling to the customer; now they’re selling to the sales manager. The problem with this is simple – a sales consultant must sell to the customer for both the top-line and the bottom-line numbers to be made.

Lesson number to: Contrary to what you believe will happen, you will never make up in long-term profit what you’re about to give up with your immediate discount. Sure, there are always exceptions to this, but such exceptions are similar to me winning the biggest lottery. Is it possible? Sure. Is it probable? No!

"You just don’t seem to understand. If I didn’t offer a discount, I would never have had the opportunity to move the price up, because they would never have become a customer.”

So what? It doesn’t matter. In your quest to get the customer, not only did you cut the price, you cut the dealer’s profit dollar for dollar. Everybody has to make a certain level of profit to keep the doors open. There are bills that must be paid like electricity, phone, water, marketing. One of those bills is also your commission. Guess which ones will get paid first? That’s right. It won’t be your commission. So who suffers most when discounts are offered in the beginning? The only place left to cut is your profit.

Here’s the deal: Your ability as a sales consultant is not in how much you sell, but in how much you earn for your company. It’s the bottom-line profit that counts, and anytime you reduce your price, your profits are slashed.

There is not a sales manager out there of any quality who will allow any sales consultant to spend their valuable time selling internally. The focus must be on external selling. Focus first on creating value by determining the needs of the customer. Then position your product or service as the solution, and do so at full price.

This is the only strategy that ensures you are not only protecting profit, but also ultimately in a place to increase it!

Lesson number three: Value selling is the only professional way to reach your goals and dreams for any long term career in sales. Flashes in pans, one-hit wonders, skating guests, and other ways to survive at a dealership may work for a time, but the reality is that you will soon be at another dealership doing the same tricks.

Lesson number four: Practice makes profit! Tricks are for kids. Get back to the basics of the sales profession just like any other profession – do the blocking, tackling, and bunting, run the suicide drills, do the extra 100 free throws after practice. Look back at the steps to the road to the sale and start Role Playing or using Talk Tracks that work.

Remember that in a customer’s mind, value selling starts with you. The more they like, trust, and respect you as a professional the more they will listen. Sell yourself, sell your dealership, and the vehicle will do the rest at the presentation of the numbers.

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

Doing Things Right vs. the Right Thing to Do

2010-12-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

The Reality of Customer Satisfaction

No one enjoys doing business with a sour puss. Syndicated radio talk show host Clark Howard frequently refers to customer service departments as “Customer No Service.” He is referring, of course, to the poor service frequently offered from customer service personnel. If you have heard his show, then you know the public relations nightmares many national and international corporations have suffered because the people who deliver their customer service forgot about the customer.

On the other hand, everyone enjoys doing business with cheerful and helpful people. As a customer, I have no choice in who answers the phone when I call for help. But as a sales consultant, it is always my choice how I act.

“Customer No Service” is not the way to grow your customer base. For professional sales consultants, “Customer No Service” is simply not an option.

Just this past week, I traveled on an Atlanta-based airline that is bleeding red ink. Can you guess why their bottom line looks so bad? If the long and involved “Customer No Service” interaction I had with them is any indication of their customer service, then it is pretty self-explanatory.

It could have been just as easy to say with a smile, “It would be my pleasure to correct this problem.” But from the agent to the flight attendant to a pilot traveling standby, their actions said, “We’re no longer allowed to give awesome service.” Hey, maybe that is company policy. I don’t know. Still, it is their choice how they act.

Lesson number one: You have all the power when it comes to how you act. Whether or not your boss is being mean, or the previous customer was a jerk, or your spouse hollered at you on your way out the door to come to work, you have the power to control your actions and responses to the customer now sitting in front you.

Lesson number two: Stop complaining to customers when you do your job. If you render a service but complain about doing it, what’s the point? Give service cheerfully. Ah, you don’t feel like it because you’re in a bad mood? Hey, fake it ‘til you make it. Remember the old song: A smile is just a frown turned upside down, my friend.

Lesson number three: Don’t tell a customer no. Instead, if you know what they are asking for is absolutely not possible, then offer another solution instead. In other words, don’t be the bearer of bad news — be their savior. Never ever, under any circumstances promise what you cannot deliver. You’ve heard it before: Don’t over promise and under deliver.

Lesson number four: Always follow these customer service rules.

1. SMILE when you are dealing with a customer. A smile shows you are enjoying your job and appreciate your customer’s business.

2. Use COURTEOUS WORDS, such as thank you, you’re welcome, it’s my pleasure, would you be kind enough, yes sir, no sir, anything else we can help you with today?

3. When you learn that you cannot live up to a customer service commitment, CALL THE CUSTOMER before the customer calls you.

4. Following a transaction, extend your hand and SHAKE THE CUSTOMER’S HAND as you say, “Thank you for your business.”

5. Occasionally, call your customer after the transaction is complete as a FOLLOW UP. This is really great customer service.

6. Demonstrate HUMILITY by showing you’re vulnerable. When a customer knows you aren’t a “know it all”, you gain credibility with customers.

7. DOUBLE CHECK FACTS and FIGURES. Repeat them to the customer to make sure that you didn't make a mistake.

8. AVOID WISHFUL THINKING. If there is something about your product or service that based on your experience the customer is likely to misunderstand, point it out even if it might cost you the order. It's better to find out now than after the product is delivered or worse yet, installed.

Take a look in the mirror and ask, “Would I want this face to deliver my customer service? Does this face inspire confidence in the brands or services it represents?” If the answer is yes, then you are on your way to building a successful business thus increasing your profits.

Brandon

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

Sales is Not Rocket Science... It's Harder than Rocket Science

2010-12-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to visit an automotive group that we are training with this week and as I was sitting in on one of the dealership’s sales meetings, the discussion went to how they would finish the month with the unit count. Someone said that we should be able to get there because “Selling is not Rocket Science”.

For decades we all have been hearing the phrase “Sales is not Rocket Science, its easy”

The people who told you this have been telling you a tall story and that’s ok because everyone likes a good story. However, the truth is that sales is actually harder than rocket science and this is why: Rocket Science is defined as Rocketry – An endeavor requiring great intelligence or technical ability. In other words you are required to gain knowledge beyond high school to understand the mathematics of efficient rocket mastery. Not a bad career in a structured predictable mathematical environment.

Sales or Salesmanship - is defined as the practice of investigating and satisfying customer needs through a process that is efficient, fair, sincere, mutually beneficial, and aimed at long-term productive relationships. So your level of education is not important to be successful in sales you need to have the right attitude to master a process. In short, since sales consultants are dealing with emotions, attitudes, beliefs, miss-information, and self esteem issues from customers each and every day, the question is how do you consistently have mutually beneficial long term relationships?

Sales is a predictable science

Success in sales is not dependent upon personality, or good looks. Those can be factored into the equation, but I have met people with wonderful pleasant personalities, who could not sell or close a door. I have also met some very ugly souls, who could sell anything to anyone by mastering the basics and following the sales process to get the guest to see and understand the value in accepting the offer for their product selection NOW!

What does this mean for you? Master your CRM tool

It means that YOU can determine and predict your results. The point of this newsletter is that you need to track your statistics. If you are not keeping track of your numbers, then you are losing money and ultimately costing yourself deals. How often do you use your CRM tool, spreadsheet, index cards or any means for tracking numbers?

If you are already keeping track of your numbers, congratulations! Take it a step further and see where you may be able to incorporate another statistic. Become a student of your game and by all means, be ridiculous; be a stat’s freak. I promise that the sales consultant leaders in your dealership, auto group and industry are keeping score everyday.

Here is where to begin: Your CRM Tool can help

1. Determine where each prospect starts in your sales process

2. Look at each level of the relationship from start to finish or when the sale is made

3. Define each level and start keeping track

For example, let us say your sales process starts with a phone call. So count how many phone calls you make each day. Next, track how many of those phone calls resulted in you getting a hold of the person you wanted to reach. Then track how many of those contacts went to the next level of your sales process and so on until you get to the sale. Even after the sale, you could keep track of how many referrals are generated.

Then track how many of your referrals turn into to sales

Another example – if you are in to prospecting, how many "lunch and learns"do you hold out in your community? How many people attend each of them? How many of those people do you talk to again?

One of my favorite sales consultants is with a group in Clear Lake, Texas. She invited me into her office and showed me her statistics. She could look back and see that 75% of her clients originated from attending a community event or were referred by someone who has been to one of these community events. This is a professional who has an extremely successful online business and is tracking more than $400,000 in annual sales this year. I have no doubt that her level of accuracy and diligence in keeping track of her numbers in conjunction with prospecting has led to her success.

Investing the time in your statistics is one of the greatest investments you will ever make. You will be able to see where your numbers need to be improved, and if you focus on that area, your sales will automatically go up. You turn into your own coach and business analyst and reap all of the rewards!

So the next time that you hear that Sales is not Rocket Science – just smile and keep moving forward!

Dave

www.worldwidesalestraining.com

Action + Quantity + Quality = Profit

2010-12-12T15:57:00.001-08:00

Lesson number one: “You’ve got to show it in order to sell it.” This simple technique given to me decades ago by a wise sales manager seemed so easy, yet it was full of common sense. So, the question is how many times do you present your product and ask for the sale? You’re going to find out right now.1. Add up your presentation for this last week. Done? Good. 2. Multiply your presentation total by number of sales consultants that worked this week. Got that total? Excellent.3. Find the Up Log and count how many customers walked in during this past week. 4. Subtract presentation total from the Up Log total. Was there a big difference in the totals? I bet there was. The next question is why didn’t each guest, client, customer or prospect get a presentation? Lesson number two: ABC — always be closing. One must make the presentation (Action!), do it consistently (Quantity!), and do it right (Quality!) in order to make sales (Profit!). Tell me, are you a sales person or an order taker? If your presentation numbers do not match Ups, or at least come very, very close, I submit you are an order taker. Order takers don’t make much money, folks. Lesson number three: Don’t get bogged down in the details. Look, I am all about keeping accurate records and setting ticklers and all that, but often we get bogged down in the details of being so very efficient at keeping records, we forget to do business. Lesson number four: Use every opportunity to ABC. You make a sales presentation whenever you lay a piece of literature down in front of a customer and talk about it. You make a sales presentation whenever you present or demonstrate a product. You make a sales presentation when you deliver a proposal. You make a sales presentation when you submit a bid. Every time you make a sales presentation you are, in effect, saying, “Here it is. How about buying it?” Sales consultants who reach their brand’s or dealership’s elite levels do so because they understand and practice the fundamentals. They do these things because they have a positive effect on their pay plan.Lesson number five: Step up. Whether it is on your calendar or an a fancy spreadsheet or a simple piece of paper, for the next month I want you to keep track of how many sales presentations you make. At month’s end, add them up. Then the next month, make it your goal to double that. Once you have committed to that goal, ask yourself, “How can I reach that amount?”I have no doubt you’ll come up with a plan. Start another tally sheet and compare the two months when you reach the next month end. Here’s what’s going to happen. As you begin to present more frequently, you’ll find yourself focusing on the fundamentals and the extremely important activities. You’ll tweak them. And, more importantly, you’ll generate more opportunities thus creating more business. It is just that simple. As Conrad Hilton said, “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.”

Brandon

Worldwidesalestraining.com

It's So SIMPLE

2010-12-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

When I asked Brandon Hardison what he thought was the most pressing problem in today's salesperson, he said "Dave, It's So Simple" I asked him what he meant by that and what I heard next really excited me. I requested for Brandon to become a Guest Blogger. Thankfully, He agreed and this is what he said:

It has always seemed to me that the car business, and I think any business, is so fundamentally simple that many people fail at it. I think our business is so simple that we look at it and say, “well, it can’t be that simple-it has to be more complicated,” and we proceed to make it more and more complicated because we think it just can’t be so simple. So the end result is often failure because we ignore the simplicity of success!

My point is that success is simple; it doesn’t have to be very complicated. Take care of people, give them a good product, good price, good service, treat them as you would a good friend by keeping in touch, and they’ll come back and buy cars again and again and tell their friends to buy too! It’s so simple!

--Brandon K. Hardison

Worldwidesalestraining.com

Attitudes Toward Failure

2010-12-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

1. Never see failure as failure, but only as a learning experience

2. Never see failure as failure, but only as the game you must play to win

3. Never see failure as failure, but only the opportunity to practice your techniques and perfect your performance

4. Never see failure as failure, but only as the negative feedback required to change course

5. Never see failure as failure, but only as an opportunity to develop your sense of humor

6. You are not judged by the number of times you fail, but by the number of times you succeed; and the number of times you succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times you fail and can keep trying

Dave

Worldwidesalestraining.com

What makes a Salesperson a Success?

2010-12-06T19:00:00.001-08:00

SUCCESSFUL SALESPEOPLE

A. Are Always on Time For Work

B. Are Prospecting Each Day

C. Always Selling Each Day

D. Consistently Following-Up Each Day

E. Always Continuing To Learn Each Day

RESULTS:

· SELL CARS

· HAVE FUN

· MAKE MONEY

WORK HARD, BUT ALSO WORK “SMART!!”

Dave

Follow Up... The Key to your Success!

2010-12-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to speak with you today about the topic of "Follow Up". Just so you know exactly what "Follow Up" is, it is something that we in the sales arena call... "Following up with the client" after they have left your place of business.

Most Salespeople believe that their "Closing Abilities" are so good that they do not have to follow up with the client and throw the clients, that do not purchase from them, out with the bath water. They figure that the client was unrealistic, not serious, out "kicking tires", blah, blah,blah.

The Reality is that most salespeople do not follow up with their clients out of fear or just plain laziness. They fear the "unknown". Whether the client didn't care for that salesperson or that maybe, just maybe, the client already purchased a product from the competition, and then that salesperson would be faced with lots of "self-doubt" about their ability.

I can personally attest to the fact that I have had several hundred clients over the years Thank Me for calling them back because out of the many different competitors that they had been to...Guess What? They had NEVER EVER contacted them again!

Follow Up IS the Key to Success and to get you started here is one idea:

Make the Phone Call!

This is the one that has personally made me sale after sale over the years. I have also heard over the years from the salesperson that "I don't Know What to Say", or "I don't want to bug them." Let me tell you a little known secret: When I first started doing this...I didn't know either but I knew that every single time I picked up the phone to call a client, I was one step closer to a sale. Whether it was that client or not.

So what if the client did purchase a product from a competitor? At least you know and can move on to the next client. What if YOU are the only Salesperson that actually called the client back? Do you think that you might have the better chance because you have shown the client that you are really interested in them and their purchase with you?

Dave

WWW.WorldWideSalesTraining.com

Passion...What is it and How do I get it?

2010-12-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

For Years and years I have heard various trainers speak year after year about how, in order to become successful, "one" must have Passion.

What is Passion?

Passion: Boundless enthusiasm: His skills as a player don't quite match his passion for the game.(Dictionary.com)

I sat down with a group of sales professional and asked them what Passion means to them and this is what they came up with:

1. Enjoy what one does

2. Exude Excitement in Every Aspect

3. Live the product

4. Having Confidence

5. Becoming a Visionary in Life

I agree that in order to have passion one must really enjoy what they do or the Passion, simply to be stated...won't be there. I also agree with everything else in these 5 statements that the 22 sales professionals that I asked this question came up with unanimously. The one thing that I have to focus on is "Becoming a Visionary". You see, when you can see the abilities that you have in life and can envision the possibilities, then and only then can True Passion come bursting forth out of you.

How many times have you seen a person that has less than adequate ability close a sale because of their passion? I have seen it thousands and thousands of times over the years and I tell you there is nothing more exciting to see than that. Passion for what you do and what you believe in removes all obstacles in your life. You do things not out of fear but out of desire and that will help you do the things that are necessary to fulfill your dreams, goals, and ambitions.

I encourage you today to do a Gut Check and see exactly what it is that makes you Passionate. Not something that you like or enjoy, but something that will make you so excited that nothing will stand in the way of you achieving what it is that you desire.

Until Next Time... Happy Selling!

Dave

How Critical is the Follow Up?

2010-12-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

     Over the years I have noticed Salesperson After Salesperson FAIL in this one little item we like to call "Follow Up".
What do you think the reason is for this?

Do you think that it has to do with "Fear of Rejection" or are the Salespeople just not motivated enough to pick up the phone, get away from ALL of the Gossip, and stay focused on what they are paid to do?

      I don't really know the answer to this but I thought that this might provoke a little thought and maybe a little shift of mindset in some. You see, I have heard year after year and day after day the SAME EXACT REASONS FOR NOT CALLING THE CLIENT BACK. I have heard "I don't want to bother the customer", " I don't want to harass the client", " I just tried to call them yesterday and I feel like I will bother them or they will think I am pestering them"?

WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

     Are you not in the business of sales? Is your primary role to deliver product? Is your primary role to SELL a service or an item of value? Do you REALLY think that "Your" Client is that "LOYAL" to "YOU" that they will contact you when they are ready?

C'mon folks...Get your heads out of the sand and realize you are in a highly competitive market and the Brutal Reality is:

<span> If you don't call on your customer...Someone else will. </span> To sum all of this up I have one thing to say and EVERYONE I know has heard this at one time or another...

The Fortune is in The Follow Up!

Dave

Why Must YOU Remain Resilient?

2010-12-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

     Before we get started on this topic I want to first explain what Dictionary.com states is the definition of Resilient:

re·sil·ient
–adjective
1.
springing back; rebounding.
2.
returning to the original form or position after being bent, compressed, or stretched.
3.
recovering readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyant.

     I particularly like the first explanation of what Resilient means and that is Springing Back and Rebounding.

     We live in a time that states nothing good is going on in the world today. For Example when you open up a Newspaper here is a few examples of what you might read:

     Everyone is losing their homes, Everyone is declaring Bankruptcy, Everyone is losing their jobs (or is about to), The World is going to Hell in a Hand Basket and all of US are going down with it.

     What on earth can you possibly get from this thought process?

     How can thinking this way make you feel better?

     How will we be able to handle the stress of change and HOW are we ever going to Stand Strong in the FACE of ADVERSITY if we REALLY think this way?

     I say these ridiculous statements because I want EVERYONE reading this to know that thinking this way is WRONG.. You see... to BE resilient YOU must be able to Bounce Back NO MATTER WHAT is happening in your life. You must be able to stand strong NO MATTER WHAT cards you have been dealt in life.

      Life is not a matter of being on top of the world all of the time and as a matter of fact YOU will never be on top of the World (When you think you are there...The World Knocks you down again...). Life is a matter of getting up, dusting yourself off, and moving yourself forward EACH AND EVERY TIME you do get knocked down.

What are the Characteristics of Resilient People?

Ability to "bounce back" and "recover from almost anything"
Have a "where there's a will, there's a way" attitude
Tendency to see problems as opportunities
Ability to "hang tough" which things are difficult
Capacity for noticing small windows of opportunity and making the most of them
Has the mental ability to competently handle most different kinds of situations

So I challenge each and every one of you to read over and over again what the Characteristics of Resilient people are and to ask yourself... "Am I really Resilient? Or am I Just an outward shell of resilience to those around me?"

Dave

What is the Secret to an AMAZING Start?

2010-12-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks!

This is the SECRET to Selling more and having less resistance. This is the absolute difference between taking the RED Pill or the BLUE Pill as we ALL have seen in The Matrix. It is a Decision that you and only you can make. The decision is the most difficult part of this process and even harder to live out.

The DECISION is to SMILE!

That's it. Plain Talk is Easier understood anyway... In order for you to break the ice easier, have less resistance, and to sell more... You have to make the Decision to SMILE with every client...every day...Without fail...No matter what is going on in your Personal life.

The client is coming in to the storefront with these two reasons in mind... to either purchase an item or they simply would like to gather more information on an item. Either way you will not get very far with a frown or just overall bitterness. Stop the sarcastic comments (Nobody likes them anyway) and SERVE your client with All of the information they need. The only way any client is going to purchase something anyway is if they have compelling information that shows them why they need your product... So SERVE your client with a SMILE!

More to Come!

Dave

Are you Available?

2010-12-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

I know it's a simple question, and a simple question indeed. But do you know exactly what I mean by "Are You Available"?

What I mean is very simple and it is a simple as it gets. What are you doing to make certain that you are available for your clients on their schedule, and not yours? It could mean the difference in whether or not you make yourself a very lucrative career in sales or just an "average" one.

When I discuss Serving your clients, I mean just that. Everyone has a schedule and everyone has things that they "need" to do and I completely understand that aspect of your life. But please don't forget that one simple thing about sales... If you aren't available for your clients then somebody else will be. I encourage you today to go after sales like you never have before. Try it and see...Be available when your clients need you, and see if your sales not only improve, but watch also how your sales will soar.

Dave

davide@worldwidesalestraining.com