Mack Powers

One of the key aspects of success in sales is for the sales professional to build a professional and credible rapport with his prospect quickly when he meets with him.  This not only applies to a first meeting with a client but also for subsequent follow up meetings after the first call.  Anyone can build rapport quickly and establish a framework for success in selling.  However doing so requires some hard work and effort.  Have you thought much about how you will compete more effectively as a salesperson?  Have you considered the role of doing some hard work before meeting with your prospect?  When I was 19 years of age I had a job as a door to door salesperson and we called this pre-approach.  Pre-approach was learning as much about the customer before you knocked on their door so that you could anticipate their needs and position the product most effectively based upon what you already knew about them.  It seems so obvious that everyone would take this approach in selling, but you would be surprised how many sales “professionals” do not do their homework before their first meeting with their client.  See what Jeff Thull says about this subject in his book Mastering the Complex Sale:

“Successful salespeople take the time to prepare for the initial conversation with potential customers.  They construct external and internal profiles of the customer’s organization and ensure that those profiles match the profile of the ideal customer.  They identify the driving forces and perspectives at work in the customer’s organization and become familiar with the customer’s goals.  By completing this work, sales professionals lay the groundwork for a successful initial conversation.  They create a basis for engagement that enables them to speak with customers using the customer’s language, frame the initial conversation around issues of importance to their customers, and build a perception of professionalism in the customer’s mind that clearly differentiates them from their competition”.

Consider the following before your first meeting with a prospect:

• 1. What is the purchasing environment regarding the company that I am selling to?
• 2. What are the drivers for the decision maker/s that I will be talking with: quality, price, delivery, technical support during the sales process, all of the above?
• 3. How many decision makers will be involved in the purchasing process?
• 4. Who make the final decision about the solution being presented?
• 5. What language does my client use to describe their needs?
• 6. Will I need to bring in other members of my sales team to construct a solution for my client?

These are but a few of the many questions that you can ask yourself regarding how to build credible and professional rapport quickly with your prospect.  Doing this is a must in today’s competitive selling environment. Answer these questions before you meet with your next 10 prospects.  Measure your results during the sales cycle.  Let me know how your sales increase!  mack@mackpowers.com

Happy Selling!

I was talking today to a sales professional in the real estate industry. We were discussing how different the markets were today than they were 6-18 months ago. In the past, he said that his role was to bring a willing seller together with a willing buyer. In today’s market, he said that he now has to the difficult challenge of bringing a distressed seller, who is generally selling short, together with a buyer who is skeptical and wondering what is wrong with the deal.

As a sales professional, your value might be changing as well. In the past you probably have played the role of a facilitator. Today however, your role might be closer to the role of a mediator than you have ever experienced. Have you considered the difference? Consider that a facilitator is simply someone who makes progress easier. Therefore in the past your role was one of connecting people who were both comfortable and ready to move forward with a deal. In that environment there is little or no friction with both parties trying to get the deal done. Today as a sales mediator, you might need to position yourself differently. Why, because not everyone will be excited about having to carry out the transaction. Here are several thoughts about what mediation is. Even though buyers and sellers aren’t generally in a dispute, consider how these rules could be slightly modified and applied to you in your sales and business development role.

1. The role of the mediator is to reduce obstacles to communication, assist in identifying issues, exploring alternatives, and facilitating voluntary agreements resolving the dispute.
2. The mediator is responsible for assisting you in reaching informed and voluntary decisions while protecting your right of self-determination.
3. The mediator must maintain impartiality throughout mediation. Impartiality means freedom from favoritism or bias in word, action or appearance, and includes a commitment to assist all parties and not any one person.

Applying these rules will allow you to establish trust with any party who is not favorable towards the deal. Trust in every economy is at the heart of every deal. Try this new role out or a variation of them and let me know how they work for you.

In the past few weeks and months I have watched different companies respond to the recession in various ways.  Today, I heard one business leader express what I think is a very powerful view of how businesses should think about the future and how they can prosper now and in the months ahead.  His comment to a group of colleagues was “We are going to sell our way out”.  Wow…..That is a great attitude!!!   Not only is this the proper attitude, it also makes sense.  Here’s why.

Several years back (about 15) I went white water rafting.  The guide in the back of the raft was a very seasoned river guide who had guided on every continent.  He said to me something that I thought was very interesting.  He said that when people fall out of the raft, two things happen. They either swim wildly, beating their arms and legs against the current and waves, or they just go limp and wait for someone to rescue them.  My instinct tells me that a person should swim to the boat or shore and hope to get rescued (if needed) while they swim.  That is what this leader was saying.  We are going to swim.  Even though the water is swift, they will survive and prosper by taking positive steps to improve their situation.  This is the proper attitude to take today, tomorrow and anytime.

Why does this attitude also make sense, because it is practical.  Many companies today will report that their business is off by 15-30%.  If so, they cut their operating expenses to adjust to cash flow needs and obligations.  While thinking about ways to increase operational efficiencies, they can also think about ways to improve their sales efficiencies.  By improving how efficient they are in their sales development efforts they can “sell their way out” without actually spending additional capital to do so.   Here are three points that might apply to your firm regarding how you can improve your sales efficiency.

• 1. Retool your value proposition. Make sure that what you present today regarding how you help your clients is still relevant in today’s economy. What worked yesterday might not work today.
• 2. Properly identify who your ideal prospect is. A great prospect six months ago might not be a great prospect now or in the next 6-12 months. Is your current client base fearful of the future or taking time to plan and strategize how they will come out of the recession a stronger more profitable and dynamic company? An ideal client today should at least be thinking this way or your sale will have to be two fold; first to convince them that they should be optimistic about the future and then on your value proposition.
• 3. Understand and implement new sales metrics. Be sober about the fact that you might have to work harder individually and as a team. If you needed to make 20 calls a day last year, you might have to make 40-50 calls today. Re tool your own metrics and determine what new expectations will be required to meet the revenue goals that you have.

It starts with a leadership attitude; determine to “sell your way out”. Start swimming and don’t wait for someone else to bail you out.  Follow that with a dedication to become more efficient in your sales strategy and efforts.  This is a one two punch that will keep you and your business thriving.