Pay It Forward

Published
by
EntreQuest
on July 14, 2008
in Sales Articles
. 3 Comments

I have a belief that, the more you give, the more you get.  So I have no problem sitting down with somebody who is authentically seeking help and giving them a free education, even if there is really no chance that they are going to reciprocate.  Our initial mentor in this business taught us this. 

 When we first started the company in 2001, a friend recommended him as somebody we really needed to talk to, even though we were theoretically a competitor of his.  He was light years ahead of us, but we were still a competitor.  Joe happened to be in Boston on business, so he made the call and said, “I’d really like to pick your brain.”  He said, “Come on up.”  It was about a $120 cab ride to get there.  I remember Joe called me and said this is going to cost about $240 round trip, but I can’t get to a car, but I think it’s worth it.  So we did it.  At that time, $240 was a huge deal.  But Joe spent a couple of hours with him.  He gave us sample proposals, contracts, outlines and spreadsheets – everything we needed. The only thing he asked in reciprocation was, “If you are ever in a position to do this for somebody who is starting out in business, do it.” 

 So I will always take those meetings, even if I know that there is not going to be a reciprocation.

Who Owns the Idea

Published
by
EntreQuest
on June 3, 2008
in Sales Articles
. 0 Comments

So you are talking with a prospect experiencing significant pain.  You know he needs what you are selling – but doesn’t know it yet.  How do you get him to come to that decision?  Should you tell him what he needs?  Or should intelligent salespeople ask prospects what they need, and then bring them around to the same answer?

It is matter of form over substance here.  We teach in our classes that when the prospect owns the idea – as opposed to you owning the idea and preaching what it is – you are more likely to get the sale.

I’ll use EntreQuest as an example.  Our value prop is, we help companies grow faster than they could grow on their own.  One way we make this happen is by recruiting and placing what we call Truby™ sales professionals.  From our perspective, our Trubys are what every company needs because they are exceptionally driven, have great character, work ethic and coachability.  But we never tell prospects that they need to hire these traits.  It’s much better to ask prospects what they want to see in a candidate, and have them say, “I want someone with drive, character, work ethic and coachability.”  At that point, we show how our Truby Program was designed for companies with exactly these requirements.

This approach creates a much deeper understanding.  It positions you as a true partner in helping them get what they need.

Learn more from EntreQuest’s articles as published in SmartCEO Magazine:

Enrollment vs. Closing

Revealing the Need

Overcoming Objections

Published
by
EntreQuest
on May 1, 2008
in Sales Articles
. 0 Comments

Let’s talk about the process of overcoming objections, which we call “align and redirect.”  First, we all know that objections are a part of sales.  “No money, not the decision maker, wrong timing, have a similar solution, too complicated.”  Many salespeople want to redirect a prospect’s attention the moment he or she raises an objection, but that comes off to the prospect as greasy.  Instead you must handle objections as follows:

First, acknowledge the objection and don’t take it personally – it has nothing to do with you.  Remember that selling happens when people are in rapport.  If you ignore a valid objection, you are not in rapport with that person.  Many salespeople see this as an opportunity for debate about the validity of the objection.  (“If you think we’re too expensive, then you haven’t done your homework.”)  It is not.  It is also not a reason to validate the objection, thus letting them off the hook.  (“You’re right.  We are too expensive.”)  Instead, it is an opportunity to acknowledge the objection.  (“I hear what you’re saying, and it’s not unusual for someone to have that response when they first hear about this.”)  Then, redirect them away from their objection and back to their need – their biggest need, the one that is tied to their mission and vision.  (“Let’s look at your long-term outcome again, and see if we can get some clarity about the value of hitting your goals.”)

If you don’t know the long-term outcome, there’s only one reason.  You didn’t ask.  If you didn’t ask, then you are not enrolled in your prospect’s ultimate goals, and you have no right pretending to be a partner.

If you do spend time listening and asking questions about their ultimate mission or “ends need,” then you will be able to align with your prospects as a partner.  You will acknowledge their objections and redirect the conversation back to solving their ends need.

Dangerous Demos

Published
by
EntreQuest
on March 14, 2008
in Sales Articles
. 0 Comments

What is the danger of using demos, presentations and collateral?

The danger is that most people use demos, presentations and collateral as a substitute for having a well thought-out and well executed sales strategy.

PowerPoint can be one of the single most effective communication tools, but it is misused by 80-90% of people using it.  I won’t get into how to use PowerPoint, but rather how not to use it.  Demos, PowerPoint and collateral all have the same problem: salespeople try to sell using them.  The purpose of demos, PowerPoint and collateral is not to garner a “yes.”  The purpose of demos, PowerPoint and collateral should be to avoid a “no.”

There are very few businesses in the B-2-B space that are going to be able to sell based on the effectiveness of their presentation demo or collateral.

Not only is it a waste of time to try to do so, it’s a waste of money.  There is a high cost associated with using these tools as a substitute for sales skills - especially collateral.  Salespeople who freely pass around collateral are not being good stewards of the company’s assets.  Some of the collateral is a couple of bucks to 10 bucks a pop.  Every time you hand it out in lieu of having a legitimate conversation, you are acting in fear of having that conversation, and wasting time, opportunity and money.  My principle is: collateral goes out after the conversation, never before.  Even to the point where somebody says to me, “Can you send me something?”  My answer is, typically, “No, I don’t know what to send you, but I also want to find out what you need from us.”

With all the technology available today, it is becoming too easy to substitute demos, PowerPoint and collateral for sound selling skills.  There’s a right time and a right place for these tools.  But the key is to use them to avoid the “no,” and not to get the “yes.”

Getting Past the Gatekeeper

Published
by
EntreQuest
on March 6, 2008
in Sales Articles
. 0 Comments

How do you get past the gatekeeper?  There are three basic rules.  But before we get to those three rules, there’s something you must understand: who is the gatekeeper?

Traditionally, the gatekeeper has been a secretary, receptionist or some other live person.  Although these roles still exists, the majority of the gatekeepers today are not people.  Modern gatekeepers are voice mail and caller i.d.

Something else you need to know is that there is no clear-cut technique for getting past the gatekeeper.  I’ll share with you two stories of two clients who have very strict rules around returning calls.

First, we have the owner of a large telecom company.  His rule is that he will not return a call from a vendor until they’ve left three messages.  Why?  He wants to see tenacity, follow-through and he wants to see somebody who’s hungry.

The second client - a division leader for a consulting company - had a different rule.  He says, “If I see your caller i.d. come up, and you do not leave a message, you will never get a call back.  Furthermore, if you do leave a message, and then I see your caller i.d. show up before I’ve had a chance to return the call, you will never get a call back.  I will return my calls on my terms, not yours.”

The old technique was to call before 9AM and call after 5PM and never leave a message.  Well, that wouldn’t work for either of these two prospects.

You see, there is no clear-cut, one-size-fits-all technique.  But you do have some basic principles available to you:

1) Know your outcome.  The outcome of getting past the gatekeeper is nothing more than getting past the gatekeeper.  It’s not to sell your product.  It’s not to do anything but get past the gatekeeper, by whatever means necessary.
2) The gatekeeper is your friend.  This gets to mindset.  You have to have a belief system around getting past the gatekeeper.  Some of the best people around this look at it as a game or a challenge as opposed to a necessary evil or some other disempowering belief.
3) Less is more.  The most effective voice message to get a call back is very short and very powerful.  I say, “Hey, this is Jason.  Got a couple questions for you.  Call me at _____.”  You’re not mentioning company name.  You’re not mentioning intention.  But because your objective is to get past the gatekeeper, this approach is going to get you past the gatekeeper more than any.  Is that going to irritate some people?  Yes!  But there is no one-size-fits-all.

If you follow these basic principles, you will have more of your phone messages returned, and you will get past more gatekeepers.