Untitled Document

THE 20 BIGGEST

MISTAKES

SALESPEOPLE MAKE -

PART 2


Remember, we're not harping on these errors to bash salespeople.
Instead, the idea is to spare you the pain of learning these lessons the hard
way.


11. They fail to manage their time well

The more time you're able to spend directly involved in selling, the
more successful you're going to be. But selling is more than just sitting in
front of as many people as you can and "pitching" your product. Successful
selling requires that you spend a great deal of time doing research and planning
so you can get in front of the right person with the right message at the right
time.

Often, a salesperson's success is largely determined by how much quality
time they invest in prospecting and pre-call planning. You can use prospecting
as your most valuable time management tool. Always ask yourself, "What is the
best use of my time right now? What activities have the most potential to pay
off in the future?"

Remember, your company may have a whole warehouse full of the product
that you sell, but as a salesperson, your personal inventory is time. In order
to sell that product, you'll need to put your time against the task very wisely.





12. They're either too timid or too aggressive

Many people assume that selling is all about being aggressive, but
salespeople need to have self awareness and enough insight to pick up on the
signals prospects are sending. Sometimes you've got to be aggressive, and
sometimes being overly aggressive will get the door slammed in your face.

Now, the good news for all those overly-aggressive go-getters out there
is that it's far easier for you to back off a little than it is for someone
who's timid to suddenly become assertive.






13. They fail to match their product and price offering to the
prospect's needs and financial appetite

It may sound absurd, but some salespeople don't realize that this is
their own personal thought process as it relates to selling:

"I know I can sell these three things, so I'm always going to make sure
I try to sell each and every prospect these three things regardless of what my
prospect says is important."

In other words, they simply don't apply the right solution.

Or, in other cases, they fail to discover ahead of time how much the
prospect is willing and able to spend so the price for the solution they
recommend is far outside of the range the prospect has in mind. Always remember
this: application-based selling requires that you apply the right solution for
each and every prospect's situation. Part of recommending the right solution is
also finding out how much your prospect can and will spend.

Another common mistake in this area is that salespeople often don't do
enough research to find out about the budgeting and spending cycles of the
client. It's up to you to make sure you're going in before the budget for what
you're selling has already been spent. And it's also up to you to help clients
come up with creative solutions in situations where they don't necessarily have
money set aside for what you offer.






14. They can't deal with change or they change too much

You probably know salespeople who fall at each of these two extremes:
those who stubbornly stick with what's worked for them in the past and those who
jump into every fad that comes along.

There's always a balance that you'll need to attain in terms of staying
current and relevant, especially in terms of changing technology and marketplace
shifts. But don't abandon the fundamentals and the proven formulas for success
in the rush to adopt new methods.

You'll also need to come up with a consistent system for setting and
tracking your goals and priorities and a method of organizing the nitty-gritty
tasks and details.and then stick with it. But it's important to remain
flexible. Always be willing to admit when something isn't working so that you
can find a better solution. Just make sure you evaluate all the merits and
potential pitfalls of new ideas before you run with them. You can stay informed
about the major trends in your industry without adopting every new method before
there's supportive evidence that shows improved productivity.






15. They place themselves into a situation in their personal life that
fails to deliver an adequate support system

No one in this world can make it alone - you need a support system. But
your support system has to be exactly that - supportive. Your personal life
will always have an effect on your professional life, and it can either be
positive or it can be negative. And if it's negative, that has to be addressed.

Certain people and activities can help you build confidence and relieve
stress while others will only create additional pressure in your life. If
you're involved in professional selling, you've chosen a path that's probably
going to mean facing a lot of rejection, not to mention the pressure that's
inherent in commission-based pay plans. Unlike other professions, you may not
be able to look to your work for security and constant affirmation, which makes
it all the more important that you have access to supportive and positive people
and influences outside of work.

You have to be able to truly rely on other people and positive outlets
to make it through difficult situations. So be very careful who you pick and
what activities you pursue in building that internal support system. And make
sure you put enough time and attention into building the right relationships so
that you have a support system available when you need it.







16. They fail to pre-call plan and organize for their calls

Far too many salespeople think they can "wing it." But the truth is in
today's marketplace you've probably got only one shot at each particular piece
of business. Even the best salespeople - the ones who have been successfully
selling for many - need to spend a huge amount of time preparing for the call.

So what does planning mean? It means understanding your competition,
positioning yourself correctly, understanding the formal and the informal
structure of the organization, having a professional appearance, having the
appropriate sales material, having a sales process that you follow, and
preparing your problem-agitation-solution questions, just to name a few things.
And all of this has to be done ahead of time.






17. They never learn how to ask the right questions

When you have the opportunity to be in front of a prospect, you've got
to actually sit down and design and craft those questions ahead of time. But
just running down a list of canned questions will likely get you nowhere.
You've also got to be ready to blend your prepared questions with careful
listening and additional questions that follow naturally from each response.

The idea is to keep "drilling down" to uncover the information that you
need to recommend the right solution. One great way to learn this skill is to
watch and listen to experienced journalists interviewing celebrities, authors
and politicians. You'll notice that they have prepared questions, but each
prepared question often leads to a response that the journalist picks up on to
ask more questions that uncover additional information.

"Practice makes perfect" applies when it comes to learning effective
questioning techniques. Role play with your sales manager and other salespeople
on your team until you've polished this skill. Once you're prepared, confident
and relaxed, you'll be much better at thinking on your feet.





18. They don't understand that providing service IS part of sales

If you truly understand the lifetime value of your customers, in terms
of repeat business and add-on business - not to mention referrals - you'll also
understand that servicing existing accounts could actually be defined as selling
to your best prospects.

What does that mean? Well, consider these statistics from Peter
Drucker's research: Your chances of selling more to an existing customer are
seven times greater than your chances of selling to someone with whom you've
never done business before. And then ask yourself, "What's the best way to sell
more to an existing customer?" The obvious answer is to make sure they get the
absolute most out of what they've already bought from you. This way of looking
at it makes it perfectly clear that the time you invest in servicing your
existing customers is actually MORE likely to pay off than the time you spend
with new prospects.

But be careful here. You still need to keep your pipeline full of new
prospects. And remember, there's more to servicing accounts than chatting with
your customers. You need to be able to provide additional value that goes
beyond your initial claims so that you exceed your customer's expectations. Two
good ways to add value are through solving your customer's problems and
educating them about how they can get more use out of your product.






19. They fail to provide value-added solutions

It's not enough to simply provide a solution. Instead, you've got to be
able to show your prospects why your solution doesn't even compare to what any
of your competitors are offering. That will probably mean bundling your
services, adding on extras and offering a level of service that's unheard of in
your industry. This strategy will protect you from price-based comparisons that
reduce your product or service to the level of a commodity.

Bundling and adding on features and services also gives you a ready
option for customers who argue they just can't pay the price you're asking. You
can simply tell them that you can accommodate their budget, but you'll have to
remove some of the extras. Then let them prioritize what they're willing to pay
for.






20. They fail to ask for the order

In the final analysis, if you fail to ask someone to buy, what good are
you as a salesperson? What have you done? You've spent a lot of time and
resources pursuing a prospect, but what do you have to show for it?

You've got to be very good at saying to someone, "What are the next
steps? Where do we go from here? What do you want me to do?" Many salespeople
we work with tell us they use the Action Close a lot. The Action Close is
simply this: "Okay, let me go ahead and write this down, so we can get started."
So there's something, some kind of action that happens. The process doesn't
just keep floating along because the salesperson fails to ask for the order.






These are the top twenty reasons why we've seen salespeople fail. So
what does that mean? It's pretty simple. Don't do these things! There's no
way to guarantee success 100% of the time, but you can put yourself on the right
path just by simply making a conscious effort to avoid these 20 mistakes.


You may want to print this list out and keep it in a convenient place.
Your career is too important to take these mistakes lightly. So check yourself
every so often and make sure you're on track to NOT repeat these 20 mistakes.


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Call/Text: 0917-3257870

Email: SuccessSeminars@...

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For the benefit of:
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For seat reservations or queries, please call Mitch or Kristine...

ARIVA! Seminar & Convention Organizers
895-8058 / 895-9527 / 890-9651
Call/Text: 0917-3257870

Email: SuccessSeminars@...

R E G I S T E R O N L I N E: www.Ariva.com.ph

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(Pay on or before February 27, 2008)

Early Bird Rate : PHP. 9,948.00
(Pay on or before March 13, 2008)

Regular Rate : PHP. 11,348.00
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