Read this book: The Challenger Sell. Most people think it's about relationship building, but the truth is that selling, at a high level, is about challenging someone. You have to dispel assumptions and create a subtle amount of tension that is relieved by your products offering. Also, when going in to an appointment, have a plan. Have several high impact questions and have a specific and actionable "ask." When calling on new business, initially you don't sell the product, you sell the appointment. When in a probing call or first appointment, it helps to have a process. I use one that I've crafted over the years called the E.G.O process. It stands for Establishment, Goals, and Obstacles. Establishment: Ask questions about their history, how they came to where they are at, their vertical and their competitors. Goals: what fiscal goals do they have for 2015? How are they tracking against those goals? What processes have they implemented to achieve those goals and what do they foresee their 2016 goals to be? Obstacles: what is standing in the way of them achieving those goals? Now you've learned about their history, their industry and their competitors. You have learned what they are motivated to do and what stands in their way. Now you just position your "pen" as the solution. Good luck!
I agree that establishing pain points are vital. My go to method is a needs/resource assessment. My job is building internal programs and so I sell a lot of ideas. Before any of my program pitches I try to establish what I need for my program to work and what resources my program has to offer. In the actual meeting I listen very intently and try to sniff out what the individual's needs, or pains, are. If I can establish those, I can explain the resources I have at my disposal and how they address the needs. Lastly, I can tell the individual that, for these solutions to come into practice I need one of their resources. This creates a chain of tangible benefit through intangible offerings. So, I have employees who need to learn how to push back against customers. Managers have employees who feel overwhelmed by their work load, and a few employees who are really good at managing expectations. I tell the manager that I can fix their employee stress if they provide me with an employee who's good at setting expectations, and at the end of all of it I have a ready made course on expectation setting. I've always been really bad at playing hardball or bluffing, so my entire sales tactic is centered around leverage - what resources do I have can satisfy the needs that you have.
I may never need this advice, but I really enjoyed reading it. It's very interesting to see how experts operate. I used to follow a blog that provided expert tips from various occupations. I lost track of it but some of them were insightful: Nurse: Sometimes a patient will pretend to be asleep or unconscious to avoid taking medication. To check, hold their hand over their face and release. If they are awake, they will interrupt the fall. Actor: To portray a drunk, don't stumble around. Instead, walk with exaggerated care and precision.
Nice. This was really awesome advice tng, I appreciate it. I'll definitely pick up that book asap. I guess the only missing link here, filled in by actual skill, is getting all that information out of your client, since "Hey could you tell me a few key points about your business so I can leverage them to sell you my product?" doesn't always fly.Now you've learned about their history, their industry and their competitors. You have learned what they are motivated to do and what stands in their way. Now you just position your "pen" as the solution.
That's where open ended, high impact questions come in. You need to do your research. For example, let's say I'm calling on a large commercial construction company. 1. In 2008 a lot of your competitors couldn't survive, yet you did. How were you able to make it through the downturn? 2. Paraphrase: I see, so you had to let go of some employees and tighten up your DSO. That must have been difficult. Now that people are building again, what are some of your goals for 2015/2016? 3. Paraphrase: Okay, so you plan on building more branded hotels. That's great. What are some of the challenges that present themselves in that pursuit? 4. Paraphrase: Oh, it's highly competitive and the margins are tight. Okay, I feel like I have a good understanding of your business, your goals and some of your challenges. I'd like to present my findings to my colleagues and come back with some customized solutions for your business. Can you meet Wednesday of next week? How is 1:00? This is a VERY condensed version of the process. Point is, questions, paraphrase. Don't EVER sell in your first appointment. Peak their interest and then come back with a solution. Good luck. I need to go sell now...
