Sales Blog with Professional Sales Tips

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On January 13, 1982, a Boeing 737 took off in a severe snowstorm from Reagan National Airport. Moments after takeoff it crashed killing 78 people. Only five passengers survived.

“It’s time to find some sales articles that will give us some new ideas.”

This tragedy can provide important sales tips. It identifies one of the key differentiators between superstar sales professionals and those who are not as successful.

What went wrong?
While the aircraft was rolling down the runway for takeoff there were warnings that something was very wrong. The engine indications didn’t look right. The co-pilot even mentioned his extreme concern to the pilot. The pilot dismissed the warnings both from the gauges and from his second in command. They crashed seconds later.

The concept that got these pilots in trouble is called completion expectancy. They had taken off in this kind of airplane from this exact airport numerous times before and everything always went as expected. Even in the face of dire warnings to the contrary, the pilots could not make themselves change the way they had done this task hundreds of times.  This concept is a relative of target fixation.

Sales Newsletter: How This Impacts Us
As sales professionals we can get caught in the same trap. Not every selling situation is the same; it is a consistent theme in this sales tips blog. I frequently observe sales professionals using the same sales strategies and techniques for all of their prospect and customer sales scenarios. We can become a victim of sales completion expectancy.

We know our sales approach works most of the time so we become a slave to it. We can become so chained down that we miss obvious clues from customers that indicate a change of course is needed - even when we’re about to have a customer crash.

Examples
If we notice in the middle of a new product demonstration that the customer is reading emails, we need to look at changing course. We’ve lost that customer’s interest.

If we’ve tried for three months to make an appointment with a prospect and had no success, we should consider exiting that freeway and trying a new road. Our standard techniques for contacting prospects are not working in this situation. It’s time to find some sales articles that will give us some new ideas.

If we’ve been unable to close any business in a market segment, it might be wise to change how we are prospecting or abandon that market segment for one that will produce fruit.

Sales Blog Wrap-up
While we all need to keep an arsenal of sales tools and sales tips in our hip pocket, we must realize that these tools don’t work in every selling situation. Top sales performers aren’t afraid to change their standard course of action and know when and how to do it.

Further reading: Target fixation

To receive this sales ezine by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

One of the most important sales tips in our profession: If we quote prices like a wimp our customers and prospects will get the impression that our pricing must be unreasonably high. We come across as sounding apologetic.

“He handled my pricing question with such a total lack of conviction…that…I still…felt I was being violated.”

We forget that in many cases our customers have absolutely no idea what a fair price would be for our products and services so they use our body language and vocal inflection as a barometer. They literally evaluate the fairness of our pricing by how we quote the price.

Sales Tips from Politicians
Politicians have known this since the beginning of recorded history. If a politico doesn’t have the slightest idea about what he or she is talking about (which is 99% of the time) they act as if they are the world’s greatest authority. Their voice gets deeper, their shoulders are held back and they look directly into the camera. They act immensely assured.

I’m not attempting to defile the profession of sales by comparing it to the craft of politics, but most politicians have perfected a speaking and selling technique that is compelling to their constituency. It’s called confidence (which translates to votes).

Sales Newsletter to Retail Salesperson
I see the pricing confidence rule violated daily by sales professionals. I see it in both commercial and consumer sales venues.

Me: “What is the price of that fishing reel?”
Retail Salesperson: His eyes are fixed on the floor. His shoulders are stooped. In a voice I can barely hear, he says, “Well…I think that particular model…since it’s made in Europe…and it’s not on special…is priced…normally…at…well…45…no wait…49 dollars.”
Me: “Sir, you don’t know me from Adam, but I’m going to tell you how to effectively quote that particular fishing reel the next time someone asks you.”
Retail Salesperson: “Great, I’m always wanting to learn more about sales; my manager makes us read lots of sales articles.”
Me: “Forty-nine-dollars.”

He handled my pricing question with such a total lack of conviction, backbone and belief that if he had quoted me 25 cents I still would have felt I was being violated.

Sales Blog Wrap-up
It’s simple. Know that our customers are observing how we react to our pricing. When we quote prices confidently, price objections are reduced and we appear more credible to our customers.

Further reading: Wrestling With Fear in Sales

To receive these selling articles by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

There’s a reason virtually all blockbuster movies have an R rating. They have sizzle. People are drawn to intensity and edginess.

In case we’ve forgotten, our customers and prospects are people too. Being human, most of them are naturally drawn to sales professionals that have energy and those that aren’t afraid to push the limits a bit. This is something written about in many selling articles.

“We might…find sales articles that tell us exactly what we need to do to be successful in sales…”

Scott’s Sales Tips Professional Rating System
G: An order processor. No skills needed. Boring. Easily replaced by the customer.
PG: An order taker after a Starbucks tall - no sugar and plenty of room for cream. Might ask if the customer needs some additional items other than what was ordered. Limited cross-selling skills. Just above a yawn in energy level. Replaceable by the customer.
PG-13: Starting to get beyond just taking an order. Pushes the envelope a little by asking about budgets, product needs and decision makers. Customers respond. Salesperson has perceived value in the customer’s eyes.
R: Now we’re talking. This sales professional is a PG-13 but with some extra juice. He or she does everything that the PG-13 does, but does it in a way that doesn’t sound like every other salesperson on the planet. Has enhanced open-ended information gathering skills. Their customers consider them valuable assets.
NC-17: An R on steroids. Has all the attributes of an R but emphasizes the relationships he or she has with the customer. Customers consider them an irreplaceable part of the team.

How Would We be Rated by the Motion Picture Association of America?
Just like movie ratings, the ratings above are not concrete. While most sales tips found in this sales blog are specific, these are not. We might read a sales newsletter or find sales articles that tell us exactly what we need to do to be successful in sales, but we must never forget that our inherent vibrancy and innovative thinking will attract and help us retain customers.

Just ask yourself, when was the last time you and your significant other got a babysitter and went to a G movie?

Further reading: Your Personality is What the Customer Wants to See

To receive this sales ezine by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

We are all guilty of boring our prospects and customers. We forget that energy and enthusiasm are what got our customers’ attention in the first place. If we’re not careful, we begin to take our best customers for granted and let our excitement, passion and sales skills start to wane. Before we know it we’re about as exciting as a fire hydrant.

“What’s looney about this is we tend to do this with our best and most tenured customers.”

The Sales Skills Glitch
We roll in and take an established customer’s order. We say “hi” to a few faces and leave. We’ve done this routine with them so many times we’re on autopilot. Each time we go through this half-hearted performance we further erode the unique relationship we originally had with them. They start to view us as generic sales professionals.

Sales Tip: This is not a good thing. When customers don’t feel they have a special relationship with us, or if they think we are boring or if they believe we aren’t bringing anything new to the table we become 100% replaceable. The personal capital we initially brought to the table has vanished.

We are shocked sometimes when our best customers dump us “out of nowhere.” This is frequently the “out of nowhere.”

The Crazy Part About This
What’s looney about this is we tend to do this with our best and most tenured customers. We’re jumping around like bunny rabbits for that new small prospect, but can be indifferent about our very best long-term customers.

Sales Tips: The Fix
It’s simple. Bring back the fire and zeal on every customer call, especially for those highly valued, long-term, big volume customers. Our passion for the customer should be the same on the 100th call as it was on the first.

Customers buy from us because they like the buying experience we provide. We are the cornerstone of that buying experience, not our employer or what we sell. If we let our chemistry with the customer erode over time, so will our perceived value.

Further reading: The Importance of Creativity in Sales

To receive this sales tips blog by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

Have you ever had a customer or prospect meeting go exactly as planned? I haven’t. Sales skills notwithstanding, I’ve hit real landmines in some of my customer meetings. Military strategists say that no battle ever goes as planned. Combat planners must simultaneously plan for victory and prepare for catastrophe. We must do the same.

“We must prepare ahead of time for questions we are really afraid the customer will ask…”

My Worst Customer Meeting
I once had a young and very capable sales professional working for me named Tim who had exceptional sales skills. He had planned an important customer meeting and asked me to go along. I was happy to go. He was well prepared and everything was going just fine until the customer’s CEO fell asleep. And when I say “fell asleep,” I’m talking about window vibrating snoring. I don’t think there was an entry in Tim’s Sales Tips 101 book for this one.

Sales Tip: The Battle Plan
While there’s not much we can do about snoozing CEO’s, we can prepare for other unknowns that come up at meetings which can also cause problems. Here are a few sales tips to remember:

1. Accept that there is always going to be some kind of unexpected issue or problem at a customer meeting. The more important the meeting the higher the likelihood of a problem. When we accept that there are going to be problems, it ironically makes any meeting complications seem more manageable when they arise.

2. We must prepare ahead of time for questions we are really afraid the customer will ask, questions we really don’t want to answer and questions we aren’t prepared to answer. This is exactly how politicians prepare for debates.

3. Ensure that someone from our side is in charge at the customer meeting. Establish this before the meeting ever begins. The military has learned that when things get chaotic in war a single point of command can get things back on track again. The more important the meeting the more critical it becomes that we pick someone with the most experience and sales skills to lead us through the war zone.

4. Rehearse the meeting. There’s a reason the military spends thousands of hours in mock combat. Practice will greatly increase our confidence and help us visualize a good outcome.

Back to the Snoring CEO
What did we do about the snoozing CEO? All of those at the meeting did what humans do best. We pretended everything was fine and just spoke over the snoring. He eventually woke up and agreed to the purchase. He didn’t want to admit he was sleeping and had missed all the details. Worked for us.

Further reading: Sales Tips Fiction: The Customer is in Charge

To receive this sales tips blog by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer