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Think like a prospect for a second and tell yourself how you would feel if you received the following cold call, “Hi, this is Bill and I am your account rep at XYZ Company. We’ve been in business for 22 years and have the largest selection of widgets in the western U.S. I was just calling on you today to see if I could talk with you about your widget use…”

Do you think prospects are tired of hearing that same initial cold call from every salesperson from every continent on earth? Think about the cold calls you’ve heard your sales peers make. They’re all the same, aren’t they? No wonder prospects get annoyed with salespeople.

Sales proposals are another example. Do you think prospects get tired of seeing the same bloated proposals with all of the same elements from every salesperson they see? [Tip: They go right to the price page anyway; if you have some really critical points you want to make, be sure to put them on the price page. More on this in a later post.]

The fact is that most salespeople have average results precisely because they do what every other salesperson is doing. We tend to all look the same because we are the same in our sales approach. When we start a new sales job what do we do? We look around and mirror what everyone else is doing at our new employer.

We feel safe doing what we see others do. We all know that sheep feel safest when they do what the rest of the herd is doing.

We pay a steep price in our sales results when we default to the that’s-how-everyone-does-it sales approach. Sales superstars do crazy and different things to increase their sales revenues and rise above the background noise of their competitors.

I love to hear low producing salespeople make fun of the sales techniques used by the superstars. Do you know why they make fun of these above average performers? Because they are doing something outside of the norm that makes the sub-performers uncomfortable. Instead of making fun of them, they should be learning from them.

Being different and trying new things can be scary and requires work. The work includes learning new sales skills, observing sales superstars, experimenting with new sales ideas and getting out of your sales comfort zone. Keep in mind, being different and trying new things means you’ll fail sometimes too. But the superstars and the soon-to-be-superstars get right back on their feet and keep learning and trying new things.

To close, I’d like to give you some questions to see if you are rising above the white noise of stale sales techniques. If you answer “yes” to two or more of these you might be on the right track.

Are you always in trouble with your sales manager for trying crazy ideas, yet your sales are stellar?
Are your fellow sales professionals always interested in the details of exactly how you landed that last big order?
Do you find that your sales manager has to frequently run interference for you each time you land a big order because you have so many special requests of marketing, product support, pre-sales support, etc.?
Does the VP of Sales or President of your company have to call various department heads from time to time with a message that is similar to, “I know Steve frequently has requests of your department that are unusual, but make sure you work with him as he is about to land another big order.”

How did you do?

Now go out and go crazy. Your prospects are waiting for something fresh.

If you’re not already a subscriber, <click here> to receive Sales Vitamins™ by email or <click here> to subscribe to the RSS feed. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

Running up against competitors is a green light, not a red light. Here’s why.

Several years ago I was working with a salesperson and we made a planned call on a prospect. The prospect told us that she was buying from competitor X and there probably wasn’t a reason to talk further. What did this salesperson do in the face of competition? He put his tail between his legs, meekly said “okay” and ducked out of the prospect’s office.

Why did this salesperson run for cover when he was up against the competition? He had no good answers, but I think I do. I have observed that this kind of reaction to competition is common.

Do you feel you or your company aren’t capable of taking on the competition? Do you feel uncomfortable in assertively making your case with a prospect in the face of competition? Very few prospects are going to roll out the red carpet for you if they perceive they are happy with their current supplier. You’ll have to fight for the business. We have to be confident in ourselves and our company. We also have to be able to assertively persuade prospects of our value if we realistically hope to steal business away from the competition.

When we find a prospect that is buying from a competitor we instantly move from home plate to first base. Why? If a company is buying from one of our direct competitors we are virtually assured that we have a qualified prospect on our hands. How convenient.

We’ve all heard this before, “But we don’t stand a chance against X at that prospect because we can’t match their prices.” Virtually every study that has ever been done on why decision makers buy from a particular vendor places price as the fifth or sixth most important criteria. People buy primarily because of quality, service and limited risk. Simply stated, if you can demonstrate to the prospect that you’re stronger in those areas, you’ll get the business.

When you know who your competition is (and therefore their strengths and weaknesses) you know exactly where and how to strike. Competitors lead you to qualified prospects. People buy on quality, service and limited risk, not just price. Now get that tail out from between your legs.

If you’re not already a subscriber, <click here> to receive Sales Vitamins™ by email or <click here> to subscribe to the RSS feed. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

Summary: Being assertive with customers and your employer is a key to sales success. Be careful how often you use that assertiveness.

As a sales professional you primarily deal with two groups of people on a daily basis, your customers and your employer. At the beginning of the relationship with both of these entities you were handed a six-gun. A six-gun is a revolver that has six bullets in it. You get six shots and then you’re empty.

The six-gun that a customer provides you allows you to both assert yourself with them six times (and no more) while also getting their full attention each time. Once you use these six shots they’ll stop being so receptive to what you have to say. In other words, your customers will listen to your serious issues and problems a limited number of times. If you have serious issues and problems too often they’ll stop giving you an audience and you’ll lose credibility. Don’t bring every little problem you encounter to the attention of your customer; handle almost all of them yourself.

You also have a six-gun with your employer. We know as sales professionals that we must assert ourselves with headquarters or we frequently won’t get the support that we and our customers need. Just as with customers, we must also limit how often we bring problems to our employer. Handle all the everyday problems and issues yourself; only seek help from your employer for the big and important issues you encounter. Don’t go to your sales manager when you find that you’ve lost a small account; just replace them with a bigger one and be done with it. Do go to your sales manager when you need additional resources brought in to help you close a very large deal.

Remember that “assertive” means self-assured and positive. Assertiveness is a necessary trait for sales professionals to use both with their customers and their employer. However, don’t overuse the assertiveness six-gun or those you need the most (customers and employer) will stop listening to you.

Have you taken inventory lately of where you stand with your customers and your employer? Do you still have some bullets left?

If you’re not already a subscriber, click here (salesvitamins.com) to subscribe and automatically receive Sales Vitamins™ as new posts become available. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer