Some Tips to Successful Selling

There are many sales techniques in existence today.  Whether you believe in the Sandler program, Conceptual or Solution Selling, or even the Challenger method, I am a strong believer in making it yours.  My sales method has consisted primarily of Sandler, but back when I began selling, one of the first concepts I learned about was called the tri-colored flag. In simplicity, if you can help your prospect in each of these 3 areas, the probably of success increases dramatically.

The tri-colored flag is described as — 1.) increase your prospect’s revenue stream, 2.) reduce their expenses, 3.) create a competitive differentiator for them in their marketplace by using your solution. If you can accomplish these, why would the prospect not do business with you?

Keeping in mind the tri-colored flag, I have also put a great deal of importance in relationships and building a good rapport with my prospective clients.  Everyone knows the the old saying, “it’s now what you know, it’s who you know”. Well I believe it has now evolved to “it’s not who you know, but who knows you”.  Meaning, if you have done a great job for other clients, your reputation speaks volumes for you before you even have the introductory discussion with your prospect. If they “know you” or the quality of service that you provide, you already have a leg up on your competitor.

The next step is to understand your prospect’s Pain, and motivation as to why they are speaking with you.  This is the most important part of the process so you need to try to determine what the personal and business impact is regarding the pain.  Try to dig into the root of the issues(s) by asking open-ended questions. How long has this problem existed? What have you done to address the problem? What is the impact on your current business? How much is this costing the company, or will cost in the next year or two? Be sure to stay quiet and listen intently after asking these questions so you can properly set the expectation of what you can and cannot do for your prospect.The worst thing you can do is overpromise, as you will then under-deliver from their expectations and damage the long-term viability of the relationship.

Remember at this point in the sales process, I have not mentioned my product or solution as I am focused on learning what I can provide to this prospect to remove some of their heartache.  I then try to determine the budget to address this pain, if one exists.  I don’t want to spend a great deal of time with a prospect if they don’t have the finances to afford my solution.  Finally, I try to ascertain the decision making hierarchy so I can plan the sales process as I prepare for my presentation. I am now very well educated and can deliver an impactful presentation to my prospect.

If you are experiencing challenges in generating the sales you want, please reach out to me.