NZ Sales Manager e-Magazine Issue 70

APRIL 2013 ISSUE 70

CLOSE OR ADVANCE THE SALE Are you really the one being qualified?

The shortest sales training session ever Never ‘Dear Mrs Customer’ again NZ’S E-MAG FOR SALES LEADERS 1 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

CONTENTS 6

THIS WEEK'S MUST READ

CLOSE OR ADVANCE THE SALE Find the win-win

10

ARE YOU REALLY THE ONE BEING QUALIFIED? Mutual qualification

14

TWO MINUTE TOP UP THE SHORTEST SALES TRAINING SESSION EVER Just four words

16

RESOURCE CORNER SALES TEAM LEADERSHIP Pure and simple

17

QUICK FIX NEVER ‘DEAR MRS CUSTOMER’ AGAIN It’s not what you sell, it’s how you sell

18

WHAT’S NEW NOTICEBOARD HELP IS HERE FOR TECHNICAL SALES PEOPLE

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 2

20

CALENDAR

21

THE CLOSE

Industry Type Location or Sales Territory

Company Size

BUSINESS VAULT Telephone Marketing

Direct Mail Business Intelligence

Unlock a world of business lists from Business Vault Business Vault is KMS Data’s answer to finding new business prospects. Our business database contains a wealth of information making selecting your best targets more refined, more relevant and ensuring you’re contacting the right prospects.

B

usiness Vault can help you

Don’t buy customer or prospect

better understand your current

information you already have!

customers and prospects

KMS Data are happy to remove

by adding information to your existing

your existing contacts from

database. Adding basic information

Business Vault ensuring you only

such as industry type and staff size to

pay for new prospects.

your existing customer information means you can see what type of businesses are buying your products, what customers have in common and what vertical markets you can leverage.

KMS Data own and maintain Business Vault so we know exactly what can be done and are flexible in how we can select and supply the best business prospects for you.

KMS Data offer an obligation free consultation, contact us to discuss how we can help you.

data

WWW.kmsdata.co.nz

E info@kmsdata.co.nz

P +64 9 621 0472

3 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

ABOUT / Short and sharp, New Zealand

FROM THE EDITOR

Sales Manager is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking and enlightening articles, and industry news and information to forwardthinking sales managers, business owners and sales professionals.

EDITOR / Paul Newsom

Contributor Jeff Ribman came to

professional buyers. In a more

me last month and said ‘it’s a long

simple, transactional sale, traditional

while since you have included an

closing techniques may be more

article on closing’. This is true, so we

effective.

are pleased to include in this issue Jeff’s thoughts on one of the most talked about topics in sales.

ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson GRAPHIC DESIGNER / Sevim Dogru GROUP EDITOR / Trudi Caffell CONTENT ENQUIRIES / Phone Paul on 04 586 4733 or email

I like Jeff’s article because it emphasises the important points of focusing on advancing or prog-

Since Neil Rackhams’ SPIN Selling

ressing the sale to move the sale

research and book 25 years ago

forward, and that it is about a win-

showed that traditional closing

win outcome, not an adversarial

techniques can reduce the chance

tussle until you get the customer to

of making a sale, discussion on the

say ‘yes’. Do these things well, and

topic has evolved considerably.

a close will be the obvious outcome

Rackhams’ views are now widely

when the prospect is ready to buy.

pauln@nzsalesmanager.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES / Phone Richard on 09 522 7257 or email richardl@espiremedia.com ADDRESS / NZ Sales Manager, C/- Espire Media, PO Box 99758, Newmarket, Auckland 1151, NZ WEBSITE / nzsalesmanager.co.nz

accep-ted in complex and relationship selling when working with

Happy Selling Paul

ISSN 2230-4762

NZ SALES MANAGER WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SUPPORT OF OUR MAJOR PARTNERS

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 4

E S R

U O C

We make it easy TO GROW YOUR SALES

Find the money-burning sales weaknesses that have held you back from your earning potential Learn the inside secret to positioning yourself as an industry expert Discover how to seize on buying triggers to create a profound influence on your sales figures Learn and develop the 4 different question types that uncover needs, amplify passion, and convert prospects like a dream!

MAY 13 & 14

AUCKLAND CITY

Simply click here to find out more or phone 09 5240999 “My national team now sells consultatively as a result of the SalesStar.com’s interventions.

We have had an overall (32%) improvement in closing ratios as well as a (27%) growth in top line sales with a better margin. They do make it easy to grow sales, and the positive results are instantly measurable.” Matt Cutler – MD Active Safety

MUST READ

CLOSE OR ADVANCE THE SALE

Find the win-win

P

By Jeff Ribman

eople don’t tend to buy if they haven’t

There are a number of signals that indicate an

identified a good reason to do so. Once we

interest to buy:

have established a need, or felt some pain,

Non-verbal signals

for something are we motivated to look to satisfy

Changes in facial expression, tone of voice and

the need or to resolve the pain? Buying signals

posture are good indicators. Once you’ve decided

will depend on how well you have done your job at

to buy your posture becomes more relaxed,

raising awareness of the need early on in the call.

expression softens from being interested asking questions to being more agreeable. Eye contact is comfortable and posture is open and relaxed.

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 6

Changes in facial expression, tone of voice and posture are good indicators.

Once you’ve decided to buy your posture becomes more relaxed, expression softens from being interested asking questions to being more agreeable.

Eye contact is comfortable and posture is open and relaxed.

Verbal signals that satisfy a need Any of these plus many more are good indicators that they are willing to buy:

decisions lightly and as a result it can take them some time to decide to buy! When they do, it can be hard to change their mind to try something else.

Given this, you may need to visit them a number of

•

“This would be good for my customers”

•

“This would save my staff a lot of time”

•

“This would be easier for employees to use”

or advances’.

•

“This would save a lot of hassle”

Continuations are simply an unsuccessful sales

•

“This would be a safer way to do it”

•

“This would save a lot of money on repeat visits”

Other signals Other things to look out for include: •

Asking a third party for their opinion

•

Enquiring about the price (but not too soon)

•

Asking lots of questions about how it works

•

Using possession type language, for example “I could…”

times before you come out with the sale. All the meetings in between will either be ‘continuations’

call. With no agreement on next steps you’d have to question how effective the use of your or the customer’s time was.

•

“Thank you for coming. Why don’t you visit us again the next time you are in the area”

•

“Fantastic presentation, we’re very impressed.

Let’s meet again sometime”

•

“We liked what we saw and we’ll be in touch if we need to take things further”. Positive strokes and compliments aren’t reliable signs of call success. Closing success must be measured by actions, not by nice noises.

SALES, ADVANCES AND CONTINUATIONS

Advance is a good outcome as you are getting

Most industry transactions today are generally

closer to benefiting from your product or service.

characterised by complex sales. It matters to

Examples of advances include offering to trial the

customers what they buy, they don’t tend to make

product, to discuss it with the director or other

closer to achieving the sale and the customer is

7 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

MUST READ

members of the staff, to look up more

statement. Closing has been likened to cold

information about it, etc. The customer is

calling – in the face of possible rejection

interested but signals that they have a few

a failsafe strategy is to avoid. This isn’t a

other things to check out before committing

strategy for successful sales people however!

to buy.

It’s important to recognise your frame of

PLANNING ADVANCES

mind and the skills you’ll need to draw on

Top sellers reach their ultimate goals by

when it comes to the end of the call.

consistently planning and conducting calls

You need to be:

that move the sale forward in steps. Less

•

In tune with your customer

•

Prepared

“collect information about the customer,”

•

Confident

“build rapport with the buyer,” or “get

•

Committed to achieving a win-win.

successful sellers get more continuations because they’re content with objectives like

buyer to say they like our system.” Nothing wrong with these but they don’t move the

If you know your customer’s needs, and you know that your product will satisfy these

sale forward.

needs, and you know that your customer is

A Sale is an excellent outcome of a sales

willing to address their needs, help them to

call. Well done!

do so. Ask the closing question or make the

Be realistic about what you expect to achieve

closing statement.

and plan your call accordingly. Sales success

Keep your close short, simple, positive and

is a process and you should be aware what

preferably ask a ‘closed’ question (one that

stage of the process you are at so that you

requires a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer). It’s easiest

can plan your expectations whether it is to

to do it once you’ve summarised your

continue, advance or sell.

discussion and highlighted the key points.

SALE OPTIONS

This brings the customer with you to the natural same conclusion so that the actual

Many sales representatives struggle to ask

close feels like an obvious and natural place

the closing question or make the closing

to be.

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 8

MUST READ

TYPES OF CLOSES 1. Direct Close Will you sign up now?

5. Urgent Close You will need to sign up today to take advantage of the deal as it is only available until the end of

Does this agreement meet with your approval?

2. Assumed Close

the month.

When would you like delivery?

Sales people can be tempted to ask for too much

How many would you lie to begin with?

too soon and as a result end up with less. Once

3. Alternative Close

your customer has agreed to buy, it’s time to set up

Would you prefer stock now or next week?

how you will follow up and then leave. If they begin

Would you like to order a pack of 50 or 100?

4. Objection Close

to feel overwhelmed they could simply choose to do nothing.

If your customers are not doing as well as you’d like on the other product would you try ours?

Jeff Ribman is a Business Mentor with a breadth of expertise from start-ups, to sales, to succession planning.

For more information, visit www.linkedin.com/in/jeffribman

9 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

ARE YOU REALLY THE ONE BEING QUALIFIED? Mutual qualification

By Paul McCord

E

very seller is concerned about qualifying

can be simple or complex depending on how many

their prospects. We all want to be in front

criteria a suspect must meet in order to be classified

of prospects who can buy—that is, who not

as a quality prospect.

only have a need or desire but also the means to

Consequently we sellers try to use as many tools at

consummate the purchase. Qualifying a prospect

our disposal as possible to learn about and qualify

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 10

those we think could be quality prospects for us.

number of variations, some quite complex, but in

And one of the most important and often used

the end, this is the format a great many of us have

tools is the question, and in particular open ended,

been taught.

probing questions.

Although we view our questions as important

Unfortunately we seldom, if ever, consider that the

discovery questions, we tend to view the prospect’s

prospect is doing exactly the same thing to us—they

questions as either worrisome objections or

are actively trying to determine if we are someone

diversions that are nothing but a smokescreen or

they would buy from.

are out and out buying signals. For many of us, the

Many of us have been taught that our sequence of

questions and actions of the prospect are either

events should be: qualify, present, close, answer

those of an enemy or those of someone telling us

objections, close again. This sequence has a

they are ready to buy.

WHAT IF NEITHER OF THOSE CHOICES IS TRUE?

Instead we’re dealing with a human being who

What if all of those questions and the statements

wants to know whether or not we’re trustworthy,

by the prospect, instead of being obstacles to our

whether or not our offering is appropriate for them,

sale or indications of their desire to consummate the

whether or not we’re wasting their time.

purchase, are simply questions and statements to

In other words, they are in the process of qualifying

help them qualify us and our offering?

us just as much as we’re them. When we qualify a

WHAT IF THEY ARE DOING THE SAME TO US AS

prospect we ask questions and probe to discover

WE ARE DOING TO THEM?

who we’re dealing with and what we might be able

If that is the case, then that means we’re neither

to do for them. When we’re asking questions we’re

dealing with an enemy to be overcome nor are

not trying to play the ‘gotcha’ game. Most of us

we dealing with someone asking us to close them.

aren’t trying to trap them into a sale. We’re honestly

11 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

seeking information that allows us to know whether

involves both parties qualifying one another and

or not we are in front of a real prospect with a real

that the qualifying process involves the investigation

need that we can help solve in a way that produces

and questioning of each party, we can relax and

real value for them.

begin to address the prospect’s questions for what

The prospect is going through the same process

they really are—a legitimate desire to find out who

with us. Whether they are conscious of it or not,

we are and whether or not we are someone they

they’re trying to determine whether or not we

want to work with.

are someone they want to do business with and

Recognize an honest qualifying question for what

then, whether or not our product/service/company

it is. Maybe those questions you are trying to

presents any real solid worthwhile value for them.

overcome, especially about price or quantity or

The traditional terms sellers think in—overcoming

delivery or usage, aren’t objections or buying

objections, closing the sale etc, tend to set up an

signals at all but are just honest discovery questions.

adversarial relationship where we are on the lookout

Go forth and qualify—and let yourself be qualified.

for the dreaded objection and the opportunity to

It’s a whole lot more fun to sell when you’re working

pounce with the closing question.

with a prospect to mutually qualify one another than

However, if we recognize that the sales process

it is to try to out fox and overcome an adversary.

Paul McCord is an internationally recognized authority on prospecting, referral selling, and personal marketing.

To find out more visit www.mccordandassociates.com

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 12

We’re extending our network, so you can too.

Located everywhere you do business, Quest Serviced Apartments truly offer a home away from home, providing flexible accommodation options and an exclusive fixed single rate programme for Rev Sales members. Business can change day to day, but your travel costs don’t have to.

Call 0800 944 400 or visit www.questapartments.co.nz

Serviced Apartments

Your perfect travell companion. i 13 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

2 MINUTE TOP-UP

THE SHORTEST SALES TRAINING SESSION EVER Just four words

By Ian Segail

HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU INVEST IN TRAINING YOUR SALES PEOPLE? We invest thousands of dollars a year on training our sales people •

We teach them sales tactics and sales strategies.

•

•

value of asking questions, and yet every day sales people are still talking as opposed to asking.

Why is it then, with all the training over the years where we have taught sales people to ask questions and to listen to the answers, that they still talk more than they ask and listen? Why is it that when sales people get in front of a customer they feature and benefit them into boredom.

We teach them key account management

They will tell customers and prospects all about

and business development.

who you are and all you do and how marvellously

We train them in time management and customer service etc.

Yet with all of that training, they have still to master the four word sales technique upon which all the other training is based.

you do it.

Do your people still feature and benefit your customers to death?

Try this exercise with your people.

Pull out a pen or take off your watch and ask your

The shortest sales training session in the world

salespeople to sell it back to you. What will they

basically covers just four words “Shut up

in all likelihood do?

and listen”

They will feature and benefit you. It will only be

There is not a sales training course out there

those rare birds that will stop and ask you why

where the trainer won’t at some point discuss the

you were in the market for a watch or a pen?

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 14

14 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

2 MINUTE TOP-UP

When I ask you to listen and you start trying to solve my problem, I feel underestimated and disempowered.

When I ask you to listen and you start telling me what I need to do I feel offended, pressured and controlled.

When I ask you to listen, it does not mean I am helpless. I may be faltering, depressed or discouraged, but I am not helpless.

When I ask you to listen and you do things, which I can and need to do for myself, you hurt my selfesteem.

Asking questions and listening to the answers is selling skills 101. It is as basic as it comes. Yet with all of our technology and reports and business tools,

But when you accept the way I feel, then I don’t need to spend time and energy trying to defend myself or convince you, and I can focus on figuring

we still have yet to figure out how to get our sales

out why I feel the way I feel and what to do about

people to “shut up and ask questions”

it. And when I do that, I don’t need advice, just

When I ask you to listen and you start giving advice, you have not done what I have asked.

When I ask you to listen and you start telling me why I shouldn’t feel the way I do, you are invalidating my feelings.

support, trust and encouragement.

Please remember that what you think are irrational feelings always make sense if you take time to listen and understand me.

To your sales success...

Ian Segail is a leading authority on sales strategy and sales management, and works as a Strategic Sales Performance Coach with both novice and experienced sales managers across a wide variety of industries and selling disciplines. Find out more at www.iansegail.com

RESOURCE CORNER

SALES TEAM LEADERSHIP PURE AND SIMPLE

Authors: Publisher: Price:

I

Joe Sasso iUniverse.com $17.60 from www.fishpond.com

t doesn’t matter if you lead a business, a

both diversity and inclusion of all members. Focus

nonprofit organization, or a sports team; you

on the vision, and be sure to communicate and take

need to know how to get the most out of your

decisive action. By doing so, you’ll help your team

players. Join Coach Joe Sasso, a sales and training

achieve results. Whether you are a new salesperson

expert, as he takes away the mystery of figuring out

or manager or a seasoned sales professional or

why teams succeed or fail. Learn how to overcome

manager, you can be inspired to be better than

obstacles and change “me” to “we.” Coach Joe also

ever before. During these challenging times, it’s

shares ways to be a mentor to promising people,

more important than ever to focus on Sales Team

get the most value out of hardened veterans, make

Leadership so you can make sales happen right the

yourself available to team members and inspire

first time-right now!

people without even speaking. Teamwork demands www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 16

QUICK FIX

QUICK FIX

IT’S NOT WHAT YOU SELL, IT’S HOW YOU SELL.

NEVER ‘DEAR MRS CUSTOMER’ AGAIN

H

ow can your customers be

Tip by Debbie Mayo-Smith. Debbie works

impressed if you address

with businesses that want to be more

communications with ‘Dear

productive and effective.

client’, no greeting or without their name in full?

Find out more at www.succcessis.co.nz

Solve the problem of splitting first and last names apart with the fabulous but poorly known function in Excel called ‘text to columns’. Found in the data menu, it will split information based on the criteria you specify such as space, comma, colon and so on.

Is your customer information not in Excel?

It’s easy to import it from another program.

Save the original as a text or CSV file and import into Excel. Within Microsoft a simple copy and paste works perfectly.

17 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

WHAT’S NEW NOTICEBOARD

HELP IS HERE FOR TECHNICAL SALES PEOPLE One of the biggest challenges faced by Technical

Grace (formerly Heather Grace Smith of The

Business is mastering sales and business growth.

Marketing Company) is one of New Zealand’s most

New Zealand is pouring resources into innovation

renowned Sales and Business Growth professionals.

but how do we transform our great ideas into truly

Starting out as an Industrial Chemist, Grace

great profits? Sales… but it’s sales with a point of

transitioned to technical sales in the early 80’s.

difference, according to Heather Grace of Success With Grace.

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 18

Says Grace, “it wasn’t an easy transition, one client actually threw me out of a meeting before

WHAT’S NEW NOTICEBOARD

becoming my single biggest client, tripling their

The tools to make that transition are now readily

original spend”.

available thanks to Grace’s new business initiative

According to Grace, teaching technical people sales skills hasn’t changed much since the 80’s. “People of course do make the transition, but it often comes at great personal cost. Sales can be tough. Rejection is tough. And when you’re not a natural salesperson

Success With Grace, and her world first ‘TechBiz Success Academy’. “Sales and Business Growth skills can be taught, but technical people are often not well served by mainstream courses designed for existing sales people”, says Grace.

it’s too easy to withdraw from the fray on the back

“Even when the skills components are there,

of those early experiences.”

technical people are often well out of their comfort

In her career as Sales and Marketing Manager of Bayer NZ, IT Business Owner, Division Manager of Downer EDI and General Manager of a Chemical Importing company Grace was regularly teaching technical people how to make that transition. Each

zone and are lost in the crowd of voices. The TechBiz Success Academy programme is designed specifically for technical people to give them the skills they need, in a way that’s easy for them to assimilate.”

time she triggered exponential profit growth.

When it comes to business success, Grace has

“Unleashing the talents of technical people really is

earned an envious personal record of achievement

the fast track to technical business success.”

in the Chemical, IT and Engineering sectors.

“The TechBiz Success Academy programme uses

To find out more or to arrange specialist training

proven methodologies,” says Grace “Technical

for your technical people, contact Heather

people like that just as much as non-technical

Grace directly at Success With Grace: heather@

people. So we’re already bridging the divide. ”

successwithgrace.com or phone 09 476 4278,

Success With Grace offers a proven methodology to transform the sales process particularly in the HighTech, IT (Software and Hardware), Engineering and Science Sectors.

mobile 022 1030 437

CALENDAR DATE

NAME

PLACE

COMPANY

LINK

Thursday 2th May

Cold Calling and Prospecting

Auckland

Top Achievers Sales Training

www.topachieverssalestraining.

Customer Service

Auckland

David Forman

www.davidforman.co.nz

The Sales Process

Auckland

Top Achievers Sales

www.topachieverssalestraining.

Training

co.nz

Monday 6th May -

co.nz

Tuesday 7th May Tuesday 7th May

Star Selling

Auckland

Sales Star

www.salesstar.com/salestraining/ consultative-selling.html

Tuesday 14th May

Sales Basics

Auckland

Geewiz

http://www.geewiz.co.nz

Tuesday 14th May

Social Media and

Auckland

Top Achievers Sales Training

www.topachieverssalestraining. co.nz

Monday 13th May Tuesday 14th May

Sales Scotwork Advancing Negotiating Skills

Christchurch

Scotwork Negotiating Skills NZ

http://www.scotwork.co.nz/

Tuesday 16th May Wednesday 15th May

Advanced Serious Selling

Auckland

Geewiz

http://www.geewiz.co.nz

Wednesday 15th May

Prospecting & Gold Calling

Palmerston North

The Marketing Company

http://events. themarketingcompany.co.nz/ courses/21-prospecting-gold-calling

Tuesday 21st May

Sales Basics

Wellington

Geewiz

http://www.geewiz.co.nz

Tuesday 21st May

Sales Training Course

hamilton

Top Achievers Sales Training

www.topachieverssalestraining.

Tuesday 21st May

Professional Relationship

Auckland

The Marketing Company

http://events. themarketingcompany.co.nz/ courses/3-professional-relationshipselling

Sales Development

Auckland

David Forman

www.davidforman.co.nz

Tuesday 22nd May

Advanced Serious Selling

Wellington

Geewiz

http://www.geewiz.co.nz

Thursday 23th May

Winning Business as an

Christchurch

Shipley

http://www.shipleywins.co.nz/ public-training-schedule.html

Monday 14th May -

Selling

Monday 20th May -

co.nz

Thursday 23th May

SME Thursday 24th May

Sales Ignition Day

Northland

The Marketing Company

http://events. themarketingcompany.co.nz/ courses/2-sales-ignition-day

Monday 29th May -

Winning Proposal

Wellington

Shipley

Thursday 30th May

Strategies

http://www.shipleywins.co.nz/ public-training-schedule.html

20 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

THE CLOSE

“The bad news is time flies.

The good news is you’re the pilot.”

- Michael Altshuler

Have you subscribed to NZ Sales Manager? It’s free!

Simply visit www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz to get a copy of NZ Sales Manager delivered straight to your inbox monthly!

21 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz