The Start of The Selling Process from You The Sales Guy

Good morning everyone

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and ate lots of food.  I may have eaten a little too much, but have to keep it at may because Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days as an individual and I through all workout / healthy eating out the window.  I truly just go for it...All In! :)

So enough about my eating habits and let's start with the first step of the selling process.  This is the first of nine steps the correspond with the five buying decisions that your customers have to walk through.

So let's get to the first and hardest sometimes for sales people to accomplish.  It is "Commitment"  You need to get the potential customer, prospect, person that comes to the door, or dreadfully the person on the phone. 

I have to work to not get angry when the sales person for extended car warranties call my phone.  I keep telling myself to give them a chance.  One guy the other day had such a great approach that I said I would listen.  Even though I still do not own the 2013 Jeep Wrangler.  He was that good so I stayed on the call. 

So on to commitment and how do you gain it.   I have had to make cold calls in new territories in the past.  In my recent past I have used Linked in to study the potential customer, and anything else I could use to gain intelligence on the buyer I was about to meet.  

I tend to use the Columbo approach.  I would passively wander around the area until the curious potential buyer would walk up and ask me what I was doing there.   Sometimes if I was able to I would walk in through the service area.  In experience at one of the Big 3 I would ask around to find out who the engineers were for a specific commodity. 

I would use the first time to review the customers products, the engineer's cube, the manager's office, etc.  I would try to build a little rapport by finding common ground as much as I could to and schedule the follow up call to gain the commitment to state I have some information that I would like to share.  Typically when you state you have intelligence to share with the potential customer they are more than willing to have you come back.  

Keep in mind that for each selling phase you will need to ask for commitment to enter into the next stage / contact.  So, it goes back to being open to asking for something.  They need to commit so you can move on to the next stage.  Think of it like asking the cute girl out or the fact that you wanted to and never did.  How did you feel.  Take the initiative because the worst thing that could happen is they say yes and now you have to bring the value.  :)  

Try making as many commitments as you can.  Sales is a numbers game.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

Sales And Leadership Enterprises

Giving Thanks

Good morning everyone,

Hopefully you have found value in the five previous posts to help you think through the customer's decision-making process.  There are more details obviously to what the customer has in their head, but you know that already.  Also, this is a way to think about all of your interactions with people as you are selling your ideas and yourself to people every day. 

For today, I would like to talk about being thankful.  Being thankful even if everything isn't going well for you and during the stress of the holidays.  As I sit here on this frigid morning in the mid-west and look out at the kids watching cartoons.  I am thankful for a warm house and having both of them here while enjoying the Thanksgiving Holiday.  Being thankful in every situation is something I struggle with sometimes even though I am told I am usually upbeat and happy.   

 I encourage you to take time during this week to really analyze those things that bring joy and happiness to you as you relax during this holiday season.  Enjoy the moments that come with this holiday season and especially enjoy the Thanksgiving Day feast that is upon us.  I am running a 5k on Thanksgiving morning so I can feel better about the amount of food I will consume later that day :)  Call it my caloric balance sheet if you will, although I'm sure I will take in more calories than expel in running.  If only income was that way :)

Sometimes I struggle with enjoying the moment and taking my mind off of the to do lists.  This economy is as fast as it has ever been and so are the demands.  I tend to focus on the tasks mainly because that is how I am wired.  So to combat that I have to make a constant checklist of my priorities to keep me in the moment with the kids.  It is hard to believe that my son will be eleven this year which has flown by!  

If you are like me and get caught up in the tasks that need to be done which usually end up on a sticky note on my laptop, put a line item for those important relationships that are important to you.  Whether it is a small text to say hi to an old friend, a phone call with a parent, or Mario brothers on the Wii with your kids.  Make sure to put them on your priority list. 

One quick idea on improving your mood:

Most of the time I find my mood growing brighter when I am helping others.   Serving at a soup kitchen or helping the homeless tends to give me more joy than scoring the big deal, or buying a new thing.  During this holiday season think about helping others and investing in others.  I bet you will reflect on that and see you are very thankful.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom 

Sales And Leadership Enterprises

It's Finally Time

Hopefully you are enjoying the fall weather and the steps in the customer's buying decisions.  It has been fun writing about these decisions.  It has also helped me understand how the buyers make the decisions especially in automotive since I took the past six months to work in purchasing.  Call it a sabbatical if you will.  It will help me in the coming years as I enter back into sales on how large organizations strategically manage their supply base.

So, we are here at the final buying decision and it's the decision to "Buy".  This is the time they decide after all the hard work you have done to buy you, your company, your product / offering, and your price.  Now they are ready to say yes let's sign the contract and issue you a purchase order.  This is the time when you have been dreaming about finally arriving. 

Now if you have followed the buying decisions, answering all their questions, and fulfilling their needs that you will see the reward.  Some older sales trainers would say this is where you use the close, hard close, etc.  I do not like hearing closing because this is a process and a start for future business.  This is your opportunity to reaffirm the customer of their decision and schedule the follow ups to get them thinking about next steps.

I do have to warn that some large purchasing organizations like to make a last time nibble and strong negotiations at this point.  I still believe that if we have gone into negotiations that the sales person has not done all of their duties finding all of the needs.  So, it is this point where I like to have that extra need to answer in my back pocket to show how we answer their needs.  Also knowing your walk away is a good thing.  This way if they offer a nibble for a last second requirement you can say, "If I give you this then we need to complete this sale."  Make sure you get their signature though if you give them this nibble.  

Sign, complete, and celebrate.

Then review and see where you can refine your approach as well as find out more information about your customer and how you might gain more business :)

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

Sales And Leadership Enterprises

Buying Your Price

Hello all,  

Welcome to the fourth buying decision that your customers make.  This should be a quick post as this topic if you have done all your steps correctly is quite quick.  This is the part if you have asked all the questions and understood your customer's needs, desires, aspirations, and also staged your benefits and features in a way that highlight meeting those needs, desires, and aspirations that you have the customer engaged and looking for the investment.

I am sure you have studied your market and know the pricing that your competition is offering and understanding of the competitions market share.  This is where you get to provide your price and then shut up.  Yes, you heard me shut up.  I still remember when my mentor shared with me how to deliver the price.  He said when you provide the price you shut up, I mean don't even make a sound breathing.  You wait and wait and as uncomfortable as it is wait.  The next person to speak loses he said.  It is true, and sales people tend to lose because they HATE silence!  

Sales people are often wanting to prompt with how to validate the price.  If you validate the price and speak the customer sees an area of negotiation.  So, provide the price and sit back and wait for the next person to speak.  Which hopefully will increase your margins.  

Your customer will say okay and you can move to the final buying decision or ask questions to which you pull out another feature / benefit card out of your pocket to close the deal and move to the final step that I will share tomorrow.  

As you can see if you do your work in the first three buying decisions, this one is fairly quick.  Depending how long you can keep from making a sound :)

Have a great week and enjoy the day light savings!  

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

Sales And Leadership Enterprises

Buying Your Product, The Customer's Third Buying Decision

So, now we are to the area of selling where we all know best.  Where we can rattle off our features and benefits, our what's.  What sets us apart from the competition and structure the discussion on how it helps the customer.  We all know how to structure this conversation pretty well.  Some would say they have the silver tongue on how to make people love their product.

So with that said this post will not cover how to sell your features and benefits because you already know this.  For a strategy on that look up tie back questions from action selling a great book on sales.  Where you tie back each of your benefits to questions to ask.  It's a great tactic.

What I want to focus on is the Why.  Simon Sinek has a great video of the difference in great companies, leaders, Ramsey Solutions and organizations on how working from the inward out starting with Why to How, and then to what (your features and benefits).  I think there is more to that though.

The key is to make your features and benefits need to flow from the why and tie right back to how they really improve your customer's life.  Why does your organization exist, how do your features and benefits reflect that "Why" from your organization?  This is a tough objective, but if you want people lining up for six hours for your product.  So, I challenge you to study Apple, Google, and all those other companies that seem to have most of the market share compared to others in the same arena.

This is the fun part, but it takes some work to really understand and talking with the leaders of the organization.

Feel free to reach out for help with this process.  I would be glad to help.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

Sales And Leadership Enterprises

The Second Buying Decision

Hey Everyone,

I apologize as travel has been quite heavy lately and I have slacked as an individual.  I really apologize and will work my best to have this blog updated weekly.

So, by now you have read the first of five buying decisions and are probably thinking this guy is out of his mind.  Have you tried it though?  Have your customers looked at you with a strange look on their face?  It does feel unnatural, but trust me it is the correct thing to help your customer, because at the end of the day if you are not helping your customer, then why are they talking to you?

Okay onto the next buying process of your customer " Buying Your Company".  You customer hopefully trusts you and is sold that you can make it to the next discussion which is why should I buy from your company.  What value would your company bring and how will that help me.  That is what is swirling around in their heads as they read your website, your literature, and listen to you spill tons of facts about your company.

So, this is where you have to be asking deeper questions about the customer and what issues are they facing.  Do they know what everyone else is doing in their area?  Who is their largest competitor?  What data does your company offer that will help them overcome their obstacles they are facing?  What does your company stand for?  Is it just to make a sale, or does your company do much more than that?  I am guessing if you look at all the things your company does, your company does not just make, distribute, sell products.  What services does your company do as well?   Does the company do specialized marketing that other companies in your arena are missing on?  Are there special buying programs that help your customer save more money lowering their cost?  Do you have IT that can help them integrate software? 

What value does your company bring to the table?  This is the time you need to study your competition and what they do really well and see how you stack up and if you can do something better.  Chances are, you and your company can do one or two things that are far better and may help your customer.  Still the warning is out there.  What is the largest value to your customer and how can you meet that better than anyone else.  The focus is on the customer and now you, your company, or your check book account.

Hope that helps!  

Next week we hit the fun part of the sell and something that you probably can spit off tons of features that support it.  Until next week, get out there help your customers and enjoy this warm weather at the end of October.  Winter is coming!

Sincerely,

Kevin

Sales And Leadership Enterprises  

Why People Buy

Sales people are still thought of today from the 1980 movie Used Cars featuring Kurt Russel.  If you have not watched that movie, try it for a good laugh.  You don't want to be thought of as one of these guys, trust me :)

Today there are so many avenues for sales / selling to customers.  There is new language every single day on how you can sell to anyone at any time. 

Please understand, if you are selling to customers, make sure you are putting their interests first.  First, they want to buy a product or service, not be sold.  When people are sold something that is when buyer's remorse sets in following the transaction.  When people buy they have a sense of accomplishment and belief that this product or service will help them.

In the sales process the buyer actually has five buying decisions to make starting with Do I trust the sales person.  So, you better ask yourself, why should they...

People buy for many reasons and as a sales person your job is to understand that reason and help the customer navigate that process.  Sometimes that does mean helping the customer buy from your competitors if your product is not right for them.  Blow your customer's mind next time you are talking with them and show them a product that might benefit them instead of selling your product.  Now I am not saying go to them always be selling other people's products, but if that product actually does help them more for their needs, help them.  Gain their trust.  It will pay off in the long run.  Don't be one of those telemarketers selling extended vehicle warranties.  They are annoying and at this point fun to mess with seeing I do not own the vehicle the keep calling about anymore lol  

I'm sure you are thinking that this guy is crazy with his statement and that I did say there are five buying decisions, but I don't want to keep you much longer for today.  I will post again the basics of the buying decisions so that we can get to work on understanding the customer in the next blog.  

Until then have a great day and think about how you can gain your customer's trust.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

Sales And Leadership Enterprises