Browse Tag

frustrated

When a Salesperson Should Stop Selling Value

SQC smallProblem:  Recently, I had a conversation with a sales engineer about his frustration with trying to convince a prospect the price of his equipment was worth the value.  His prospect is convinced that he is selling high quality, efficient equipment with a large ATBM (Average Time between Maintenance).  Though his prospect faces frequent interruptions due to breakdowns, the prospect continues to buy his competitors’ equipment because their prices are lower.  The prospect continues to tell him that he can’t justify the capital investment needed to buy his equipment. read more

No Secret Formula

SQC smallProblem: Many salespeople wish there was a secret formula to prospecting successfully for new customers. We often hear salespeople moan, “If only more people would listen and talk to me. We know they would buy our service.”

Analysis: Prospects are bombarded with sales messages and buying opportunities. One recent study estimated that on average each of us is exposed to more than one thousand messages every day. Add to this the complexity and pace of business, prospects have no real way to cope but to screen out much of what they hear and see. Further, prospects buy for their own reasons and at the time that is right for them-not for your reasons or timing. read more

Wimping Out

SQC smallProblem:  As trainers, we see this scenario played out time and time again. Salespeople seem to have lost the ability to close!

Analysis:  Selling, from a technical/skill perspective, has gone through a major transition. Years ago, salespeople were taught what we might call the CHAOS System of Selling, the Close Hard And Often ystem. Pound away until you get the order, be extremely persistent, manipulate if necessary, and use one of the many canned closes that worked so well back in the 1950’s. (“If I could show you a way, would you buy it today?” is a typical example of an outmoded close.) read more

A Prospecting System that Guarantees Results!

SQC smallProblem: A large majority of salespeople struggle to get in front of enough prospects to keep their pipeline full. As a result, they feel desperate, have a difficult time dealing with rejection, and often avoid asking the tough questions to find out if they really should be spending their time with someone. This leads to a long selling cycle, inefficient time management, and ultimately, failure. read more

Are Some Prospecting Calls Just a Waste of Time?

SQC smallProblem:  Jenny came to sales training class one morning and asked the class to assess what had gone wrong on a sales call that she had made the week before.  She was frustrated that she had spent 45 minutes on one call with no results.  She explained the call in detail and after a short, but very focused Q & A, it was determined that the “suspect” she had spent her time with was not a good prospect after all.  Jenny reluctantly agreed, but said that this happened more than she liked, and lamented that “some prospecting calls are just a waste of time.”  With that admission, she received much sympathy from some class members who agreed with her perspective on prospecting.  Jenny admitted that her prospecting activity had declined in recent months and that she was no longer the leading salesperson in her region. read more

Early Warning Signs

SQC smallProblem: “What am I doing here?” Robert said to himself. He was twenty minutes into the initial meeting with this prospect, and he was clearly fighting an uphill battle. All his attempts to develop rapport were met with apathetic, almost frigid responses. His questions, simple and innocuous though they were, received little more than one or two word responses. “What’s going on here?” he wondered. This guy won’t even crack a smile and yet he gave me the appointment. Is he just having a bad day, or do I have a hygiene problem? He just couldn’t figure it out, yet he kept at it, trying to pump some life into this dying appointment. He wanted to quit, but his ego wouldn’t let him; he felt he should be able to breathe some life into this situation. read more