20 Questions

As  many of you know,  effective selling is about asking good questions. Some people believe that sales is about “explaining” to the prospect, why he or she needs their product or service. Show and tell, features and benefits, are phrases which come to mind. It’s neither. It’s all about the questions. Not the exact questions you ask, but how you ask them. Obviously the questions must be relevant, however there are no perfect questions. More importantly, if you ask the right questions the wrong way, chances are you will walk away from the appointment, frustrated and disappointed.

One way to avoid frustration and disappointment, is to word your questions correctly. Closed ended questions, are those which can be answered yes or no. Basically, your prospect can provide you with a one word answer. How has that helped you learn more about  the prospect and what he or she needs? On the other hand, an open ended question is one which gets the prospect talking.

Let’s look at an example of each type of question, applied to the same situation. Your prospect is buying from one of your competitors. You want to find out if there are any holes in the relationship.

Closed ended questions:

Sales Rep: “Are you happy with the service?” Prospect: Yes.

Sales rep: ” Does the product perform according to your expectations?” Prospect: Yes

Sales Rep: “Would you consider doing business with me?”  Prospect: No

As you can see, there’s no discussion, when you ask these questions. Each question leads to a dead end.

Let’s take a look at the same questions worded differently.

Sales Rep: “How do you feel about the service you’re receiving?” Prospect: “Now that you mention it,I haven’t heard anything in awhile.”

Sales Rep: “How’s the product performing?” Overall it’s not bad, but I would like to see it(last longer, run faster,etc.)

Sales Rep: “How open are you to doing business with another vendor” Prospect: We currently have a contract which expires next year.” Or, we may consider doing business with other vendors in the near future.

These are just a few examples of how tweaking the wording will change the whole composition of a sales interview.

Get them talking and you’ll get better information.  That will result in more sales and better relationships with your clients and customers.

Good luck and good selling!!!!!

Don Talbert

Sales and Networking Specialist

Centurion Business Coach

www.centuriongrp.com

don@centuriongrp.com

859-816-2347

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Are you “Educating” Prospective Clients?”

You’re an expert in your field. Prospective clients agree to see you because of that expertise. When it comes to selling, are you educating those prospects? To what extent should you educate them? Some sales reps and business owners feel compelled to provide that education to a prospect. It’s alright to educate to some extent, as you want prospects to be armed with enough information to make an intelligent buying decision.

Remember this, you are the expert, and are in the room because of your unique professional expertise. You are not a teacher, you are a sales rep, a business owner. Most of your prospects don’t wish to learn all you know. All they need is enough information to decide if your product or service provides them with the answer to, “what’s in it for me?” That’s correct, buying decisions are not made because you have provided a comprehensive education on your offerings, it’s because you have helped the the prospect discover the need, the benefit, the reason to buy.

Providing too much information, does little to advance the sales process to the decision stage. In fact, it could be a waste of valuable time….yours and the prospect’s. You may actually lose sales if you choose to educate too much. The sales process moves forward due to discovery, the skillful positioning of relevant, thought provoking questions, not Your Product or Service 101.

If you’re currently “educating” too much, with too little results, please try a different way. Ask those great questions and become engaged in a meaningful exchange with the prospect. Your sales will increase, in “textbook” fashion.

Best wishes and good selling.

Don Talbert
Sales and Networking Specialist
Centurion Business Coach
www.centuriongrp.com
don@centuriongrp.com
859-816-2347

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Practice What you Preach

We’ve all experienced it at one time or another. Buy a book, attend a presentation, or buy a program that promises to fix all that’s wrong with our businesses. Some of those authors and speakers really know their stuff.  Most of the time, you can tell they are truly doing what they advise, instruct, and guide us to do. We  believe this is someone who’s done it, or doing it, and really wants to help others achieve their goals and dreams.

However, I have picked up books, begun to read and put them back where I found them, because the author was disconnected from what’s really happening. It’s painfully clear that the author is not one who has experienced what he or she has written about. In many cases, people like this are readers and researchers who regurgitate information they’ve read or researched, and packaged it into a product which can be sold to us. The real players know how to convert their life and business experience into products that  are designed to help us improve our businesses. The products, are the product of someone who’s experiencing what he or she teaches.(preaches)

How does one tell the difference between the impostor and the foot soldier? Sometimes it can be difficult. Mostly, it’s about experience and about what seems logical. The doer can relate to the reader, viewer or attendee. The impostor is disconnected. The cracks begin to show to the trained eye or ear.

There’s another element to this. The icons of self improvement and sales have written so much good material, going back several decades. However, I  observe others using tactics and techniques which are outdated. Those were good when written 30 years ago or so, but many have not been updated for today’s business environment. What worked in the 1970s, may get you escorted out the door today. Time tested concepts do work, however, they sometimes need to be updated. After all change occurs everyday. We need to be prepared to adjust, even when applying what has seemingly stood the test of time.

Before spending your hard earned money on a book, dvd series, or presentation, be sure you’re handing that money over to someone who really does practice what they preach. Don’t give it up to a product factory which cranks out material for the sole purpose of generating revenue. Support the doers, ignore the impostors.

I sincerely hope that you spend your money wisely, and follow the lead of the pros who are out there to help you achieve your business goals and dreams.

“I’m out there in the trenches doing it everyday, so you can practice what I preach.“

Best wishes,

Don Talbert
Excavation Specialist (practice limited to trenches)
Centurion Business Coach
www.centuriongrp.com
don@centuriongrp.com
859-816-2347

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Give First, Ask Questions Later

Most if us are conditioned to expect something in return for our generosity. The only exception seems to be charitable giving. Of course, that makes sense. However, we are wired to expect favors to be returned, or a good deed to be rewarded. The phrase, “shoot first, ask questions later”, refers to someone who acts quickly without regard for the consequences. That’s not always a good thing, as there can sometimes be dire consequences for those who do act so quickly without thinking about the aftermath.

For this post, I am going to adapt that phrase to  networking.  Give first, ask questions later, refers to giving without regard for the consequences.(potential reward) If you give without thinking about what’s in it for you, you are well on your way to understanding the true spirit of networking. Giving is such a liberating experience, especially if you don’t tie any strings to the gift. For example, you give someone a referral. Is it alright to stand there with your hand out, asking for someone to reciprocate?  Not if you embrace that giving spirit. If you take the time, and expend the effort to give, the results will be self fulfilling. When presented with a gift like a referral, a connection, or sage advice, most others are out there seeking opportunities to give back. It doesn’t always come back in the direction you may expect, but it will certainly come back. The universe is funny that way. Karma, just like Jason Lee always said in the prelude to My Name Is Earl.

My advice to all of you is, get out there and start shooting…er giving. (Sorry, I was just caught up in the excitement, and almost incited mass panic instead)

May all of you suffer the consequences(reap the rewards) of your actions.

As always, best wishes, and may you give until it helps, not hurts.

Don Talbert
Sales and Networking Specialist
Centurion Business Coach
www.centuriongrp.com
don@centuriongrp.com
859-816-2347

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90% of Success is Just Showing Up!

I’m sure it’s happened  to most, if not all of you. You schedule a one on one meeting with someone and confirm the date, time and place. Like me, you arrive a few minutes early. To be courteous, you wait for the person you’re meeting, to arrive before you sit down. Then, you wait and wait and wait. Personally I use the 15 minute rule. If they don’t show within 15 minutes of the agreed upon time, I leave, wondering what happened.(or what didn’t happen)

We are all responsible adults. Being in the place you agreed to meet, at the agreed upon time and date, shouldn’t be that difficult.  If it happens once, perhaps you can overlook it. After all, mistakes do happen. What if the same person fails to show twice? Is it excusable, or an indication of character? Not being quick to judge, I am always willing to give the benefit of the doubt. However, silence on the part of the other party, does not help his or her case. In my situation, the other party requested the meeting, along with a redo, to make up for the first missed meeting. The result, a no show and going incommunicado.

The personal side of this is not as important as the bigger issue. That being, if you fail to make agreed upon meetings; what does that do for your professional reputation? That will follow you, and word will certainly get around. Building relationships is hard work. When you connect with someone who could potentially develop into a very valuable  business connection over time, it pays to be dependable.

In the end, you can’t succeed if you don’t honor commitments. Showing up for an agreed upon meeting, is essential to that success. Increase your odds of business relationship success, and watch your business soar.

See you around, especially if we schedule a meeting.

Don Talbert
Sales and Networking Specialist
Centurion Business Coach
www.centuriongrp.com
don@centuriongrp.com
859-816-2347

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Business Card Strategies

I’ll start this post off with a true story. A few years ago, while at a family wedding, I was talking to  a cousin whose husband is an attorney. I asked what he was doing to generate new clients. Her response was, ” he’s networking at the local Chamber of Commerce, attending their events. He recently went to an event and handed out 40 business cards.” I responded by asking; “how many cards did he collect?” She looked at me with a puzzled expression, not knowing the meaning of my question.

Many people go to networking events, believing that handing out stacks of business cards, will somehow make the phone ring. What is the probability that after meeting someone and having a brief discussion, that you will receive a call, asking to buy your product or service?

There, I said it. Do you really believe that distributing business cards indiscriminately, will yield any tangible results? I don’t believe so. Think about why people choose to do business with one another. Is it based on a two minute conversation and an exchange of business cards at a networking event? Or, is it more likely that business is done after a relationship is established, and some level of trust exists between the parties? You can be the judge.

Let’s turn the tables a bit. You attend a networking event and meet several people with whom you may share some common business interest. You exchange business cards and go your separate ways. When you get back home, or to your office, you then look through the cards you collected at the event. Remember the conversations you had with those potential key contacts and mark those names for a timely follow up. Then, follow up! By taking the initiative to make contact, you are harnessing the true power of the business card. That power is the opportunity to build high value, sustainable relationships with others.

Given these two scenarios, which would you rather do; distribute business cards without knowing if there will be any tangible results? Or, being a collector, taking control of the situation, and possibly shaping your own successful future? It’s a no brainer.

In the end, it’s up to you. Collect cards and shape your own future, or distribute them and leave it all to chance, hoping someone calls you.

Best wishes on whatever  strategy you choose to embrace.

Don Talbert
Networking and Sales Specialist
Centurion Business Coach
www.centuriongrp.com
don@centuriongrp.com
859-816-2347

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Panning for Gold

In the 1850′s many people converged on California in hopes of becoming rich off the Gold Rush. Those people were referred to as prospectors. They were looking for nuggets of gold in their pans. As such those individuals had a direct relationship to the gold. That one on one relationship, mirrors our prospecting efforts today. We are all looking for new business and prospecting (panning for gold), is how we do it. When we prospect one on one with individuals, we have a direct connection to those prospects, just like the prospectors of old had with the gold they found. I call that “retail prospecting.” You have a direct connection to your prospect or future client.
That is a retail relationship. In other words, you are prospecting directly with the end user of your product or service. In that retail relationship, you are 100% responsible for generating leads. It can be time consuming.

Let’s drift back to the 1850′s again and take a look at another scenario. Some deep pocketed individual decides that he/she can actually have the opportunity to find more gold by doing things differently. That person goes out and hires others to find gold for him/her. As such, that person no longer has a retail or direct connection to the gold. He/she is now one degree of separation away from the gold (wholesale). Others are doing the work, finding gold for this prospector.

The same applies to networking. By virtue of having trusting, high value relationships with others, you may have access to their client bases. Those are wholesale relationships. Those individuals are referred to as “centers of influence.” Centers of influence. (COI), typically work with clients who are in your target markets. Cultivate the relationship with the COI and you will be introduced to a group of prospects that may not otherwise ever meet you.That is what wholesale prospecting is all about.
In conclusion, you can keep searching for clients one at a time, or have an army of prospectors, who will bring qualified prospects to the table by virtue of the “wholesale relationship.” I prefer both.

I sincerely hope all of you strike gold employing these strategies.

Don Talbert
Networking and Sales specialist
Centurion Business Coach
www.centuriongrp.com
don@centuriongrp.com
859-816-2347

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Doing the Same Thing Over and Over, and Expecting Different Results

Einstein said it, insanity… well you know the rest. Over the years, I have observed many people exhibiting behavior in networking and sales situations, which continue to yield horrible results. Yet, those same people continue to do what is doomed to fail. What’s more, they somehow must expect to get different results form doing the same things over and over and over, ad nauseum. High pressure sales tactics, selling at networking events, shameless self promotion in a one on one meeting, etc.  If you’re realizing poor results from your efforts, doesn’t it make sense to try something different? It would seem to make sense. However, it doesn’t always get through to some. I really feel for someone who is obviously struggling, keeps on the same path and becomes increasingly frustrated.

If you find yourself being tuned out or flat out rejected, please try a different approach. A softer approach to making a sale, or just getting to know someone at a networking event, without trying to walk out with a client. Build relationships with others, don’t launch into sales mode when you meet. It is such a turnoff for those who know that both networking and sales are process driven, to be preyed upon at events and meetings.

Slow down, take your time, and watch how much easier it is to build great business relationships. Keep doing what doesn’t work….and refer to Einstein’s quote. I guarantee if you keep doing things the same way, you will definitely continue to get the same results.

What to do? Seek advice, talk to other people and find out what’s working. Become the agent of change, do not  advocate the status quo.

In summary, change your approach, be open to new ideas, and you will see better results. Even better, you will never be referred to as one in need of Psychiatric help.

Here’s to change and the avoidance of dismal results.

Thank you Albert!

Don Talbert
Sales and Networking specialist
Centurion Business Coach
www.centuriongrp.com
don@centuriongrp.com
859-816-2347

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Own or Rent? The Difference Between Coaching and Training

Do you own or rent? What’s the difference? When you own, there’s equity. It’s yours, you take pride and have a deeper sense of responsibility. When you rent, it belongs to someone else. If something breaks, it’s their problem, not yours. With ownership, you have a much longer term view. Renting is temporary.

So, what about the difference between training and coaching? Training is the equivalent of renting. It belongs to someone else. Someone created a curriculum that is delivered to a group of renters. That’s not to say training has no value, just to say you don’t own it. If it’s not yours, you don’t have the same level of commitment and responsibility.

Let’s take a look at coaching. First of all, you own it. That’s right, you have equity in your destiny. It’s permanent, and you will own it for as long as you choose. How do you own it? Once again, training is the delivery of material someone else created. In coaching your coach helps you develop from within. He or she will help you draw out your inner strengths, discover from within, and apply it to your long term success. Once you have it, it’s yours.  No amount of training will  enable you to own your destiny. Coaching will enable you to own your present and future.

Find a coach, try it out. There are many niches out there. Be sure to select a coach who works specifically in the areas you need to focus upon. Don’t hire a generalist to work on a specific issue. That’s a waste of time and money. Hire a pro to help you realize your potential and own your destiny.

Own your future, please don’t rent it. Training has its place, coaching takes it to a totally different level.

Best wishes,

Don Talbert
Sales and networking specialist
Centurion Business Coach
www.centuriongrp.com
don@centuriongrp.com
859-816-2347

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What Language are You Speaking?

As professionals and business owners, it’s safe to say we know the lingo of our respective specialties. Imagine going to the doctor’s office, and having him or her explain the diagnosis in medical terms rather than terms you can understand. It would be overwhelming, not to mention making no sense to you. Many medical terms are written/spoken in Latin. You can either enroll in Latin 101, or ask the doctor to explain in English. Most of them do translate medical terminology into words we can understand, without being asked.

What language are your prospects hearing from you in sales situations? Is it Greek, Klingon, or Mandarin Chinese? As the expert, you know the terminology pertinent to your business. Chances are, your clients do not. Therefore, you must speak the prospect’s language, so they understand what you’re trying to communicate. My eyes glaze over when talking to someone and that person uses his or her industry jargon. They lose me and I tune them out. On the other hand, when someone speaks their specialty in English, I’m interested in hearing more.

Never, and I mean never, use the term, “dumb it down.” Instead, tailor your message to the prospect’s level of knowledge in the subject matter. Some prospects will be astute, and bored with the basics. Others will need to gain a basic understanding first. The fact is, our prospects are all at different levels of knowledge, and we must be equipped to speak to them at whatever level that may be.

If you wish to close more sales(ugh, I don;t like that term), i mean open more relationships, you’d better understand how to speak the language your prospects want to hear. If not, you will get the message via rejection and lost opportunity.

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