Eliminating Objections [Free Online Training]

One of the most challenging areas of sales for small businesses is handling objections from clients. What do you say when your client says the price is too high? Or if they resist your offer by saying "I'm not sure if I need that right now"?

The trouble is most sellers create objections. They don't take the care to manage the sales conversation in a way that can minimise objections - or even completely remove them!

But it is possible.

In my free 3-part online sales training you can get practical tips on how to minimise client objections.

The training is available immediately at my sales and marketing club... www.BusinessDevelopmentStudio.com. (Look in the right hand column for "How to Eliminate Client Objections".)

Put the tips into action and see the results for yourself.

Can You Recognise the Time to Start Selling?

One of the maxims I have developed is:
Marketing Creates Leads; Sales Creates Clients
In practice, for companies that sell services or technical products, there can be a significant overlap between the Marketing and Sales zones. Let me explain.

Professionals and service providers that work on a project, or ongoing engagement basis, usually find themsleves in frequent contact with clients (and other providers or vendors) while they are delivering their services.

There are project update meetings, discussions with client personnel, vendor meetings, formal reviews and casual conversations over coffee or lunch.

Customer Service and Service Delivery

This type of client contact often falls into the category of ‘customer service’ or ‘service delivery’. That is, you are providing the services that have been previously scoped and agreed to.

However, in many circumstances these points of contact with the client (or vendor) can also be seen as marketing opportunities. These occasions can be treated in a proactive manner. For example you will be reinforcing the knowledge or expertise held by your firm. Or you will relate client success stories to demonstrate points during your discussions. This giving of information (demonstrating knowledge or expertise) is a marketing activity.

Recognise Sales 'Triggers'

During those conversations with clients you could hear comments that may indicate they have a need for additional services or products. I call these comments ‘triggers’ because they can trigger a sales-oriented conversation whereby you can explore their requirements and determine if in fact a sales opportunity exists.

It’s at this point – the ‘trigger’ point – that you need to switch from service delivery mode into sales mode.

The idea of switching into ‘sales mode’ can sound scary to many professionals and technically oriented staff. They don’t want to be perceived as a pushy money-hungry sales person. The good news is, you don’t need to act like the stereotypical sales person.

Sales Mode

Switching into ‘sales mode’ means that you need to do two things:
1) Ask intelligent questions
2) Slow down and listen

Pretty simple really.

But to do this well, you need to have a strategy. You need to know what to ask, and how to respond to possible answers. Importantly you also need to know what to do next. In other words, if you discover a potential need what will be your next steps?

Have you assessed your client interactions so you can recognise the time to start selling?

New Ideas to Win More Business in 2011 - Get in Quick

ALERT: Book your place now on Australia's only sales training course that is specifically designed for people who sell services or technical products. Early Bird rates apply - saving you $250.

Due to my heavy schedule of inhouse training programs for progressive companies around Australia I don't often have the opportunity to present public workshops. In fact I haven't presented the Selling With Confidence public program since early 2010.

I have seen participants make immediate progress and win more business as a direct result of using what they have learned at this program.

No Kidding! One delegate arrived on the second day to report he had won new business the previous night (after the first training day) by using the technqiues at an industry event he attended. Wow!

Dates have now been set for the 2-day Selling With Confidence sales training course in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne over March and April 2011. Limted seats - max 12 people per program.

Get details on this sales training course now...

Your Clients Want to be Led

You may not believe it, but my view is that your clients want to be led.

That’s right… they want to follow you.

Of course they don’t want to follow you blindly. They want to follow you because they believe you can help them.

When it comes to conducting sales conversations I find that many professionals, technical staff and business owners think, “I don’t want to be like a sales person”. So they stay quiet. They don’t probe. And they wait for the client to make a move.

That one negative thought has the potential to prevent professionals and technical people everywhere from being successful in their sales activities. And usually that negative thought is based on their perception of selling as being where you ‘push’ a product or service at your client whether they want it or not.

That’s an old-fashioned and outdated view of what selling should be. And can be.

In reality the opposite is true – professionals need to be conducting proactive sales conversations to truly help their clients.

Remember this:
The only reason your client will want to talk to you is that they believe you can help them.

If they already knew what to do, and had all the information they needed, and were confident about making a buying decision, they wouldn’t bother talking to you.

They are relying on you to understand what they need and lead them through the process of making the right decision for them.

It may be that your client has already checked out your website; read one of your articles; seen a testimonial; heard about you from a friend… but they still need you to take the lead.

So instead of thinking “I don’t want to be like a sales person” and shying away from the sales conversation, you should ask yourself “How can I best help this client?”

In reframing your activity – from ‘selling’ to ‘exploring’ – you will set yourself free of the presumption of having to be pushy.

When you start exploring you will find out what your client really wants. You will gain confidence from having a clear understanding of their needs. You will find new ways of helping your clients, and you won’t be scared of making inappropriate recommendations (because you will understand what they want).

How do you explore? By asking questions.

The art of asking the right questions the right way is a learned skill. In fact that is one of the main learning outcomes from our sales training courses.

It is a good idea to start by asking relatively general questions, and then move on to questions that become more specific. The best questions probe deeply (but with sensitivity) to reveal where the value lies for the client.

Every sales conversation should be run according to your strategy.

Unfortunately many sellers undertake sales conversations and rely on ‘going with the flow’. However the flow often doesn’t go your way unless you plan it to. Having a strategy for your sales conversations is essential.

Your clients want to be led. To do that properly you need to have a philosophy of exploring the clients requirements using a planned question-based conversation strategy.

Study shows Aussies Prefer UK Accent in Video Voice Over Test

An interesting result - and one that shows Australians have a much higher preference than people from other countries for UK accents versus American.

Results come from Which Test Won, a website that reviews website and email marketing split tests.

If we broaden the implication it is useful to keep this in mind for any communication - especially online - that may have American origins.

This preference against US-origin is something I have seen many times in relation to sales training. The American style is often perceived as too 'aggressive' and fast-paced for the typical Australia audience.

What do you think? Your comments are welcome.

Sydney Workshops Now Only $67 each, May 18.

Sales and Presentation Skills Mini-Workshops, Sydney May 18.

Due to changing circumstances I have scheduled the Sydney mini-workshops for Tuesday May 18. And the price is now even lower, at only $67 per workshop, or a low $125 for the full day experience of two workshops.

Click here to get all the details and register at Early Bird rates

Selling Skills - 9.00am to 12.00pm

Presentation Skills - 1.30pm to 4.30pm

Marketing Nous website upgraded

Normally this is a boring announcement (hey.. this time it's different!) - please take a moment to check the revised Marketing Nous website featuring the Sales Improvement Propeller model, as well as sales training and presentation skills training options.

The Easy Way to Win New Business

Dave was asking me for answers.

He was fed up with hitting the wall again and again.

It happens all too often - sales presentations that lead to nothing.

You put in all the time and effort to find your prospects. Talk over the phone. Prepare your material. Attend a personal meeting. Tell your prospect everything they might want to know.

Then you hear... "Thanks, we'll need to think about it.

"At that moment you know you have lost control - and probably the sale.

Has that happened to you?

Recently I was helping 'Dave' (my client) to fix exactly that same problem.

Dave and his colleague worked hard to make phone calls, identify the decision makers, and take time to meet them in person. But they couldn't progress further.

Why?

It shouldn't have been because of value. The system Dave was offering has been proven over a number of years. They have numerous large clients, some located internationally. And the system would save clients possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars per year - and Dave's price was a fraction of that value.

So what was their problem?

It was simple. They didn't have a strategy to make their sales conversations meaningful.

(1) They didn't ask the right questions that would enable them to remain in control of the process.

(2) They didn't ask the right questions to identify the value of what their system could do for their prospect. As a result they couldn't demonstrate why the client should buy.

(3) They spent too much time telling, and not enough time exploring the prospects situation.

(4) They were submitting proposals based on general estimates of how the client would benefit, because they didn't have specific details.

The answer to this dilemma is to thoroughly plan your sales conversations.

It doesn't matter if your sales conversations go for 10-minutes or 110-minutes, you need a proven strategy to get you over the finish line and win the business.

If you want to learn how to win more business - and avoid the same problems as Dave - download a complimentary copy of The Assassin Analogy (sales improvement guide). It contains plenty of tips and tools to get you on the right track.

If you want personal help to develop a winning sales conversation, make sure you register for a Selling With Confidence workshop. Here you'll learn practical real-world skills and actually develop your own specific sales conversation over two interactive days.

The answer is within your reach.

Dave and his colleague felt relieved. They had the solution. They knew they still had more to learn - and they could see exactly what they needed to do.

For more informative articles visit the online sales and marketing library.

Free Advice - Listen to My Interview on BNET Australia

I've just been interviewed by Phil Dobbie on BNET Australia about how to get technical staff to be more effective in sales roles. Listen to the interview here.

In this 16 minute interview we cover highlights from my recent report The Assassin Analogy.

How to Avoid Interrogation Syndrome When Selling

In selling and in networking we are told that asking questions is the right thing to do.

And it is.

But how do you stop your questions turning into an interrogation of your prospect?

- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- How long have you been doing that?
- Where is your office?
- How many staff do you have?
- What products do you sell?
- Who are your customers?
... and before you know it, you are in interrogation mode.

Create a Conversation

When you ask questions you should to be aiming to create a conversation.

Sometimes if you get nervous it's tempting to keep asking questions - as that sort of puts you in control of the communication flow, and gives you something to say. But that can be dangerous, because the other person can easily lose interest if they think all you are doing is 'digging for gold' - looking for information you can use to sell to them.

Suddenly your prospect gets turned off and feels like they are being manipulated.

Share Information as You Ask

The answer is to make sure you share information as you ask your questions.

Sounds simple... but in reality sharing information and maintaining a free flowing discussion is quite challenging. You need to read the conversation and know when it is appropriate to add some extra information without interrupting what the other person is saying.

What sort of information can you add?
- Industry data or statistics
- Client success stories
- A personal anecdote
- Refer to a recent (and relevant) news story
- A snippet of relevant detail about why you deliver your services or products they way you do

Very important note: During this conversation you are not really selling, you are exploring. Your objective should be to find out more about the other person.

For networking: You want to know how you can help the other person, and how they may be related to your business activities (e.g. would they make a good referrer?).

For selling: You want to fully explore their situation and understand their requirements so you can effectively handle the sales discussion. And you need to know that before you start to
present your products, services, or solutions to them.

Asking questions is very important.

Even more important is 'how' you ask the questions and your ability to maintain a free flowing conversation that allows you to be authentic and really get to understand the other person, their priorities, and their concerns.

Free Sales Improvement Guide for Companies that Sell Technical Products or Services

I have just relased my new 20-page sales improvement guide - for CEO's, HR Managers and Sales Managers.

Download The Assassin Analogy - the truth about why technical staff don't like to sell.

Others have said:

"The Assassin Analogy tackles the biggest challenge of consulting and technical professionals: why they see selling as a bad. In his usual practical and no-nonsense style, Stuart demonstrates why he is one of the leading global authorities on services marketing. This is a must read."

Edwin Trevor-Roberts, CEO, Trevor-Roberts Associates


"Stuart, I recently read your report ‘The Assassin Analogy’ and I must say, it felt like you had written it just for us! You have identified all the elements we struggle with as a service company when trying to encourage our technical staff to use their knowledge and ability to promote sales. But you’ve not left us with the problems, you’ve identified what we can do to overcome their inherent resistance to sales and having a clearly defined structure is very helpful.

This is essential reading for any service company looking to improve their sales ability and it provides great information for anyone attending a sales training program utilising the S.O.X. Methodology."

Steve Russell, Group Human Resources Manager, Siltech Pty Ltd

3 Steps to Sell More.

I'm going to let you in on a secret.

It's an important part of my Selling With Confidence workshop.

If you don't really want to be a salesperson, but have to sell anyway, you are not alone. Most business owners, professionals, technical staff and service providers dind't choose to have a
career in sales. But they still need to sell to get more clients and increase revenue.

Here's the good news...

If you're trying to win more business from your sales discussions there is a three-step strategy to help you zero-in on exactly what your client wants.

And if you do this properly your client will quickly trust you and clearly understand how you will be able to help them.

They will see the 'value' you are offering and be eager to be your client.

= = = =

Most sales people waste their customer's time by:

- Not listening
- Talking too much
- Not really understanding what the customer wants
- Sprouting off about their services or products

= = = =

A January 09 survey of 230 buyers of professional services found the top way professionals sabotage their own sales conversations is by 'not listening'.

'Talking too much' was also one of the most highly rated problems.

You can do better than that.

Next time you have a potential client in front of you try the following process.

Note - this process will build trust and enable you to learn what your prospect really wants. It will lead to you being able to present a strong case for your product or service that is closely tied to what your client is looking to achieve.

It will prevent you from talking too much.

It will help you win more business.

Ask questions using my S.O.X. (TM) methodology:

S = Situation questions
O = Opportunity questions
X = aXtion questions

Ask 'Situation' questions to discover the facts behind the prospects current situation. What is driving their decision now? What do they know about your services/products?

Ask 'Opportunity' questions to identify the scope of their needs. Sure, they may have a problem, but is it big enough for them to want you to fix it? Will they spend the money? What is their opportunity? What is in it for them?

Ask 'aXtion' questions to gain approval to move into the presentation phase. Your presentation may happen immediately after asking your S.O.X. (TM) questions, or maybe you have to meet with other decision makers on another day to present your solution.

Importantly, your presentation will emphasise the key points you discovered from the Situation and Opportunity questions. You will be able to specifically show a strong connection between what they want, and what you are offering.

This is a simple yet highly effective strategy.

However it is critically important you develop your own set of questions that demonstrate your expertise, and that are suitable for your services, and your type of client.

Then you can use those questions to guide the sales conversation, build trust, and gain commitment from your prospect.


Related link:
Consultative Sales Training

How to Give a Guarantee That Attracts New Clients... and Doesn't Put You at Risk.

I was working with my client David (not his real name) - the principal of a sports psychology business - to review their marketing program. I asked David "Do you offer a guarantee?"

David thought for a moment and then replied, "No... We can't really give a guarantee."

Do you think the same thing about your business?

When I asked why they didn't offer a guarantee, David explained that in their business it was up to their clients to achieve results.

For example, David and his team couldn't go out and play on tour for their clients.All David's competitors felt the same. No one offered a guarantee.

You see, David's clients are high performance athletes and sports stars, as well as up-and-coming junior players. David and his team felt they couldn't guarantee what they did. They felt they were at the mercy of each clients performance.

But wait... I suggested to David that they were focused on the wrong outcomes - that is, that their clients would win more games, or win more prize money.

Sure, winning is important. I agree that David and his staff can't play the game for their clients. Of course they can't.

Then we discussed that many of David's clients also had objectives about personal satisfaction, and improving performance when under pressure. It wasn't always simply about 'winning'.

Then I probed further. I asked David 'if' his clients followed the advice given, and 'if' they put in the required effort, would he be happy to guarantee that his clients would be more likely to achieve their goals.

Think about your business... If your clients give you honest and
accurate information, follow your advice, and put in enough effort, (and other
factors remain the same) can you guarantee they will increase their chances of
achieving better results?

After a short pause, David said... "Yes, I suppose I can guarantee that".

They key point here is that David can guarantee his 'process' works to help clients achieve results. Of course he can't guarantee clients will always reach their goals. In his case, that is up to every client to work on.

Example of wording for David's guarantee:

If you follow our guidance, put in the work required, and be honest with us about your commitment, we guarantee you will have better prospects of reaching your goals. We'll do everything we can to help you realise your potential.

Important Note:

The guarantee includes specific information about what the client has to do for the guarantee to be applicable. You don't want to make a general guarantee that requires no contribution or effort from your client, if that is in fact a critical partof a successful outcome.

The main point of a guarantee is that you demonstrate faith and confidence in the process, services, or products you are offering.The objective is to remove, or minimise, the perceived risk in buying from you.

Especially if you offer services where clients won't really know if what you do works for them until they have received it. Prospects get worried about making the commitment. They think it is risky.

You need to encourage prospects to become clients by giving a guarantee.Studies have shown that only a very small, tiny percentage of buyers ever call on the guarantee. From my own experience offering guarantees for my sales training programs - after hundreds of delegates I've never had one call on the guarantee.

(Of course you need a quality service, process, or product.)

What can you guarantee for your clients?

The secrets to winning more business.

The secret lies within. I know it sounds corny, but it's true. The secret to getting better results from your sales efforts is to recognize how you can behave differently to create better outcomes.

The secret is not 'out there'.... it is within reach, within you.

In my Selling With Confidence 2-day program participants learn about their own communication style; how they can pro actively build trust; how they can be a more effective listener; and how they should respond when they are asked tricky questions by their prospects.

Importantly they learn a simple yet highly effective 3-step questioning strategy that zeroes-in on what their client really needs. (This is my own proprietary SOX formula.) This makes it so much easier for them to gain commitment from their client.

If you are serious about learning how to use these proven sales-boosting skills, then register today for Selling With Confidence in either Brisbane , Sydney or Melbourne.

- Brisbane, April 29-30
- Melbourne, May 7-8
- Sydney, May 12-13

Seats are already filling.
Reserve your place now so you don't miss out.

New training workshops Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne

A brief message to announce my new Presenting With Confidence presentation skills workshop.

First workshop date is in Brisbane on April 8, followed by Sydney May 22.

Also now available are additional dates for Selling With Confidence sales training.

Registration is now open for:

Brisbane (one-day workshop) April 29
Sydney (2-day program) May 12-13
Melbourne (2-day program) May 7-8

Any questions please let me know.

Next trust-based sales training in Sydney Feb 18-19.

A quick message to let you know the next dates for my Selling With Confidence course is in Sydney over Feb 18-19 (Mon/Tue). Get the details and register here.

I've been running this soft-selling training program for 4 years now and theres plenty of testimonials about how delegates have found the innovative approach and structured methodology very helpful in getting better results.

The course is for service providers, managers, professionals, technical staff, and sales people who sell services, technology or complex products.

You will leave the course with a new structure for how to handle your own sales encounters.

Interested? Check the details here online and listen to my brief introduction (click the play button on the page).

Getting to know the locals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

(Photo above) During my visit to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia to facilitate a 2-day training workshop I had the pleasure of meeting up with fellow trainer - UK-based Susie Stubley of Castalia Coaching - and the head office team from Marcus Evans Asia.

As you can see we were captured enjoying a few drinks at a local bar, reciting tunes from The Sound of Music, and generally having a good time!

Pictured (left to right) Christine, Anusha, Jacqui Smale (Marcus Evans Regional Director Asia), Susie Stubley, me (Stuart Ayling).

The photo below shows a street scene with the fantastic lighting effects that are typical of the CBD area in Kuala Lumpur.

Super Early Bird now available Feb 2008 for Selling With Confidence courses

Are you looking for relationship-based sales training in 2008? Check the new dates and special rates for Feb '08 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane at this page.

My Selling With Confidence program has been running for the last 4 years.

Read dozens of testimonials here.

Also, referred to as 'conversational selling' this course is ideal for professionals, consultants, technical advisors, business owners, sales people, and anyone who needs to sell a service or complex product.

I nearly forgot... you can save 25% (that's $224.00) by registering now. This Super Early Bird offer ends in November.

Note: This course is not suitable for people in retail or impulse type of sales situations.

Looking after your sales team is smart business

Recently I was engaged in a discussion with a business executive about a familiar topic - the performance of their sales team. Even if your sales team is only one person, it makes very good business sense to look after them. And look out for them.

Let me explain.

Your sales people are often out on their own. Trying to secure customers and revenue for your business. But they don't always get the support they need.

• - They can miss out on current information.
• - They can be kept in the dark on new projects that are released to customers and the public.
• - They can be unsure of how they are being measured (what are their key KPI's?).
• - They can feel as though their customer relationships are being undermined by other communications from the office.

Most of these problems can be effectively addressed by improving communication. But it requires commitment from management to do so.

'Looking out' for your sales people means being aware of what they are doing in the field.

• - How well do they represent your services and products?
• - Do they talk about 'benefits' for the customer, or do they get bogged down in the technical details (i.e. the features of your service or product)?
• - Do they fully and enthusiastically support company initiatives?

As a manager or business owner - in a Sales Management capacity - you must be on the lookout for behaviours or skill-sets that need improving. Your sales team spends a great deal of their time away from your office, or in 'private' conversations with clients. Make sure you regularly assess how well they are doing.

Remember, your sales team needs your support and direction to produce the best results. It can be dangerous for them and for your business to leave them on their own to 'get on with it'.

'Conversational' sales skills Sydney May 29 + 30

This is an announcement about my upcoming sales training program in Sydney on May 29 and 30. Over 2 days at Selling With Confidence you will learn how to manage your sales encounters so you get a productive outcome every time. You will learn the essential skills to build trust and gain commitment from clients - without being pushy, insincere, or manipulative.

This proven interactive program has been designed for service professionals, business owners, consultants, advisors, or anyone selling a complex product or service.

Bookings are already strong so if you are interested in gaining life-long communication and sales skills do not delay in registering for this course.

Find all the details on the Marketing Nous website.