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That’s an old-fashioned and outdated view of what selling should be.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

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.

Use a Competitive Analysis to Win More Business.

[This article is a segment from one of the bonus reports you get when you subscribe to The Assassin Analogy sales improvement strategies.]

You must clearly understand how your services or products compare to competitors.

This competitive analysis should be done from the client's perspective. Be objective. Don't limit your findings.

Some people fall in love with what they are selling. This can be a real trap for technical staff who are absorbed by how good (or how complex) their product or service is.

They can get so mesmerised by what they are offering they create a 'halo effect' in their mind around their products or services.

Note: A 'Halo Effect' is when you allow positive factors to cover up, or obscure, potentially detrimental attributes of your solution. Essentially you create a halo that prevents you from seeing any shortcomings of your product or service.

This can stop you from being critical and making a realistic assessment of what your client will see and think when they review your offer.

Compare Your Competitors Like Your Prospect Does

One method of undertaking a competitive analysis is to use a Weighted Competitive Value Chart. (Example available upon request.)

In this chart you list the key features and related benefits ('potential' benefits). Then you assign an Importance Factor (from 1 to 10) against each key feature/benefit.

The subjective part of this analysis is to make a judgement about your main competitors and give each competitor a Performance Weighting for each key feature/benefit (1 being 'weak' to 10 being 'strong').

When the Importance Factor is multiplied by the relative Performance Weighting the resulting variables can be ranked to give an indication of which competitor might stack up most favourably from the clients perspective.

Create Strong Selling Statements

Whilst this analysis may be seen to be somewhat academic, the real benefit for you is you can start to create your key selling statements that will either:

(A) Establish or reinforce your market leadership; or

(B) Clearly explain any obvious differences to minimise any detrimental impact of potentially stronger competitors.

This competitive analysis will also give you extra confidence if (or when) you are asked by prospects to explain or compare your products or services against others on the market.

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.

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.

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).

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.

You don't need to be 'salesy' to win more business

Previous graduates tell me they love how they get a better understanding, leave with more confidence, and can win more business, as a result of the proven skills and techniques covered during the program.

This is a quick reminder about my upcoming training courses that give you the skills to win more business and close more deals - without being pushy, sleazy, or 'salesy'. Results are guaranteed.

If you need conversational-selling skills (sometimes called relationship-based selling, or consultative selling) then check out these dates.

Brisbane - Feb 22 + 23 (3 seats available)

Sydney - Feb 26 + 27 (2 seats available)

Melbourne - March 31, Saturday (This is a special fast-track half-day version of my Selling With Confidence program.)