To most salespeople, time planning revolves around just buying a time planner and filling in the pages. That’s of course what your supposed to do. But it’s just a small part of the big picture. Time planning actually starts with goals. Why do I say this? Because written goals are the best way to tell what the most productive thing possible is at any given moment.

When your feeling positive and motivated, you persuade better. If you allow yourself to become just a sales machine with no time for anything else, you’ll just burn yourself out. For sure you’ll create problems in your personal relationships. And worse still your health could suffer. Besides all this, you’ll have no fun, and will start feeling sorry for yourself, and you could find your career will start to decline.

At times the most productive things you can do is to take time out for yourself, go see a movie, meet your girlfriend or boyfriend for lunch. Or my favourite, go to the gym for a workout to ensure high fitness and energy,

To be successful, you need to be a highly tuned machine that is able to function over the long haul and face rejection, the public, your competition and deadlines. You must also be able to meet all your company’s expectations and demands put on you as a salesperson. You have to be in tune and in balance, psychologically and physically and this balance starts with goals.

Get your goals and priorities in line. You know what you want and how you want to get there. Your goals are all in writing and you priorities are set. Your time planning should start at night before you go to sleep. First go though your time planner and set out the day ahead. Sort out your top five priorities for the next day. Next add any personal areas you feel you should cover, writing down the next days top five priorities shouldn’t take more than ten minutes if you do it in a quite place. Once done, forget it and go to sleep ready for the day ahead.

I enjoy writing online which I have done for four years now along with studying the Thai language and building small niche websites. Please feel free to visit my new sites here, 24 port switch and also trailer lights.

Nearly every tangible product brought to the market has a limited lifespan. At one end of the spectrum, we have computer hardware and software that can have a lifespan of only six months. At the other end of the spectrum are items like Televisions and Fridge freezers that can have 20-year lifespans. No matter what the lifespan of the product is, every products got one.

The key to selling is this: the precise lifespan of your product doesn’t matter. What matters is that you know what its lifespan is. Once you know, there’s a huge opportunity for you and your business. First keep a customer file of all your sales, when you review your past customer files you’ll see that Mr. and Mrs. Smiths Freezer will need to be replaced in the near future.

Its sure to happen if its getting on in years-say ten or fifteen years old. Don’t wait for Mr. Smiths Freezer to break down and hope he comes to see you again. Get in touch with him before his freezer breaks down and let him know you have some great new products with fantastic features, space saving designs and high energy efficiency.

Chances are good that Mr. Smith knows his freezer is on its last legs and that he’s been putting off making the decision to shop. Maybe he’s been waiting for a good buy or sale to appear in the paper. That doesn’t matter. What matters is that he hasn’t acted yet and Mr. Smith already knows your the expert in freezers.

Think about Real estate agents, they know most people move every five to seven years. Therefore, real estate agents follow a plan to keep in touch with every customer in order to be the person there to handle he sale of the first home and possibly the purchase of the next.

I enjoy writing online which I have done for four years now along with studying the Thai language and building small niche websites. Please feel free to visit my new sites here, used go karts and also porsche car parts.

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Do I know you? Probably not. But if you’re reading this, you do know me…sort of. Maybe you’ve read some of my other articles. Maybe you recognized my name from somewhere. Point is, I’m not a total stranger to you, if for no other reason than you’re reading this. Well, when you’re sending out emails to prospects, many of these people WILL be strangers. They may not know you at all. You certainly don’t know them. Sure, email marketing to a warm list is different from marketing to a cold one, such as somebody else’s ezine. But for the most part, a relationship needs to be established…what I call connecting with your prospects.

How do you connect? Well, there are many ways to connect with somebody. One way is to tell the prospect something about yourself. For example, if you’re an Internet marketer and you’re trying to teach others about marketing through your emails, maybe you might want to tell them how you got started. You might mention what it was like during the early years, especially if you were struggling. This will give them something to relate to. Most people just starting out are probably struggling as well.

Another way to connect is by asking the prospect what it is that they’re looking for. See, each person has different needs and expectations. The only way to find out what they are is to ask. That’s why I love sending out surveys in emails. I’ll ask people what specifically they want to learn. For example, if I’m sending out info on pay per click, I’ll ask them if they’re more interested in constructing ads or figuring out how to lower their cost per click. The more info you can get from the prospect, the better your chances of helping them.

Another great way to connect with the prospect is by assuring them that you’re there to help. Too many marketers give the impression that all they’re after is your money. What a novel concept it would be if somebody would send out an email saying something like, “Look, I really DO want to help you succeed. And to that end, I will stop at nothing to make it happen.” Wouldn’t this give the prospect a feeling that you actually care about them? Yeah, a novel concept indeed.

If you’re able to connect with your prospect you’ll have a much better chance of turning that prospect into a paying customer.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Tired of not getting your emails delivered, read or opened? Sick of not making any sales from your email marketing efforts? Visit my site at http://www.stevewagenheim.com/emailmarketing/index.html and get your hands on 5 years of my personal experience with email marketing…experience that has earned me tens of thousands of dollars yearly.

Corporate sales training can help you to be a productive sales manager in several ways. The training program can show you how to get the most out of your staff without using methods that will intimidate them. No one likes to feel they are being bullied into doing their job. The productive sales manager works with his sales staff towards a goal.

The way you treat employees will determine the way they treat you. If you are a caring and approachable sales manager, your employees will admire and trust you. If you are unapproachable and have nothing good to say when you do speak, the employees are not going to put their best forward for the company.

The productive sales manager will know a little about each of his employees. The better you know someone, the better you can tell if they are doing their best. The sales manager who takes the time to interact with his sales staff will have the inside track on sales and any problems that may arise. This is a part of the technique taught when attending corporate sales training.

One thing that can make a difference when interacting with your sales staff is questioning their judgment. When this happens on a regular basis, not only does it cause ill feelings, but you may make the salesperson begin to question themselves. This will undermine their confidence level and soon they will begin to wonder if they can sell at all.

These are definitely not the things you want to do when managing your sales staff. The corporate sales training programs available will teach you how to let your employees make decisions, use their judgment, and have the confidence to make the sale. The training is focused on the steps you must take to ensure that your staff has the ability to handle these situations as they arise.

Encouraging your employees to make decisions, take responsibility, and come up with the strategy that it requires to make the sales are all signs of a good team leader. This is the key to the success of the sales manager, the sales staff, and the company. By participating in the corporate sales training programs that are available you will gain the knowledge that is required to make this a viable effort.

When you attend the corporate sales training sessions, there are several methods to keep in mind when it comes to the right way to get the message across that the company is interested in team players. These sessions are a good time for communication to take precedence and discuss with your management the trial and error way of finding out what works and what does not. After all, the purpose of the training is to improve the understanding of the company and what is expected and last but not least, the sales.

If you want to see an improvement in your sales and the attitude of your sales staff, this is an essential element to the meeting and the company. Do not attend a corporate sales training with the idea in your head that there is nothing else to learn when it comes to your job. There is always something to learn and skills to be improved, and the sales manager who realizes this is one who will take his team to the top.

Jonathan is the author of the new book The Official Small Business Guide to Marketing 2.0. Not only does this author specialize in marketing and business success, he also publishes a site on car sales training, which is a great resource for auto sales training and marketing in the car sales industry.

Make no mistake about it questions are the key to good selling. Good questions will get you good information. Good information helps you sell and sell more. But the real question is “what’s a good question?

Here are ten great questions that you simply can’t live and sell without. By no means are they the only questions you can ask but these will do you well in every selling situation.

1. The Who Question

Never, ever assume that the person you are speaking with is the decision maker i.e., the person that can ultimately say “yes” (and no) to your sale. Your contact might be only one of a number of individuals that can influence the sale. It is important you know the players so that you don’t get blind sided and so that you can prepare strategies and tactics to deal with them.

The challenge however is to find out if there are other participants in the decision without putting your contact ‘on the spot.” If you’re too blunt, the prospect might mislead you. Here is a simple, easy to use question that you can’t live without. Use it every single time:

“Amanda, apart from yourself, who is involved in this decision?”

Or here’s a variation: “Kevin, in purchases like these, there are usually several people involved. Apart from yourself, who else would have a vested interest in the decision?”

2. The When Question

I am amazed at how many reps ignore this powerful and insightful question:

“Kathy, when do you see the final decision being made and delivery taken?”
“Mr. Woods, if this were a go, when do you see it occurring?”

The ‘when’ questions is important because it helps assess urgency. A decision that will be made within a week has a little more impact than a decision that will be made in three months. Knowing when the sale might conclude helps you set priorities, determines the time and effort you devote and dictates your follow up strategy. All in all, the when question makes you a wiser sales rep.

3. The Scenario Question

Discovering a prospect’s needs can be challenging in the early stages of selling. Because prospects don’t know you they tend to be much more reserved in the information they provide. Many are not comfortable telling you about their “warts and blemishes” (i.e., their needs, challenges, weaknesses and concerns) until some rapport and comfort has been established.

One of the best ways around this hesitancy is with a scenario question. As the name implies, the scenario questions paints a scenario that addresses a problem or a concern but doesn’t put the prospect on the spot. Here are a couple of examples:

“Ms. Bixby, much of our research with our clients shows that cash flow is sometimes an issue particularly with the fluctuating price of oil. Let me ask you, what has been your experience with cash flow over the last year or so?”

“Scott, we are getting more and more feedback from IT Directors and managers from large corporations regarding the misuse licensing agreement. It’s creating some concerns about compliance. Let me ask you: what has been your experience with this so far?”

The scenario question is based on the premise that ‘misery loves company.’ You want the prospect to think “Gee, if others are experiencing the same thing then its okay for me to open up.” Master the scenario question and you’ll get to needs quicker which reduces the sales cycle which helps you convert more sales in less time.

4. The Net Impact Question

Even if you use a scenario question and the client opens up to you, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the prospect’s need is strong enough to act upon…at least in the client’s mind. One of the best questions you can ask to determine the “depth and breadth” of a need is “net impact” question. Here are two versions:

“So what’s the net impact on your firm when cash flow is tight?”

“What’s the possible net impact if licensing agreements are abused in your branch offices?”

This “net impact” forces your prospect to think about the rippling effect of a problem. It gets them to do some analysis. In effect, you want them to say “Gee, I never thought of it like that.” Suddenly, seemingly minor problems can be more significant.’ Or, you’ll learn the net impact is absolutely minor. That’s good too because it means you should not waste your time here. Move on. Because the question is opened end it gets your client to expand and elaborate. You get information and information is power. You simply can’t live without net impact questions.

5. The Explain Question

Do you want a versatile, ‘catch all’ question that can be used in many different scenarios?

If so, here it is. It is less a question and more of a directive. No matter how you slice it, it gets the client to open up. It enticingly invites your client to speak up, expand, pontificate, ruminate, elaborate and articulate. For instance, suppose the prospect tosses the classic price objection. Say this:

‘Eric, could you ‘explain’ to me what you mean by too high?”

What a great question! You’re asking for elaboration. Is the price too high relative to budget? Or relative to a competitive bid? Or is it a smokescreen? Regardless, the client must open up.

Suppose your client says “We’re not all that happy with flux modulators.”

“Wendi, could you explain to me why you’re not happy?”

How easy it that. This is a buying signal. Exploit it. Suppose the prospect say, “Well, I’d have to go to committee with that proposal.”

“I understand completely. Joel can explain to me how the committee operates and how they go about evaluating a proposal?”

Suppose you’re probing for needs. Here’s what you can say,

“Ms. Giuliani, explain to me the challenges you’re experiencing in penetrating the Canadian market.”

Dare I say you cannot possible sell without this question ready and waiting?

6. The Make Sense Question

You might want to call this a ‘trial close.’ Keep it handy because you’ve use it a lot. Use this simple, close ended question during and after pitch your product or after you’ve tackled an objection. So, for example, suppose you have presented a financial planning strategy regarding mutual funds. Just ask,

“Does that make sense to you so far?”
“Am I making sense to you right now?”

Now, this question does a couple of things. First of all, it tosses the conversation back into your prospect’s lap. This creates ‘give and take’ dialog and forces you to relinquish control of the call. This is s a good thing because it stops you from rambling on.

The second thing is does it helps you gage if the client is on board or not. To make this happen you’ve got to listen to the words and the tone of your client. If your prospect says, “Ya sure, I guess” but with a vague and uncertain tone, clearly it does not make sense. You need to stop right here and reverse gears by saying, “It sounds like I may have confused things a bit and I sense some hesitancy. Can you explain to me what you’re thinking?” (Notice the versatile “explain” question)

On the other hand, if the client gives you a positive and enthusiastic remark, “Ya, it makes total sense” they have, in effect, given you a buying signal which says, “Go on, I like what I hear?”

Don’t be afraid to liberally pepper your sales call with “make sense” type of questions. Variation include, “do you follow?” “How does that sound to you?” “Am I on the right track?”

Does that make sense to you?

7. The Removal Question

Here’s a question that every rep should keep in their hip pocket and use when dealing with objections and concerns. The Removal Question simply and efficiently ‘removes’ the issue at hand and asks the client their thoughts based on that scenario. Suppose a prospect says, “It’s really great but it’s just not in our budget.” You reply:

“Fair enough Brandi. Let me ask, if budget was not an issue, would you proceed with the proposal as outlined.”

If Brandi says yes, then you can negotiate or come up with terms or arrange financing or do whatever because her objection is not a smokescreen but the real thing. If she says, “Well, ya…but I am also a little concerned about maintenance program” you’ve discovered that it’s not a budgetary issue or that budget is only part of a number of issues.

Suppose the client says, “Well, I have to go to the buying group on this one.” You say, “I understand. Steve, suppose there wasn’t a buying group, what would be your decision?” By removing the objection you can determine if Steve’s on board or not.

Either way, you are well on the way to handling the client’s issue.

8. The “Give it a Shot” Question

It’s time to close the sale. One of ABSOLUTE THE best questions to close the sale is this:

“So, Angie, would you like to give it a shot?” or

“Why not give it a shot?”

Giving it a shot is a very colloquial phrase and because it seems so ‘off the cuff’ and casual it seems less like a close to your client. This type of close feels temporary in the client’s mind; it feel reversible. There is a sense that the client can back out; an ‘escape’ clause. So, psychologically, the close doesn’t seem to be as big a deal as a more formal close.

It’s brilliant and it works!. Give it a shot. You’ll like it. (Sorry, couldn’t resist)

Summary

These are eight of the best selling questions of all time. This is not because I say so but because millions of sales reps have gone before you and tried these. They are classic and they work. You will sell better and sell more when you use them.

Jim Domanski is president of Teleconcepts Consulting and works with companies and individuals who struggle to use the telephone more effectively. Author of four highly regarded books on tele-selling, Jim also writes two e-newsletters for tele-sales reps and tele-sales managers. He has also provided training and consulting to audiences, universities, and clients through the US, Canada and Europe. Visit his website at http://www.teleconceptsconsulting.com or call 613 591 or e-mail him at jim@teleconceptsconsulting.com.

Eighty percent of the success of top salespeople is due to their winning attitude. Only 20 percent is aptitude. Successful people are sure of themselves. They know how to handle rejection. They know how to push a prospect towards a commitment in a firm but friendly way. They have a consistently positive and enthusiastic outlook on life.

Salespeople who have 100 percent more sales than other salespeople are not 100 percent better than those who have a lower percentage of sales . What they have is a winning edge that puts them over the top, allowing them to make a sale when others would have failed. Since sales performance is 80 percent mental attitude, this winning edge is psychological. And developing a psychological edge is the key to turning around poor sales performance.

To gain the psychological edge of top salespeople, you must change the way you think of yourself and the world around you. This is called your self-concept. It’s based on a series of idea, fears, doubts, opinions, and values acquired throughout your life. It affects everything you do, think, or feel.

Your self-concept is made up of three parts: self-image (how you see yourself), self-ideal (how you would like to be), and self-esteem (how much you like yourself). You improve your self-concept by first improving your self-image. If you want to be one of the top salespeople in your company or industry then, you have to see yourself as they see themselves. You have to act like them, talk like them, and even dress like them.

Everything that happens to you happens for a reason. This is the law of cause and effect, and it is the principle mental law of selling. This law states that all events occur because something caused them to occur. If something happens, there is a reason. Sales success is an effect. If you want that effect to happen, you must create the causes. Don’t count on a miracle or on luck or on being in the right place at the right time. You have to make success happen.

Once you have bolstered your self-image it is time to begin prospecting. Prospecting is a very demanding part of selling and before you begin to do this you have to define clearly what you sell. Customers aren’t interested in buying products or services. They’re looking for ways to solve problems or improve performance. You have to know clearly and precisely what solutions or improvements your product or service offers.

You have to know who your customers are, why they buy, and where they are located. Look at your past customers. You need to know what they all have in common, if they are male or female, and what their position in the company is. You also need to know what are the intangible benefits from your product or service that cause them to buy. You need to know the geographical location of your prospects. What part of city, country, or foreign country they are located.

It is also important before you begin to prospect to know when your customers buy, why don’t they buy, and who your competitors are. For example, customers may be more inclined to buy at the beginning of a fiscal year. You have to know when to make your appearance. If you’re loosing customers, find out why. Maybe there’s a problem you or your company can fix.

Fear is a constant presence in selling. Salespeople must overcome the fear of rejection. Remember, customers also have a fear: the fear of failure. Customers are afraid of making a mistake, of being stuck with the wrong item, or of paying too much and finding it at a lower price elsewhere. They are afraid of being criticized for making a wrong decision, or of being left hanging by your company if the product or service doesn’t work.

Buying is risky. If you want to convince customers to buy, you must convince them that the risk is low. The best way to establish a relationship with customers is by building trust. If customers trust you, they will consider the purchase less risky.

To build a long-term relationship you must establish trust and to do this your first impression is critical. A quick glance at your appearance, attitude, and personality will lead the prospect to a quick conclusion about your credibility. If people in the same situation as the prospect are already buying, you and your product gain credibility. Always keep testimonials and lists of satisfied customers with you.

There is no faster way to build trust than by listening intently to what the other person has to say. On the other hand, there is no faster way to undermine trust and irritate a prospect than by talking too much and listening too little. Good listeners show that they are genuinely concerned about the needs of their customers and can be trusted Good salespeople don’t dominate the talking; they dominate the listening.

Once you’ve built a trusting rapport with a prospect, your next job is to show how your product or service solves their problems. Don’t count on customers to volunteer their problems to you. First, customers don’t like to highlight their weaknesses. Second, customers aren’t likely to be aware of the possibilities that your product or service offers. They don’t realize which of their problems you can solve.

To uncover customer problems, you have to ask questions. There are two types of questions that will help you uncover problems: situation questions and meaning questions. Situation questions concern the customer’s current situation in the area of your product or service. For example, what product or service is the customer using now? Is the customer satisfied?

The first wave of questioning is obvious. But the key is not to accept the surface answers. For example, if the prospect says, “We’re satisfied with our current supplier,” you answer, “Your current supplier is an excellent organization. But we have a different approach that is getting better results. Let me show you.”

Meaning questions are used to pinpoint exactly how a problem affects the customer. For example, you could ask questions such as, “What does the problem mean to you? How much does it cost you? What indirect costs are affected?” Meaning questions help you uncover the full consequences of a problem. In your sales presentation, you can then emphasize the full consequence of buying your product.

People do things for one reason: to be better off after the action. If people don’t think an action will improve their situation somehow, they won’t act. If they think they’ll be improving their situation by doing something (like buying your product or service), then they’ll do it.

Your job as a salesperson is to convince buyers that they will be better off after they have bought your product or service. For example, you show a prospect how buying your service will cost them $10,000 up front, but save them $20,000 in the long run.

All buying is emotional because people are emotional in everything they say or do. They will consider the rational reason for buying, how their situation will improve after the purchase. But the final purchase decision will be strongly influenced by emotional reasons.

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “hot button.” The hot button is the most highly emotional reason for purchasing. It’s usually related to the respect and esteem of other people. Well-targeted hypothetical questions can uncover the hot button. The customer’s answers are also hypothetical, but they can give you the key benefit you have to address to make the sale.

For example, the next time you’re looking for a prospect’s hot button you could ask one of these questions, “If you were ever to buy this product, what would you want it to do for you? “What would you absolutely have to be convinced of for you to purchase this product or service?” “If this product or service were free, would you take it?”

Although this all sounds very simple, most poor or novice salespeople stray away for the fundamental selling principle of showing improvement. They make a fatal mistake by explaining to the customer what the product is. They show off the features and the gadgets. They talk about how the product was developed, or how it compares to other products on the market.

They forget that customers aren’t interested in what products are, they want to know what the products will do for them. For example, people don’t buy insurance; they buy security. They don’t buy computers; they buy increased efficiency. They don’t buy cars; they buy transportation.

Look at your product or service. What does it do for the customer? That’s what you should concentrate on in your sales presentation. When you do this, you will move rapidly to the top of one of the highest paid professions in the world.

Copyright© 2006 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in personal and business development. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many of America’s largest corporations, on the subjects of leadership, self-esteem, goals, achievement, and success psychology.

Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com

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