Today I read a great article on making an effective sales call using the phone. I read a post on Mike Gerholdt’s blog, “Great Sales and Marketing Ideas,” and it was beautiful in it’s simplicity. As a salesperson and sales trainer, i promise you it is effective as well. The article is called “Getting What You Want.” If you or a member of your team need to gather information over the phone from prospects and clients, read this one today. It is a gem!
http://greatsalesandmarketingideas.blogspot.com/2007/02/getting-what-you-want.html

Wednesday evening found me in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I was hired by a major investment company to give a keynote presentation for an important client of theirs, who is one of the leading financial advisors in America. I have known this gentleman for about eight years. His clients love him! They refer others to him to the point that referrals are the only way he markets his business.

Many financial advisors use scores of products. They are always looking for the “next big thing” to sell to their clients. The advisor mentioned above uses a very small number of products, as well as only a couple of vendors in each of the financial product lines. He doesn’t have an elaborate website, uses email sparingly, and doesn’t have the newest / best cell phone. In fact, you could say he is “technologically challenged.” He keeps things in his practice and in his life very simple.

By keeping it simple, he is able to focus the majority of his efforts on making good recommendations, moving people to action, and developing deep relationships with his very best clients. There is no question that technology can help us maximize our productivity and effectiveness. However, too many salespeople let gadgets and technology and systems get in the way of the biggest determinant of their success – how many qualified prospects to whom they tell their story. You still have to make the calls! “Keep it simple” is still wonderful advice for the professional salesperson.

Good selling!

This is an interesting exercise for new salespeople and also for those who are more experienced. It reminds you why prospects could and should do business with YOU. You will build four (4) short lists that will help you clarify your unique sales value proposition, and close more sales. Grab a notebook or legal pad and let’s get started.

The four lists are:

• 3 Reasons To Use My Company
• 3 Reasons To Use My Product / Service
• 3 Reasons To Buy From ME
• 3 Reasons To Make A Decision TODAY

As you build the first three lists, you will pull information from your existing sales presentations, and possible add some new material. If you are newer to sales, or to selling your existing offering, the first list is very important, because it helps you to build credibility. The second list deals with what you sell. The third list details why YOU are the very best resource to help your prospect solve the problems for which your product / service is a solution. This is your Unique Selling Proposition! The fourth list becomes a summary close to help you ask for the order. (You should always have three to five solid closes that you can use as the situation dictates.)

While this exercise may seem basic, simple, and common sense, that is its beauty. Take a few moments to remind yourself why your prospects should buy from YOU; why they DESERVE you!

Good selling!

Business strategist and professional speaker Michael Roby will be addressing the personal advisors of the Luther/Hunt Ameriprise Branches in Mankato, MN on February 19, 2007. Ameriprise Financial has more than 110 years of history helping clients plan for retirement. Their comprehensive and personalized financial planning approach is built on a long-term relationship with one of our more than 10,000 knowledgeable advisors who help clients prepare for the future.

Michael Roby To Present “Heroes” To Stifel Nicolaus Advisors

Business strategist and professional speaker Michael Roby will be presenting his nationally acclaimed “Heroes” presentation at a Regional Business Conference for Stifel Nicolaus advisors in Boston, MA on February 23, 2007. Stifel Nicolaus is the largest subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. and is a member of SIPC and listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The conference, which wil provide financial planning education for financial professionals, is being hosted by John Hancock.Technorati Profile

Last week I had the opportunity to speak to a group of investment executives in California. One of my mentors, Doug wood, attended the meeting. Doug has 40 years of experience in the investment industry, and is a legend in the investment wholesaling business. He is a master salesperson, manager, trainer, and entrepreneur. He started out as a speech and drama teacher, and he has always been a stickler for making exceptional presentations. After every presentation he provides me, (or any of the hundreds of other salespeople he has trained) with critique and guidance on how to improve my presentation. One thing I love about Doug is that he always tells me the truth.

One thing I have learned from Doug is that the biggest part of selling is listening. The salesperson that listens best is the one who gets the sale, and in the most effective sales presentations salesperson listens 60 to 80% of the time. If we truly follow this guideline then we need to make sure we choose our words carefully.

Selling is a profession of numbers and averages, and we want to be certain we have all of the odds in our favor. A study by Yale University over a 30 year period of time yielded a list of the twelve most persuasive words in the English Language. These words are as follows:

If a professional salesperson is only speaking 20 to 40% of the time, it is common sense that you would choose to use words that give you the greatest opportunity to be persuasive and move your prospect to action. Print this list of persuasive words on put the list into your sales planner. It is a competitive marketplace out there, so stack the odds in your favor.

Good selling!

Today I returned a call to one of the largest financial services companies in the world. Last week they called me about a program that I do on growing sales through relationship mining. (I was feeling proud of myself…THEY called ME!) I returned the call, and spoke to a very professional assistant that said she would leave a message for me with the lady from whom I had received the inquiry. I called again today, and left a voicemail for my original contact, asking her to return my call at her conveniece. I was satisfied that I had “completed” a sales call. Wait a minute…that’s not a sales call! It is closer to verbal direct mail than a sales call!

Salespeople often make the same mistake with voicemail that they do with e-mail; the confuse activity with accomplishment. Voicemail is a valuable tool, just like email. However, it has a tendency, like e-mail, to become impersonal and non-productve. Asking someone to call you back doesn’t sell anything. If you try and give your prospect the next move…they won’t move. Instead, tell them what your next action will be, whether it is a call-back, a visit to their office, or a piece they will receive in the mail that you plan to follow up on with them.

My friend Jill Konrath has a great website on selling to large companies. Read her article on the compacency voicemail has added to our sales calls, and how we aren’t always ready when a prospect actually answers the phone. Click on the following link, or paste into browser. The article is called “Don’t Blow it When Your Prospect Answers the Phone.”

Use voicemail and email to help you you grow your business, but remember there is no sustitute for personal sales contacts and sales calls.

Good selling!

Last week I spoke at a conference in California to a group of financial advisors from one of America’s largest banks. After my presentation on growing your business by building your relationship network, an advisor came up to me and asked, “What financial products do you think are “hot” right now? My answer was to sell a process, not a product.

The financial advisor that has long term success offers realistic expectations and has a process for managing client relationships. Some advisors are great salespeople, but their business “blows up” whenever the market changes direction, often because they were selling the “Hot Dot,” or the product that is easiest to SELL to their client. What makes more sense for the client AND the advisor is to sell them what they really NEED, and to sell it to them by using a process.

At the end of the day, we must be technically competent, and not just be great salespeople. Make sure your planning process is sound. Remember, if the track record has been great lately, you may be at the top of a market cycle. Don’t sell performance, sell your process, and sell your commitment to client success. Communicate the process to your clients, as well as the cyclical nature of the marketplace. It will pay off when the market changes direction.

Good selling!

As a sales and marketing strategist I am often asked “What can we do to train our salespeople to compete more effectively?” In addition, as a speaker, I am asked to get the troops fired up about what they are selling. Motivational speakers often inspire us, but often they don’t deliver techniques, and often sales training doesn’t prepare salespeople to be able to take on the competition.

Here is an example of poor sales technique in taking on the competition. Later this month, I have to turn in the car that I lease, so I am car shopping right now. Saturday afternoon I called a dealership to see if they had what I was looking for. The salesperson immediately launched into a presentation about a model she thought I should consider. I told her I looked at a comparable model from another manufacturer, and she immediately slammed them! She said when you really examined the service record of the manufacturer, they had a very high number of service problems. Sorry…I’m going somewhere else! If you can’t sell me your product unless you attack your competitor, I’m not sure I trust you. Never slam your competition!

I have an in-depth article on the method that you can view FREE OF CHARGE by clicking http://www.michaelroby.com/sales-tips/sales-competition.htm . Feel free to use the article “as is” in discussions with your sales teams, and let me know about your success by replying to this post, or email me at mike@michaelroby.com.

Good selling!