This is referred to as setting the ground rules. The process eliminates surprises and both parties are able to work toward a clear future. Here are a few ground rules: be 100% honest and up front; qualify by identifying the prospects time objectives and their agenda; and deal with your biggest objections up front. You must understand it is not about you, it is about qualifying them! Remember, without prospects you have nothing, so ask questions and listen intently in order to accurately qualify the prospect.

In order to qualify, you must ask questions to uncover the prospects buying motivators. We are focusing on uncovering buying motivators, not just the organizational needs. I am referring to the personal emotions of the prospect – the real reason why people buy. If there is no pain, there is no gain. If there is no desire, there is no motivation. This particular outcome confirms they do not qualify for your products or services.

Your job is to qualify the prospect. You must unearth their pains or desires and not just one but many. Of course, this requires a trusting relationship combined with appropriate questioning techniques and excellent listening skills. This is what qualifying is all about.

Once a number of buying motivators have been identified, you need to uncover the financial consideration which is another qualifying step. This is a critical step to financially qualify the prospect and provide you with a clear insight toward a feasible solution.

If the prospects don’t have a budget, how will they proceed? If they do have a budget, you need to acquire that information. Without that vital information, how are you able to qualify them or provide them with a solution? It is imperative you know how much money they have set aside in order to address their problems and satisfy their desires. Financial consideration is an important ground rule as it pertains to qualifying any prospect.

Once you have qualified and identified the buying motivators and the financial capability, then you must qualify and confirm the decision making process.

When will the decision be made? Who, other than the person to whom you are speaking, is involved in the decision making process? What will you do if a committee is involved? What if you cannot present to that committee? It is wise to be prepared and know how to deal with these situations in advance so that you can qualify effortlessly.

Once you have gathered all the information in this step, you need to summarize the findings by engaging the prospect in such a fashion that you are able to secure their commitment. Prior to summarizing, you should have identified and qualified all the buying motivators, the financial capability and the decision making process including the time factors.

Now you must determine whether or not you have a solution for the prospects problems and desires and is it within their budget. Are you prepared to present to the decision-makers? If not, graciously abort the sale so as to maintain a first-class relationship. If they are not qualified for your products or services, why would you want to waste any more time doing a presentation? Don’t get trapped in the buyer’s system and don’t waste their valuable time.

If you have a viable solution to the prospect’s problems and desires; then, there is every indication you have the sale. However, the following criteria must be met: it is within their budget; they are ready to buy; you are able to present to the decision maker(s); and you can commit to a “yes or no” answer following the presentation. They are qualified. Don’t think any more, just do it.

You are the doctor – you have qualified their pain (problem); their financial resources and their decision making power; and now you can prescribe a solution so they can move forward and be totally satisfied with their decision. The two emotional reasons why people buy are pain and pleasure.

This is so traditional that it does not surprise me. It is a strong indication that the sales profession continues to be a “dog and pony show”. In other words, the sales representatives are more concerned about the products/services they offer, and how the sale will affect them, than they are about the customer and his/her interests or concerns.

Sales people, like all others, like to stay within their comfort zone. Therefore, they choose presentation instead of first establishing rapport with the customer. The sales representatives should instinctively set parameters; qualify the specific buying motivators; determine their financial capability and their hierarchy for decision making. Upon completion of each of these steps, then and only then, is it time for the presentation.

Sales people have a great deal of difficulty dealing with objection. However, objection can be avoided. The initial prospect introduction should not lead with a presentation.

A sales call can be compared to a visit with a doctor. He/she would never write a prescription before learning all about the patient. In order to provide a “prescription”, one needs to qualify the prospect and gather relevant information prior to offering a solution. If the prospect doesn’t qualify, a presentation is futile.

Therefore, it is imperative you establish a rapport first and then, gain the prospect’s trust, before you gather the necessary information required to qualify the needs of the prospect.

Up front presentations usually initiate objection. You are basically feeding prospects information they don’t want or need. In turn, they will use that information against you in the form of objection.

A sales person has far more opportunity to prescribe constructive solutions for their customers, if he/she concentrates, first and foremost, on building a rapport. The optimum sales process allows the prospect to do 80% of the talking while the sales person does the listening. The other 20% of the time, the sales person asks pertinent questions.

You will discover that by taking the time to listen carefully and to ask the right questions, there won’t be any objections. You are putting the customer first. Your products and services will now be of interest to him.

If any objections should arise, be sympathetic and sincere about your understanding. For example, many times customers feel the product or service is too expensive. It is your job to uncover why they feel that way and are they making a comparison. Do not be defensive and never justify your price.

It is far more beneficial to approach the objection without hesitation while ensuring the customer feels your sincerity and confidence. In this way, you are helping them discover the answer to their own objection. The customer feels in control of the buying process and not coerced by a selling technique.

The overall difference is to put your focus on the customer. Their needs and desires have priority. Build a strong rapport with all prospects by asking the right questions and listening intently; by qualifying their needs and capabilities; and by maintaining subtle control of the sales process. You won’t have to sell, the customer will buy. Simply, listen, learn, summarize and prescribe the best solution for your customer’s needs. This non traditional selling technique is your ticket to success. Try it, you won’t be disappointed.

If this is true, you must appreciate that sales revenue is the life line to your bottom line. Without buyers, there are no sales. Without sales, there are no revenues. The world revolves around sales, but more importantly, it now needs to revolve around buyers. Buyers are everywhere. What are you doing to help them buy?

The economy brought on a shift from selling during the boom times to attracting, engaging and empowering the new economy of buyers to buy.

Traditional and consultative sales methods no longer work. The sales cycle is longer than need be and the margins are dropping.

Buyers have been educated by sales people regarding all imaginable sales techniques. Unfortunately, salespeople don’t even realize they have lost control.

Sales people also need to change the way they are selling. The traditional dog-and-pony show, or feature and benefit dump will no longer work.

Clients, in today’s new economy, are looking for salespeople who bring them value. They want sales people who take the time to truly understand a client’s business and needs.

Clients appreciate salespeople who ask pertinent questions and listen intently, at the same time as demonstrating genuine concern for the client instead of themselves. Clients respect salespeople who are in it for the long term relationship and not simply for the money.

To succeed in the new economy of buyers, you need to do the opposite of selling. You need to attract, engage and empower buyers to buy.

“Keep doing what you have always done and you will get what you have always gotten.”

Most strategic planning emphasizes a target to increase sales and to up the bottom line. Sales skill sets must keep pace with the new economy of buyers in this high-tech, global society.

This is probably one reason why sales training is so prevalent on the Internet, at public seminars, and including in-house customized programs.

Another reason is sales training offers Management and individual sales professionals a high return on investment. For example, where else could you invest $1 with a realistic expectation of a $10 or more return in revenue?

If you, as a Corporate Executive, entrepreneur or professional salesperson are considering sales training, ensure it is a “buyer focused” sales training system supporting today‘s new economy of buyers.

Once you understand how buyers buy and how they control the sales process, you will want to change how you conduct your sales. Buyers follow a system, and salespeople must do the same. You must integrate a selling system that attracts, engages, and empowers the buyer to buy, not one that sells to the buyer.

A buyer focused selling system will maximize time and provide measurable results. You will enable buyer attraction, engagement, and qualification. Once the prospect is qualified, you will have the control to empower the buyer to buy, increase the velocity of your selling cycle, increase your margins and revenues, and ultimately, up your bottom line.

It is crucial to your overall success to begin with a strong foundation that will adequately support the productive behaviours within the Selling System.

A brand new positive and proactive attitude will certainly attract more buyers.
Changing your ineffective behaviours or habits into defined daily disciplines and efficient habits will provide you with more focused targeting. The result will be a better return on time invested (R.O.T.I.).

A buyer focused selling system requires organizations to be committed to doing what is “right” and demonstrating the appropriate behaviours on an ongoing basis. This includes tracking and analyzing behaviours to increase call-to-close ratios, or if necessary, turning away business. It also means being ethical and acting with integrity even when it’s easy or tempting not to.

Buyer Focused Sales training in today’s new economy will contribute more to your bottom line than any other activity.

All sales professionals, entrepreneurs or Corporate Executives must remember that sales revenue is the life line to up your bottom line. Without buyers, there are no sales. Without sales, there are no revenues. The world revolves around sales, but more importantly, it now needs to revolve around buyers. Buyers are everywhere. What are you doing to help them buy?

Without trust, prospects will mislead you and will not honestly answer your questions. You will be wasting valuable time. Traditional sales techniques can no longer be applied as most potential clients are well aware of that type of sales approach and will avoid you at all costs.

Yes, you are the most important person in the world, nonetheless, when you have a customer in front of you, he/she becomes more important. Your customer must become your priority.

At one time, we were told to follow the golden rule and “Do onto others as you would have them do onto you”. “YOU” was the main focus. However, times have changed and so has the rule. The new rule, identified as the Platinum Rule, is “Do onto others as they would do onto themselves.” Note that “YOU” has been eliminated. The time has come to accept that it is not all about you or your products and services, or your organization. It is entirely about the customer.

You must approach the sales call by focusing solely on the customer and not on yourself or what you have to offer. Instead of making appointments, ask to be invited. Instead of walking in with your bag of tricks and props, walk in with nothing but a notepad. You are making a positive statement that you are there to listen and take notes. Your customer now feels important and in control.

When you meet the customer, focus exclusively on them. Be aware! People respect others who are reminiscent of themselves. You must find commonality as quickly as possible.

One of the most powerful techniques to establish commonality or to build rapport is found in Nero Linguistic Programming (NLP). Extensive research discovered that people are able to establish rapport not through words, but through body language. The NLP Rapport Pie credits body language with 70% of rapport building, 23% tonality and only 7% attributed to words.

You have heard it before; your body language speaks louder than words. It is now a fact. Whenever you meet a prospect for the first time, they begin to judge you based on your body language. It is best to walk in holding a note book rather than a bag of props, and make a positive first impression.

The first step to building rapport with your prospects is to exude confidence and create a comfortable atmosphere. This technique is known as Mirror and Matching. You want to mirror and match body language, tonality and words.

Body language takes many forms. What have we always been told about a handshake? Well, for one, we’ve been encouraged to have a firm handshake. However, you don’t necessarily want to overpower your customer. You want to establish a good rapport.

Mirror and matching refers to taking your clues from the client. If his/her handshake is firm, yours should be too. The same applies for all body language. For example, you might try to stand like they stand, walk like they walk, and sit like they sit. However, a word of caution, do not mimic them. You want to appear natural, therefore, do not mirror and match at the same moment. Let your body language match theirs over a period of time in a very subtle manner.

The same mirror and match applies to tonality, hence you must listen carefully as they speak and be attuned to their tone, speed and expression.

Once you have mastered the appropriate body language and have achieved a rapport with the customer, ask them an open ended question. This would be a question that only they can answer. Show the customer you are sincerely interested in his/her life, family, job and organization. Your aim is to strike up a conversation. The more the customer relates, the more you listen and learn. You are well on the road to gaining their trust and amity.

Remember, the customer is #1. Treat them with sincerity and respect. You will know when you have established a good rapport. The customer will be comfortable in your presence and will answer you questions in detail. Once you have established a genuine rapport, you can move on to the next step in the sales process.

Without trust, prospects will mislead you and will not honestly answer your questions. You will be wasting valuable time. Traditional sales techniques can no longer be applied as most potential clients are well aware of that type of sales approach and will avoid you at all costs.

Yes, you are the most important person in the world, nonetheless, when you have a customer in front of you, he/she becomes more important. Your customer must become your priority.

At one time, we were told to follow the golden rule and “Do onto others as you would have them do onto you”. “YOU” was the main focus. However, times have changed and so has the rule. The new rule, identified as the Platinum Rule, is “Do onto others as they would do onto themselves.” Note that “YOU” has been eliminated. The time has come to accept that it is not all about you or your products and services, or your organization. It is entirely about the customer.

You must approach the sales call by focusing solely on the customer and not on yourself or what you have to offer. Instead of making appointments, ask to be invited. Instead of walking in with your bag of tricks and props, walk in with nothing but a notepad. You are making a positive statement that you are there to listen and take notes. Your customer now feels important and in control.

When you meet the customer, focus exclusively on them. Be aware! People respect others who are reminiscent of themselves. You must find commonality as quickly as possible.

One of the most powerful techniques to establish commonality or to build rapport is found in Nero Linguistic Programming (NLP). Extensive research discovered that people are able to establish rapport not through words, but through body language. The NLP Rapport Pie credits body language with 70% of rapport building, 23% tonality and only 7% attributed to words.

You have heard it before; your body language speaks louder than words. It is now a fact. Whenever you meet a prospect for the first time, they begin to judge you based on your body language. It is best to walk in holding a note book rather than a bag of props, and make a positive first impression.

The first step to building rapport with your prospects is to exude confidence and create a comfortable atmosphere. This technique is known as Mirror and Matching. You want to mirror and match body language, tonality and words.

Body language takes many forms. What have we always been told about a handshake? Well, for one, we’ve been encouraged to have a firm handshake. However, you don’t necessarily want to overpower your customer. You want to establish a good rapport.

Mirror and matching refers to taking your clues from the client. If his/her handshake is firm, yours should be too. The same applies for all body language. For example, you might try to stand like they stand, walk like they walk, and sit like they sit. However, a word of caution, do not mimic them. You want to appear natural, therefore, do not mirror and match at the same moment. Let your body language match theirs over a period of time in a very subtle manner.

The same mirror and match applies to tonality, hence you must listen carefully as they speak and be attuned to their tone, speed and expression.

Once you have mastered the appropriate body language and have achieved a rapport with the customer, ask them an open ended question. This would be a question that only they can answer. Show the customer you are sincerely interested in his/her life, family, job and organization. Your aim is to strike up a conversation. The more the customer relates, the more you listen and learn. You are well on the road to gaining their trust and amity.

Remember, the customer is #1. Treat them with sincerity and respect. You will know when you have established a good rapport. The customer will be comfortable in your presence and will answer you questions in detail. Once you have established a genuine rapport, you can move on to the next step in the sales process.

But first how do you get referrals and introductions. The answer is simple – ASK! You already know that you have the right to ask. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. If you ask, you have a 50-50 chance of getting one, and if you don’t, there is nothing lost as you cannot loose something you never had. Simple make it a habit to ask everyone and you will no longer be making cold calls, but working strictly on a referral basis. Ask more to sell more! Don’t miss out on this tremendous lead source!

The other option is word of mouth, where you provide an outstanding service and other talks about you. However, if you do not ask for testimonial letters, or for a referral, the chances of getting one out of the blue are slim.

You are given a referral because you have earned the other person’s trust and they think that you can actually help someone else. Do you believe in yourself, in helping others and do you trust yourself? If you don’t, nobody else will either.

A referral allows you to introduce yourself through that person’s name, creating commonality and an immediate level of trust.

There are several reasons why you should ask for a referral. When you call a referral and encounter their voice mail, be sure to mention the name of the person who provided their name. The referral tends to respond faster and at a much higher rate compared to voice mails you leave when making cold calls. A referral has affinity with you and that begins to create an element of trust. And quite frankly, most feel a sense of duty or obligation to those who referred their name. They feel compelled to call back just in case they are asked. Either way, it works for you.

Referrals tend to listen and engage you more closely when you finally reach them. Typically, they don’t see you as “just another sales rep.” A tentative bond is created in your mutual acquaintance. The referral is curious and wonders why his or her name was passed on. In simple terms, this gives you a significant edge.

Referrals tend to buy at a higher rate compared to cold calls and other lead sources. There are three reasons for this: First, people usually refer others who are in similar situations. They tend to have similar problems, concerns, needs, wants and opportunities. This usually means there is a strong application for your product or services. In short, they are more qualified.

Second, as mentioned above, referrals tend to listen more closely to your message. They do not ‘dismiss’ you as quickly or as lightly as they do other sales reps.

And third, the referral’s trust is typically higher with you because he or she can “check you out.” You have an instant credibility source. Every buyer is looking for someone they can trust and depend upon. Having evidence of success with a known acquaintance makes buying easier for referral and easier for you.

Simply because there is trust, your selling cycle time is reduced. The time it takes the referral to buy is usually much less than any other lead source. What this really means is less hassle and more sales.

As stated earlier, you can ask anyone for a referral. In the Business to Business world, that usually means clients and prospects. Clients are the best referral source because they know you and they know your products or services. Never miss a chance to ask a happy client for a referral, and a testimonial letter while you are at it.

You can also ask prospects. Suppose you call a prospect only to discover that your product or service doesn’t match a need. You can still ask for a referral at the end of your call. What’s the worst that can happen? They say “no.” No big deal. Move on. But sometimes, just sometimes, they provide you with a name. And that’s a great start.

Ask for referrals at the end of your visit or contact. AFTER you have completed your primary objective.
Referrals seem easy enough but there is a bit finesse required. Here’s how NOT to ask for a referral:

“Jim, do you know of anyone who might be interested in my services?”

This is NOT the recommended method because it is far too easy for your customer or prospect to say, “Ahh…no.” The ‘no’ that they give you is often reflexive in nature; an automatic response to a closed ended question. In other words, they respond negatively out of habit. You could be missing tons of opportunities.

The BETTER way to ask for the referral is this:

“Sandy, can you give me a name or two of someone you know who might be interested in these types of products?”

The difference is subtle but significant. By asking for a “name”, your client has to THINK about names. It is not quite as easy to give you a dismissive “no.” Usually, they tend to do a mental scan of friends and associates. This scanning pause helps reduce the automatic, reflexive ‘no’ response. Of course, they can and sometimes will, say “no.” But by asking for a name you increase your odds and improve the chance for success. It is as simple as the ABC, 123 Sales Results System found in my book Up Your Bottom Line.

While in Dubai this past week, I met Phil Bedford “The Rebel Networker “ and Master Franchisee for the Referral Institute. Phil is an expert in Generating Business Referrals. He educates people on how to make Referrals Predictable. Imagine that!

You could actually predict when you are going to get referrals rather than leaving them to chance. He also shows his students how to get referrals from another 7 sources rather than just from existing clients. (Existing clients are only 12.5% of the potential)

You can learn more at www.therebelnetworker.com and www.referalinstituite-me.com

Oh, one final point – referrals demonstrate good behaviour. Make sure that those giving you referrals also get rewarded. Remember, any behaviour that gets recognized or rewarded gets repeated. Ask about our referral reward program.

Bob Urichuck is an International Professional Speaker, Trainer, Consultant and Author of “Disciplined for Life, You Are the Author of Your Future ” and “Up Your Bottom Line, Featuring the ABC, 123 Sales Results System” Bob has been ranked as #7 in the World’s Top 30 Sales Gurus and published in the book “Sales Gurus Speak Out”.

Bob has been recognized as a Platinum Speaker for Meeting Planners International (MPI) and As the Consummate Speaker of the year by Sharing Ideas News magazine. Bob is also the Founding President of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) Ottawa and is a Certified Sales Professional (CSP)

Prescriptions are the opposite of presentations. Prescriptions are specific solutions to the pain or pleasures identified within the prospect’s predetermined budget and then, customized to meet the decision makers desires.

A prescription is also similar to a presentation in that you can still convey the features and benefits but only in relation to the specific pain or pleasure previously identified. Do not present anything else. Remember this is a prescription to specific pains and/or pleasures and not a “give it all away” presentation.

When you give it all away during a presentation, you have no additional value to offer the prospect once you have made the sale. You will have shared everything upfront. You also run the risk of opening the door for objections simply by talking too much and not listening enough.

When you provide a prescription rather than a presentation, you are not giving it all away. You only concentrate on solutions to the issues identified and nothing more. The rule is simple: sell today, educate tomorrow.

You get the sale by prescribing a solution to their identified specific needs and within the prospect’s budget. Always consider their decision making / time constraints. Then, after the sale is completed, give them the additional information relating to your products or services. This particular method of sales will offer the prospect added value and you can continue to ask pertinent questions and to listen intently.

A prescribed solution allows the customer to buy and not have to listen to a sales approach as signified by a presentation.

Now, will you move forward with prescriptions or presentations?

Once the prospects are comfortable with you and they are not only talking a great deal but you are listening attentively; that’s the perfect time to ask a qualifying question, “By the way, how much time have you set aside for our meeting?”

It is important to establish time allocation up front. If they are qualified for a presentation, then, you will know if you have enough time to make a sale. If there is not enough time, it allows you to focus on qualifying the prospect and getting a clear picture of the future; in particular, what will happen next.

It is recommended you determine what the prospect would like to cover during their allotted time frame. This becomes their objective. Finally, you may introduce what you would like to accomplish. Always remember that their objective is more important than yours.

Once the objectives have been established, you can generate an agenda if necessary or directly attain permission to ask questions and take notes.

It may become necessary to prepare the prospect for a potential “no” answer. Simply inform the prospect,” I cannot solve all the problems in the world and may not be able to solve yours either. If I can’t, would it be ok if I said no, I cannot help you?” The prospect will probably show signs of appreciation at this point together with a sense of relief. At this time, continue to build a pleasant rapport by asking, “If you feel I cannot help you, are you ok with telling me no? All I want is for us to be honest with each other and work on a yes/no basis. I don’t want to waste your time. Are you ok with that?”

Now you can move onto qualifying buying motivators by asking specific questions.

You must understand it is not about you, it is all about the prospects! Your objective is to make them feel comfortable and not to waste their time but to work within prearranged guidelines. These are qualifying guidelines that you lead them to by asking certain questions so they feel they are in control.

In order to build a lasting relationship, one must first establish rapport. You need to know the components of the NLP rapport pie and how to build rapport in the first 30 seconds of meeting. You must know how to identify an individual’s predominant sense and how to use that sense to your benefit during the presentation phase.

Once rapport has been established, questions can then be asked. However, you need to know why questions are so important, the type of questions that should be asked, and how to deal with questions from the prospect or client without giving free consulting. There are a series of questioning techniques that are available to salespeople and that will enhance the selling relationship.

Asking questions is like taking the prospect through a self-discovery funnel of their needs, desires and expectations. You are helping them to discover it for themselves. You are building a relationship step by step.

When asking questions, one must also listen effectively. There are several active listening techniques which you should apply. But the main one question is, “Do you really want to service the prospect or are you there for your own reasons?”

In today’s market, it is no longer about you, your products or services. It is all about the customer, their needs and desires and their budget.

My favorite quote relating to sales is by Cavett Robert’s, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”.

Only good questioning and listening techniques will help you entice the prospect to buy. You will establish a lasting selling relationship.

Now, it is time to change as traditional sales are no longer working with the sophisticated buyers of today. It is now a clear-cut case of being professional and following a non-traditional proven sales results system especially if we want to be different than everyone else out there, and increase those sales results.

You need to utilize a sales results system that will help you to establish rapport and build trust, to communicate effectively, and to develop and maintain lasting relationships. It is a system that will put you in control to quickly qualify prospects on several levels, to determine the next steps, to prescribe solutions, to let the prospect or customer buy, and to retain and develop client relationships for more business.

Without a sales results system, salespeople are working on a hit and miss basis. They are wasting time and will not getting the results they could be getting due to the lack of sales competency. They become a slave to the Buyer’s System.

Sales competencies are the bloodline to every organization. Without sales competencies, there are no transactions. Without transactions, there is no revenue and without revenue, the organization would not exist and no one would have a job.

The world revolves around sales. Buyers are everywhere. What are you doing to help them buy?

Now is the time for you to demonstrate the appropriate sales competencies to get the results you and your organization need, particularly during these tough economic times.