Attitude originates from our beliefs. Whatever our beliefs are in ourselves, our organization, our team effectiveness and the general market place, ultimately they are reflected in our attitude. Thusly, our attitude determines how we feel. Our overall feelings lead to actions and it is those actions that achieve results.

If you are not achieving the results you want, you need to get the team involved, and deal with the underlying issues surrounding team effectiveness.

Begin by getting your entire team together, give everyone a post-it pad and ask them to write down a percentage, anywhere between 1-100%, which reflects the team effectiveness. Encourage each member of the team to answer honestly and to keep all responses confidential. Once each percentage is recorded on a post-it, fold the paper and place it in the centre of the table.

Next, gather all the papers and post them on a flip chart. Add them up and calculate the average percentage of team effectiveness. This is valuable information as it reflects how your team views their effectiveness in today’s market. If the percentage is below 60%, you have some challenges ahead but allow your team to brainstorm and discover ways to improve.

On a new flip chart page, draw a line down the centre of the page from top to bottom. Draw another line from left to right near the top of the page. On the upper left side above the line, write the average % of team effectiveness (let’s use 65%) and a + sign (which represents all the positive factors of team effectiveness).

On the upper right side above the line, write the difference between the Average % of team effectiveness and 100%. For example: 65% + 35% A (delta) = 100%
Note the delta sign represents the areas of improvement necessary to achieve 100% team effectiveness.

Divide the team into small groups and provide each group with a flip chart page. Each group must list all the positive factors that contribute to their level of team effectiveness. In other words, what exactly have they contributed to justify 65% team effectiveness?

The groups should take approximately ten minutes to list the positive factors; then, each group will share their own list with the others. As a facilitator of team building, encourage frequent applauding. By doing so, the team is demonstrating support and creating an attitude of appreciation; therefore, changing their focus.

Next, have the groups do the same exercise on the right hand side under the delta. What can the team do to improve by 35% in order to strive for 100% team effectiveness?

After approximately ten minutes of listing areas of improvement, each group will read the list to the others, and applaud accordingly.

The next important step is to discuss the factors that are within your control and those that are not. For example, we cannot control the weather, the traffic or what people say about us. However, we can control the manner in which we react, our thoughts, our attitudes and our self talk. Let’s take a look at this list and place brackets around the factors that are not within our control. From that point forward, ignore all uncontrollable factors.

The time has arrived to gather all the categories from the original list and choose only the areas of improvement within our control. You may notice these categories are usually classified under communications, technology, policies, etc. It is the team’s responsibility to identify and then, place each area of improvement under the relevant category.

Your end result will identify three to five categories that require improvement. Without a doubt, one of them will be attitude.

If time allows, have the team identify which category will impact team effectiveness the most. This area of improvement should take priority. Each group must brainstorm and draft a solution. You may allot 20 minutes for this exercise and have a member of each group present back to the rest of the team allowing for general input to the solution.

What you will find is that attitude will rank the highest return in team effectiveness. Save attitude for a final review. I suggest you create a buzz word incorporating your company, department, or team name with the word attitude.

Here is an example: to the outside world we are known as Microsoft, but there is no sense working on the outside until we fix the inside. Why not create MicroTude, and formulate a list of attitudes related to how we treat each other within the team environment. This list will inevitably focus on factors within our control.

Take this exercise one step further. Involve the groups in a discussion on how those positive attitudes will improve team effectiveness if they are implemented by all members of the team.

What is preventing your team from said implementation? Record all findings. Finally, acquire a signed commitment from each member of the team. Their signature assures their determination to implement positive change. A team of volunteers will also ensure the tasks are followed to fruition.

Don’t stop there. Take the category lists from this exercise and have them typed and documented. Then, circulate it throughout the organization along with a request to add new areas of improvement and to include a signature. It is very important to support the implementation team and to keep the buzz word alive.

As a result of the foregoing exercise, dramatic improvements in both morale and team effectiveness will be apparent.

Tags: sales tips, how to sell, increase sales, goal setting worksheet

You paid the price to make your dreams a reality by mastering self-discipline and personal leadership. Now you are in a position to inspire others to be results oriented and self-motivated during these trying times.

As you know, this is not the case with some team leaders. Many team leaders are not in control of their own lives. They are not motivated or inspiring or more importantly, results oriented. They may not be aware of the importance of said qualities in a leader. It is virtually impossible to give to others, if you don’t have it to give.

If you are this type of team leaders, you must to take an inside-out approach toward self improvement. Begin by taking stock of your personal attributes. Find out what inspires you and use it to motivate yourself in a positive direction. Make every effort to achieve the results you desire.

A leader no longer directs people but develops self-motivated individuals. A leader doesn’t micro manage; instead he/she builds a team that can manage on its own and one that has influential work ethics.

A leader wears many hats. He/she can play an administrative role or function as a part-time psychologist. A leader is the “guardian” of the bottom-line, an enthusiast, a team builder, and a good listener. A leader credits others for a job well done; and offers praise and recognition for outstanding effort and solid results.

An effective team consists of many characteristics. A team must have a purpose and that purpose is defined by the mission. The team mission is a summary of the team’s objectives. It is a statement that serves to direct and motivate the team in pursuit of its goals.

The team’s mission is driven by the organization’s vision. The organization’s vision provides a “big picture” perspective that serves to align people, ideas, and attitudes. It must, however, be communicated to team members in such a way that they are inspired to be part of it. To be successful, the team must align its purpose or mission with the organization’s vision.

Each team member must participate in the development of effective team goals. By doing so, team members will know exactly what is expected of them; and can commit to working closely with one another in pursuit of the team’s overall goals.

Within the team, members must establish a high degree of communication, trust, support and cohesiveness. The team must be flexible and choose effective problem solving methods that will facilitate sound decision-making. It is no longer effective for a team leader to use authority in the decision making process. It has been proven that a consultative or consensus approach to decision making is much more effective and allows for greater freedom for team members.

However, there must be more than just freedom. There should always be an element of fun as part of the team culture. There are many ways to do this. Give your team a name that will echo the team’s mission. The name may also, reflect the characteristics of the members.

Team members must know how to conduct effective meetings by:

• having an agenda
• setting the ground rules
• stipulating the objectives
• following appropriate procedures
• allocating individual roles and responsibilities

Review and establish effective methods for action planning, monitoring, communication, evaluation and follow up. Each member should also demonstrate appropriate personal, interpersonal and group task behaviors.

Team members must be empowered and trusted so they will perform their job to the best of their ability. They will be more action-oriented and committed to implementing the plan. A leader is there to coach the members, not to direct them. There will be failures; however, with each failure one learns a valuable lesson.

A good leader must demonstrate the appropriate behaviors that stimulate team morale, encourage individual participation, and offer a chance to lead. In the end, you will move forward with confidence along side your strong results oriented and self motivated team.

Learn How to Execute the Disciplines of Attracting, Engaging and Empowering the “Buyer Focused” Velocity Selling System, to Up Your Bottom Line

For you complimentary White Paper “The New Economy of Buyers, Why Traditional and Consultative Selling Methods No Longer Work” visit www.BobU.com

Sales Velocity. Your Bottom Line. Our Passion

Tags: increase sales, goal setting worksheet, sales coaching, marketing and sales strategies

Motivation, no matter if it is self motivation or employee motivation, is defined as a motive to act. What motivates you and gets you to act, does not necessarily mean it will work for others, or lead to employee motivation.

No one can motivate you, only you can motivate yourself. You cannot motivate others. As a sales team leader all you can do is demonstrate appropriate behaviours and create an environment where employees motivate themselves.

There are two types of employee, or self, motivation. There are external motivators and internal motivators.

External motivators are the things like awards, bonuses, titles, promotions, money, etc. The problem with external motivators when it comes to employee, or self, motivation is that they are never lasting. As soon as you get one of them, you want a bigger one.

Let’s pretend we are a team and we had a great year. We decide to give everyone a $5,000 bonus. Everyone is happy and employee motivation is at an all time high.

A year goes by and your organization did not have such a great year and may have to lay off some team members. But you meet as a team again, as you always have. What would the employees be expecting in terms of a bonus?

To maintain employee motivation, you would have to consider giving them more, as that is what they are expecting. However, you cannot even match the previous year’s bonus. This will then lead to employee de-motivation. The old donkey and carrot story.

External motivators are never lasting and that is why sales leaders should focus on the alternative, internal employee motivation, as it is ever lasting.

Motivation, like success, comes from the inside out, not from the external to the internal.
To know internal motivators first means getting to know oneself – what you want to be, do or have in life. Combine that clear definition with passion and you will be self motivated.

When you are self-motivated, you can then demonstrate appropriate behaviours. When you go the extra step and recognize or reward your appropriate behaviours, those behaviours will get repeated.

However, we can only give away that what we have inside. If, as a sales leader you are self critical, you will criticize others. If you recognize yourself for the good that you do, you will see it in others and recognize them too.

Recognition is ranked as the number one motivating factor when it comes to employee motivation in the workplace. You may find it hard to believe, but recognition is the most powerful employee motivator of all. Research has shown that there is a stronger need in society today for recognition than there is for sex and money. Now, that says something about employee motivation.

Employee motivation is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcements is what builds our self-esteem. Our self-esteem is the way we see and feel about ourselves either internally, through our own beliefs, or externally through what we accept as the beliefs of others.

If we feel good about ourselves and we believe others feel good about us, we perform better than we would when we see the opposite side of the coin. Employee motivation starts from within.

People perform in a manner that is consistent with how they see themselves conceptually. So, the key as a sales leader is to help your salespeople build their self-esteem. That is the foundation of employee motivation.

Employee motivation through recognition is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement of actions gets those actions repeated. Recognition and praise reinforces beliefs about oneself and helps make one think they are better than they thought they were. That is what employee motivation is all about.

Learn How to Execute the Disciplines of Attracting, Engaging and Empowering the “Buyer Focused” Velocity Selling System, to Up Your Bottom Line

For you complimentary White Paper “The New Economy of Buyers, Why Traditional and Consultative Selling Methods No Longer Work” visit www.BobU.com

Sales Velocity. Your Bottom Line. Our Passion

Tags: sales techniques, free sales training, sales strategies, sales coaching

No matter how the economy of buyers is affecting you and your team, it is your job as their manager, coach or leader to help them meet their targets and/or increase sales.

What does it take to lead a sales team toward maximizing their sales results and increasing the velocity of their sales cycle in this new economy of buyers?

You know the answer. Today’s economy demands a disciplined leader who can demonstrate the appropriate behaviours. These are astute behaviours that you intend your sales people to follow by example. A strong leader must now invest more time with his sales team, engage them in keen discussions, ask more questions, coach them enthusiastically and guide them through these changing times.

As a sales team, there is a need to be more proactive; build and maintain strong relationships; work harder and smarter than your competitors; and accomplish all this without increasing your cost of the sale.

Of course this is easier said than done. The ability to get a sales team to be more proactive or to work harder and smarter becomes even more challenging during a changing economy. Sales representatives tend to be easily influenced by external negative factors in the marketplace and these factors are not usually within their control.

It is common knowledge that most people are inclined to buy for emotional reasons and sales people tend to be rather affecting.

Sales people work hard and are justly excited when times are sound and everyone’s buying. Nevertheless, they’re also the ones who tend to be affected detrimentally by any down-turn of change in sales cycles.

As a disciplined sales leader, I have always understood when times get tough, the tough get going. Undoubtedly, this is the time to step up and do more.

Conversely, when markets get tougher most sales people tend to get depressed, work less and become reactive instead of more proactive. In other words, sales people, like anyone else, become a product of their environment.

As a leader, what kind of environment are you providing? What is your mental state and that of your sales team? Is the sales team engaged and proactive? Is everyone working harder and thinking smarter? Are you and your team able to perform better than the current trend?

Your answers to these questions are important as it reflects back to you.

How do you propose to increase your leadership efforts during this changing economy and challenging sales environment? Remember your team will learn by your example and to coin a phrase: “monkey see, monkey do”.

Demonstrate appropriate behaviours and “do what you have to do even when you don’t want to do it.” This is a disciplined leader!

Learn How to Execute the Disciplines of Attracting, Engaging and Empowering the “Buyer Focused” Velocity Selling System, to Up Your Bottom Line

For you complimentary White Paper “The New Economy of Buyers, Why Traditional and Consultative Selling Methods No Longer Work” visit www.BobU.com

Sales Velocity. Your Bottom Line. Our Passion

Tags: sales strategies, sales coaching, sales tips, sales techniques

A referral initiates instant trust and reduces your selling cycle time. The time it takes the referred client to buy is usually much less than any other lead source. What this really means is less hassle and more sales.

As previously stated in a former article, you can ask anyone for a sales referral. In the business to business world, we generally ask clients and prospects. Clients are the best referral source because they know you and they know your products or services. It is always wise to ask a satisfied client for a referral, and also request a testimonial letter.

You can also ask prospects for a referral. Suppose you call a prospect only to discover that your product or service is not suitable for their needs. You can still ask for a sales referral at the end of your call. It is always wise to take advantage of an opportunity. If the prospect does not wish to do so, nothing has been lost. However, very often they will graciously provide you with a referral. Another door is opened.

Only ask for sales referrals at the end of your visit or contact. I always advise you wait until AFTER you have completed your primary objective. It may seem easy to request a sales referral but some finesse is required. This is an example of the wrong way 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.” That type of ‘no’ retort is often reflexive in nature; an automatic response to a closed ended question. In other words, they respond negatively out of habit. You will miss another great opportunity.

The BETTER way to ask for the sales referral is:

“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, prospects 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’. Nevertheless, by asking for a name you increase your odds and improve your chances for success. It is as simple as the Velocity Selling System found in my book Up Your Bottom Line.

Another interesting fact is sales referrals demonstrate good behaviour. Ensure those giving you referrals also get rewarded. Remember, any behaviour that gets recognized or rewarded, gets repeated. Ask about our referral reward program and let me know about yours; consequently, I can help you get more business.

Learn How to Execute the Disciplines of Attracting, Engaging and Empowering the “Buyer Focused” Velocity Selling System, to Up Your Bottom Line

For you complimentary White Paper “The New Economy of Buyers, Why Traditional and Consultative Selling Methods No Longer Work” visit www.BobU.com

Sales Velocity. Your Bottom Line. Our Passion

Tags: sales techniques, goal setting worksheet, increase sales, sales coaching

Without buyers there are no sales.

Bottom line: no sales, no revenue.

Sales cycles now revolve around the new economy of buyers.

In previous articles we discussed the numerous competencies that sales professionals possess. The most important traits are human interaction, communication, and relationship building.

We discussed the need to establish rapport and build trust. We learned the four universal needs of all buyers.

How can we communicate more effectively with buyers?

Questioning and listening are the two most important communication skills in all areas of life – at home, at social events, at work, in management, as part of a team, and within sales.

These communication skills contribute directly to building long lasting relationships and establishing trust. You will have the confidence to attract, engage and empower buyers.

Ask questions: Use open-ended questions which will encourage people to open up and talk without borders.

1. Use direct questions when in search of a specific answer or need to move the conversation in a specific direction.
2. Use fact-finding questions to gather the information you need.
3. Use close-ended questions to steer the conversation and reach a conclusion.

Listen to: The answers to your questions.

1. Listen 70% of the time. Ask questions the other 30% of the time.
2. Focus on what the customer is saying. Don’t be thinking about your next question.
3. Avoid formulating your next question while the customer is talking, particularly if it easily distracts you from listening.
4. Always question the answers in order to gain more detail. By questioning the answer three or four more times in succession, you will eventually get to the root of the problem.

Learn How to Execute the Disciplines of Attracting, Engaging and Empowering the “Buyer Focused” Velocity Selling System, to Up Your Bottom Line

For you complimentary White Paper “The New Economy of Buyers, Why Traditional and Consultative Selling Methods No Longer Work” visit www.BobU.com.

Tags: increase sales, marketing and sales strategies, how to sell, goal setting worksheet

The competencies of sales professionals are numerous but boil down to human interaction, communication, and relationship building. As a sales professional, you must establish rapport and build trust, communicate effectively, and develop and maintain lasting relationships if you are to succeed in the sales profession.

In order to build a long-term relationship, it is imperative to first establish rapport with your client. You need to know how to build rapport quickly so that you can gain the trust that is needed to ask questions and get answers. You need two basic communications skills – asking the questions and listening to the responses. What is the point of asking questions if you are too busy thinking of other questions to ask and not really listening to the answers?

At one time sales professionals were taught to follow the golden rule “Do onto others as you would have them do onto you.” That was a great rule to follow. Under the golden rule it is acceptable to believe you are the most important person in the world and to acknowledge that how you treat yourself is also how you should treat others.

However, over the years the golden rule has been replaced with the Platinum rule – “Do onto others as they would have done onto themselves.” The platinum rule takes on a different approach. Simply stated, when you are with another person treat them the way they would like to be treated, and not necessarily the way you would want to be treated. For that reason, we have to change our sales approach.

Who becomes the most important person in the world when a salesperson convenes with a prospect or a client? I hope you set aside the golden rule and choose the prospect or client. You would be right. We all know that without a prospect or a client, you have absolutely no chance of selling anything. Do you agree? Good.

If the prospect or client is the most important person in the world as it pertains to sales, then we must follow the platinum rule. It certainly is in our best interest to treat them the way they want to be treated. The universal needs of buyers take priority.

There are basically four universal needs that sales professionals must address in order to satisfy buyers. The first one is buyers have a need to be understood. This simply means we must listen to them and question them to better understand them. The problem many salespeople have is the lack of listening skills.

They don’t listen intently and they don’t question the answers they receive in order to generate even more information. I am eager to share more facts about questioning skills in another article. Please watch for it.

The second universal need is buyers need to feel welcomed. How do you welcome people that come and visit you at home? Do you welcome prospects and clients the same way on their own premises?

Buyers need to feel important. How important do you make them feel in your presence? I urge you to show you are interested by asking questions and taking notes.

Buyers also have the need to feel comfortable. How can you make them feel more comfortable? The Velocity Selling Cycle has these answers and more. I encourage you to get onboard today. It’s an “eye opening” ride to the top. One you won’t want to miss.

Visit www.BobU.com and download your complimentary White Paper: The New Economy of Buyers. Why Traditional and Consultative Selling Methods no Longer Work.

Tags: sales tips, marketing and sales strategies, sales strategies, increase sales

Let’s face it, people buy from people, particularly people they trust and like, and people who remind them of themselves. Trust and understanding formulate a sturdy foundation for a solid relationship. Therefore, it is important that a sales professional learn how to quickly build rapport and gain the prospect’s trust.

There are a number of factors to consider in order to create a satisfying relationship with a prospect. First you must establish trust. The quickest and most effective method is to develop a strong rapport with the prospect. Then, you can proceed to ask specific questions and acquire further information once a beneficial rapport has been established and the prospect trusts you. Without trust, the prospect will not willingly answer any questions. You are about to discover the most important first step in the selling process of the Velocity Selling System.

The contemporary meaning of “building rapport” is to achieve a sense of relationship, agreement, and harmony. However, the word “rapport” is derived from the old French language and means “to bring back”. In sales, the concept of “bringing back” depicts the true meaning of “building rapport.”
Building rapport is an ongoing process and is only the beginning of the overall sales effort. As a result, you will have both short-range and long-range objectives for building rapport.

Short-Range Objectives

These are some typical short-range objectives for building rapport.

1. Make the prospect comfortable in the sales situation.
2. Find out why the prospect is present, gain a sense of the prospect’s needs, and discover how you can learn more about their particular needs.
3. Ensure that you will be able to continue the sales effort beyond the first encounter.

It is imperative you meet all of these objectives if you expect the prospect to be interested long enough for you to earn the right to proceed.

Long-Range Objectives
Here are some typical long-range objectives for building rapport.

1. Gain the prospect’s attention immediately and begin an informative and rewarding dialogue with said prospect.
2. Begin building a fundamental rapport between you and the prospect — the sense of “harmony, affinity, and agreement” that is key to your success.
3. Earn the right to proceed. Ensure the prospect will stay with you (and return if necessary), thus positioning yourself to learn everything about the prospect’s needs, and ultimately, complete the sale.

A key point about building rapport is this endeavour is an ongoing process which begins early in the sales effort. A sturdy rapport is by far the most important first step to building long term relationships.

Keep in mind that people buy from people first. If they buy from you, they trust you, and a mutually beneficial relationship begins. Your job as a sales professional is primarily to maintain that relationship.

You must create a secondary sales force via word of mouth which is the most valuable referral program. I urge you to stop selling and start building relationships.

Tags: marketing and sales strategies, sales coaching, how to sell, increase sales

Nonetheless, what do most organizations do when the economy heads south? They cut costs, typically in the wrong areas such as training, sales conferences, coaching and sale personnel. Sales motivation does not exist. They create an environment of uncertainty as well as contributing to and supporting the downfall of the economy.

Somewhere along the way the corporate world must understand that the economic world revolves around sales. There won’t be any transactions without sales and consequently, there is no revenue without transactions. Without revenue, organizations cannot survive, and no one would have a job. Sales is the heart of most jobs in an organization.

Sales is by far the most important profession in every organization, in every industry, and in every country in the world. The world revolves around sales. Without sales, the economy dwindles and we head directly into a recession. We cannot stay afloat without sales motivation.

Now is not the time to cut back in sales personnel, sales training, or sales motivation. Now is the time to step up and to increase your sales force or at least, maintain and motivate the present sales force.

Why? It is not considered selling simply by taking orders during a booming economy. It is necessary that organizations have a strong, sales motivational structure during these uncertain times. The sales group must seek out sales transactions even when their prospects are few and far between.

There is a definite need to target efforts in a direction that will give you measurable results within a short period of time – R.O.T.I. – Return On Time Invested.

Marketing and prospecting activities need to step up because one must do more to sell and do more to maintain any sales during this uncertain economy.

In order to accomplish all these things and many more that are unlisted, you need a sales motivating environment. You also need a sales motivated Management team to support a motivated sales team.

It is most important to engage, create and maintain a vibrant and sales motivating environment. One in which the sales people and the support team take ownership.

How do you do that?

Your can improve your current environment. Get your team together and engage them in finding the solution. Make it the team’s idea and allow them to take ownership and ultimately, make it happen. Now is the time for Management to be the facilitator and/or coach. Help your sales team get where they want to go.

As an expert in motivation, I know you cannot make someone else motivated. Only you can motivate you. Management can simply create an environment in which people motivate themselves.

Any attempt to motivate someone else is considered external motivation. External motivation is temporary and usually doesn’t last. However, personal or internal motivation is the true and deepest form of motivation. Internal motivation is everlasting.

We must engage teams to challenge themselves and find the solutions. I reiterate the need to create an ideal environment in which motivation comes from within the individual. In turn, that forward moving environment will stem from Management’s support and trust in the sales team.

There is an additional challenge. People have a natural tendency to be negative especially during slow or uncertain times. I strongly suggest you turn that negativity into a challenge. Firstly, re-secure your team’s trust before moving forward. If the organization has already contributed to cost cutting by eliminating part of the team and/or the sales training and conferences; then, involve the remaining team to work on the solutions.

They must believe in themselves and the future of the organization. Management can turn a negative into a positive with the right perspective and discipline. Move sales motivation to the front of the class and don’t ignore the possibilities of positive reinforcement.

Tags: how to sell, marketing and sales strategies, increase sales, sales tips

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.

Tags: sales techniques, free sales training, sales coaching, increase sales