Well, the family is off in Hawaii visiting my mother in law. I feel obligated to pay my readers back for the neglect of the last week. Therefore, this post couples a training document I am now giving away to everyone on and everyone that joins my blog e-mail list! Just sign up in the upper right corner and I will send you the link to download starting 2/10/2008. The slides are yours to use for study or with your teams.

One thing that is consistent with being exceptionally talented at moving the right deals through the right phases of the sale is “knowing your buyer”. Knowing your buyer starts with understanding what you are offering and who is ready to buy it. Then it is imperative to know exactly what type of person you are working with and how to communicate with them.

I have broken this post down into sections that parallel the slides in the training.

Reasons people do not buy:

• A lack of trust in the salesperson – With habits like “How are you today”, and “Just checking in/following up”, sales people tend to get pigeon-holed as, well sales people. When you build a relationship, speak as if you are speaking to your friends and family, not a prospect (See trainings 1-5).

• They do not feel comfortable with the salesperson – Another common habit is to pitch then pull the prospect of the finish line. Comfort comes from getting to feel like you are being heard. So LISTEN TO YOUR BUYERS!

• They are asked to buy something they do not need or want – Another symptom of the pitch and pull. If you listen early you can let them go.

• They feel they are being pressured – Build a relationship based on mutual trust and you will get sales when buyers understand your offering and how it benefits them. More sales are lost by sales reps that actually have the right product but bullied instead of educating.

• The salesperson has not addressed their skepticism – Early on in the sales process it is beneficial to educate yourself on the type of buyer you are working with. Learn who they are then let them get to know you. This will afford you the ability to alleviate doubt.

Next I want to run you through the types of buyers by stage and personality. Stage means when they are ready to buy something. That friend of yours who always has a gadget before it is on the market, he is the innovator. He tends to buy things that break and no-one follows his lead.

When that gadget is de-bugged and you have a co-worker who tells all of her friends about her latest discovery, she is the early adopter. Next week the rest of the office has one (the majority), except the one guy who will not buy it until he is absolutely the last person to own it (Laggard).

The five types of buyers by product stage:

Innovators

• The smallest group of early buyers.
• The “techies” of the marketplace; willing to experiment with anything new.
• They have a high degree of self-confidence and are turned on by new widgets representing the latest technology.
• They may influence other buyers in their same group, but their purchases do not lead to a widespread trend.
• Less than 2% of the marketplace.

Early adopters

• The true opinion leaders who set examples by their decisions.
• Respected agents of change. They try a new product if it will improve their lifestyle or business.
• They need to understand the benefits and will seek out references from other satisfied users before making a purchase.
• Around 15% of the marketplace.

Early majority

• This group is slower to try new products, entering into the market only after their peers have actively embraced the product.
• They are far more pragmatic and less technology-driven than the previous groups.
• They are looking for modest productivity improvement, and they care about the longevity and reputation of the company providing the product.
• 35-40% of the marketplace

Late majority

• This group is slower to try new products, entering into the market only after their peers have actively embraced the product.
• They are far more pragmatic and less technology-driven than the previous groups.
• They are looking for modest productivity improvement, and they care about the longevity and reputation of the company providing the product.
• 35-40% of the marketplace

Excessive traditionalists

• They wait until price has bottomed out, competition is intense, and the product has become an absolute need.
• They tend to purchase products the other groups would consider obsolete.
• If they are in the approval cycle for new products in a business, they will try to block the purchase of products the other groups might buy.
• Luckily, they represent only 5% percent of any market

The stage your product is in should align with who you are selling it to. Laggards will not be part of your first 10% of customers, and innovators will have moved on by the time the majority has embraced your solution.

Then there are the four types of buyers by personality; understanding these character dynamics are critical developing value propositions that sing the song that sells:

Dynamic– Driven and Ambitious

• Highly driven or ambitious people tend to run large companies
• They avoid people as ambitious as they are. You rarely find more than one at the top of a company.
• They are insecure and have a profound need for others to view them as important.
• You must treat them with respect, speak quickly and to the point, and show them how to increase their effectiveness and bottom line.

Dynamic– Friendly and Influential

• Those that are predominantly influencing or friendly have a profound need to be accepted and approved.
• They are enthusiastic, upbeat, and eager to please.
  They want to know that our services will make them look better to their colleagues and the world.
• They do things to enhance their image as an up-to-date leader. An emotional buyer!
• They want to know the relationship you have with them is more important to you than the sale.

Discerning – Steadfast and loyal

• Calm and soft spoken, particular in their relationships.
• Shy away from aggressiveness.
• Tend to develop trust slowly, but it has a lasting effect.
• Avoid conflict and rarely share objections without solicitation.
• Do not enjoy the natural course of the buying process.
• Make up over 40% of the purchasing population.

Discerning – Conscientious

• The analytical buyer, most common in the corporate work environment.
• Forthcoming with objections and tend to compare products.
• Will spend time in each stage of a sale, focusing on due diligence.
• The most analytical of buyers.
• About 25-30% of the marketplace.

So, it is important to take time to understand the buyer. Learn their particular individual traits and you can learn how to read between the lines. Much is said with demeanor and presence that is never said with words.

} Take their tones of communication and study to gauge your opportunity
} Study and repeat common phrasing
} Speak to what they think is important
} Ask questions to which they have already hinted at the answer
} Reveal what is needed to achieve goals

Do some Role Playing with a friend, your team, or a co-worker. Try different scenarios and have some fun with it! It will only improve your sales.

When training a sales person to become a champion, it is imperative that this step be a often addressed and tested focus. We all habitually move away from this part of the process and assume we already know the answers. What happens when these assumptions are made is at some further stage a deal falls through. It is the bane of many a sales rep and causes frustration all the way up the chain.

Once they have started to get to know someone, the purpose of their visit tends to naturally expose itself. Their objective, and it is no secret, is to engage in a relationship that involves selling their offering to the prospect. This is the part of the discovery process that will truly determine if they are working with someone who has the potential of becoming a good customer. I state good, because the belief that any customer is a good customer is a fallacy.

What is critical at this stage is that they develop their prospect into a willing prospect. This willingness should come from an honest and open dialog about the prospect company’s goals, including but not limited to the goals of the prospect and the other people involved with the decision. Willingness should come from a thorough education from both parties FOR both parties. If you are not sure of something, ask! If you meet resistance, ask why! If the prospect does not want to help you learn about what they want to do, chances are they do not really want to buy from you at all.

Here are some engaging questions to ask a prospect when trying to determine what they want to do?
1. How long have you been thinking about something like (what you offer, offering specific not company specific)?
2. What has made it more of a priority?
3. Do you see any other adjustments that may impact utilizing (the concepts behind what you offer)?
4. What are your plans regarding (something relevant to your offering) over the next couple of years?
5. What trends in (something relevant to their industry) may cause you to reevaluate decisions over the next few months.
6. Who decided it was time to look at (an offering like yours)?

These questions cry out an interest in their business goals, not just your goals as a sales person. In sincerely asking them, and paying attention to the responses, you are showing your prospect that you care about their business beyond the initial sale. This should be your concern and if it is not, perhaps you have chosen the wrong profession. Sales representatives in the 2.0 sense should consider themselves trusted advisors. If you can build yourself into the advisory role, you will make a loyal customer base that will either keep on buying, and/or refer others to buy as well.

This logic applies whether you are selling shoes at a mall, software over the phones or multi-million dollar jets to the rich and famous. Here is another set of questions that can help determine what a prospect wants to do.

1. Have you looked at any other solutions besides (what you offer)?
2. What else has impacted this decision to do (what is done with what you offer)?
3. If you could picture the perfect (offering), what would it look like?

These questions will expose the possible challenges you will face when your actual offering is proposed. Without this crucial data it is highly likely that your sale will stall, slip, or get lost.

Delivery: 7

In his book Red-Hot Cold Call Selling, Paul Goldner delivers some of the best concepts in prospecting. While his scripts are not strong and should be completely ignored by junior sales reps, his structure and organizational tips are fantastic. His pipeline development also showcases a methodology that will all but guarantee results.

He has a decent writing style and it make it easy to breeze through his book. His simple diagrams and charts can be followed by anyone. New readers will eat this up, and if you implement his workstyle, you will immediately see results. Some of his recommendations, like using a CRM, or constant pipeline adjustment are really geared at the younger, and less experienced salesperson.

Concept: Workflow – 9 Communication Style – 4

Here we have a dichotomy of opinions. As I stated, his path is might. Unfortunately his scripts are horrendous, and I firmly believe that they work for him only because he is a talented sales person that plays the numbers game. He also really pushes getting the appointment in a manner that will not always lead to a positive collaboration.

The basic concept of starting with a target audience and working the prospects that fit that criterion is superb. His recommendation to build your prospecting muscles and to prospect every day, fantastic! His goals of starting with a basic meeting request and then keeping people in the pipeline by offering unique selling points, truly reminded me of how to continue building relationships. The key point he makes and validates is that not everyone is ready to buy from you today, and by wasting your time with the unwilling or not ready, you miss the real opportunities.

He does have an opinion, as so many authors seem to, on what you say. He spends three pages justifying the phrase, “How are you today?” This is quite possibly the weakest introduction a sales person can use. He justifies it by claiming that it does not hurt his sales, and tells a story about his successful communication with a high level executive at a European company. In Europe, he claims it is the greatest taboo to ask how you are today, and he had no problems when he used it. All I can say is that if it works for him fine, but in the modern calling era, when everyone asks it, and no one means it, it starts a relationship off insincerely. The average C level, VP level, or Director level prospect will probably tune you out from the moment you ask it. All of his scripts have this flaw along with one other. He pitches a value point out the gate. While this alone is not an issue, in fact I recommend it if you can approach it from another company’s success. My issue is with this part of his scripts, “Is this something you are seeing/facing/trying to accomplish?” This line of questioning is what sets people off and often you have surrendered to one qualification instead of broadly approaching an opportunity. I would prefer using something that directs how a problem was diagnosed and solved. I suggest not asking if it relates, but let them see how you used deduction to accomplish something.

His use of enthusiasm is fantastic; however he stresses the word great every time a prospect responds to a question; even when he has made an issue statement. I am perplexed by this, since the prospect probably does not think their problem is great. I prefer mixing up my power words and in the case of just hearing a problem, fascinating would be a better option. Use words like, “excellent, superb, terrific, absolutely, definitely, terrific, and yes great.” Just mix them up so you are not using the same word to transfer enthusiasm over and over again.

Message: 8

The message Paul Goldner delivers is simple and needs little stated about it.

1. Research prospects in your specified market. Use a lead source like Hoovers.
2. Determine who are your highest priority accounts, then middle, then low.
3. Make as many calls to these prospects every day.
4. Ask them to enter discovery, either in person, or over the phone.
5. Accept no’s as an opportunity to move them further out in the pipeline.
6. Create five unique selling points that differentiate your product from the rest of the market.
7. Deliver these unique points over time as needed to get into discovery.
8. Track everything in a CRM.
9. Track your activity through reporting to keep yourself honest.
10.
If you are diligent with this process, you will find more sales coming to you every day.

Overall score: 7

Over all Paul Goldner delivers a powerful training in how to build a pipeline through cold calling. It is an easy read and he shows a clear path to success. While his scripting and communication style is not one that everyone will find beneficial, he lays out a callback program that will be effective. This book lays out down foundation for self motivated lead generation that can help anyone become more successful at sales. It is a must read for either the new sales rep or anyone struggling to maintain their pipeline.

I find it mind boggling how many sales representatives get an opportunity to really communicate with a prospect and talk their ear off. I find it even more tremendous how many sales managers coach their people to ask only enough questions to find the pitching point. Finally it completely leaves me huddled in the corner of my cube wondering how you could enter this critical phase without an objective list for information gathering.

To begin, the qualification stage of the sale, or the discovery/interviewing phase, should be thorough and thought out. The initial goal of this meeting or call should be to UNDERSTAND THE CONTACT! Learn about their role and responsibilities. Learn the hierarchy and how they fit into the mix. What are their personal goals for today and tomorrow, and where did they come from? If you start with some simple questions, you can learn an amazing amount of information. The key at the beginning of the discovery phase is to be vague, and let people pick the path for information. You will continue to guide them towards your objectives, but if you can steer them with the right questions, it will give them a sense of control.

Some examples of questions and flow:

“So, Ms./Mr. prospect, tell me what do you do?”

People laugh at me when I suggest this, and I assure you the question sometimes gets met with, “What do you mean?” and we will address that response in a moment. You can learn an immense amount about a person from which way they take this conversation. Usually the response is a trigger of one of three things:

1. What the person does in their day to day, especially focused on how it relates to your offering – A tactical mind that is only looking at the basics. The details will be important and objections will come without the authority to make them.
2. What the department does and how they fit in – A more strategic mind, but still looking at only their team’s level of responsibility. Probably a pleaser and will buy into anything that makes them looks good.
3. What the company does, how their department assists, and perhaps finally how they fit into the equation – Keep an eye on this person, they are going far. You want to think of this person as an executive. R.O.I. will eventually be your course of action.

Listen for cues of disdain within each answer. This too is a trigger point on how happy they are with their job, their department, or the company as a whole. It might also end up as a selling point if you can eliminate that disdain.

This answer will also provide you with the ability to choose your next set of questions. If they want to talk about themselves, ask questions specific to how they do their job. If they get into department, ask about hierarchy and departmental initiatives. If you get into the strategic thinker, ask their opinions on how the company functions and get them to give you a strength and weakness analysis on how they do what they do. This course is not as hard as you think, as people love to talk, especially about their passions. Even if we do not like our jobs, most of us are passionate about them. If there is no passion in your contact, and you cannot instill any, they probably are not going to be too great an asset. That is, unless they are the decision maker.

Now, if I get that rebuttal I mentioned earlier, or for some reason I be a bit more specific:

“Help me understand your role (or your department’s role) at the company?”

I can count on one hand the number of times I have asked this question and received a response that was less than a minute long. I have asked this question THOUSANDS OF TIMES! If you think that is not a big deal, stop reading and count to 60 RIGHT NOW!

People love the sound of their name, and to talk about themselves, even shy people get in the groove when they feel someone really cares about them. If you are a true salesperson, looking to make a career out of taking care of people, you should care about them. That said, your job now is to get them to reveal the inner workings of the company in relation to you, your competitors, their core processes, products and problems. Treat every contact as someone you want to get to know; not just professionally, but personally. If you can build this habit into your initial phase of qualifying, you are taking a huge step towards building a long term bond. People buy from people they like, and everyone tends to like people if they know they are going to listen.

The good prospecting script; man how I hate the phrase script for developing a good combination of words for starting off a conversation. I do not mean dislike, I mean hate. We, meaning the sales community could come up with a better phrase for this part of the process. Perhaps we could change it to speech. There it is done. I am going to discuss the essential parts to a well thought out and easily delivered speech that can get your prospects to START TALKING. This is the goal of every sales person in the known universe. Build relationship by getting people to start talking.How can we accomplish this difficult task of intruding on someone’s hectic day and politely requesting them to pay attention to us? The answer is simple; GET TO THE POINT AND DELIVER ACTION!

I agree that an important part of selling is a transfer of our enthusiasm for our products or services to our prospects. The cold call is the beginning of this relationship and it should start with purpose and respect. While opinions will land in every camp as to what makes a good opening statement (Speech), there is a certainty. Time is a premium you cannot afford to waste. Let’s examine some opinions:

1. Do not say “How are you today” The H.A.Y.T. crime.
a. I agree with this one, especially for less seasoned reps and calls to really important people. No one believes you care, and it starts your relationship with an implied insincerity.
b. Many out there disagree and I can share this: I used to do it and when I stopped I made more money…PERIOD. I can assure you that I have taught many to lose it and the MADE MORE MONEY TOO! For those who disagree I say, it is your call, but I assure you that it would be more effective for you to stop saying it than for those of us who do not to start.

2. Deliver a concise intro that offers respect for time.
a. My favorite is, “I have two things to discuss, it will take less than five minutes.”
b. Whatever it is, it should be a statement not a question, and it should deliver a variable of time allowance for your contact to determine if they have the time to continue.

3. Offer some comparison that will build your reputation.
a. Use a known alliance
b. Drop a reference they will know

4. There are two schools that I am indifferent about and really think it depends on your style. One says state your name, the other says, they do not care and do not give it until they ask.

5. Always say there name. If you do not know who to call, deliver your speech to the person that answers the phone, but repeat their name. It was Carnegie who said, and again I paraphrase, that the sound everyone thinks it the sweetest is that of their own name.

6. Pause often and at the right times. This person was not waiting for your call. If you ramble without giving them time to digest each part, you will lose them before you begin. If you disagree with this one, I am avidly waiting to hear why.

7. Get yeses early and often. Even though they are closed ended, ask questions about things you already know. Perhaps confirm an address or a fax number.

8. Close on your next goal! This is getting a time commitment to call back or visit the prospect. Do not go too far on this first call, just get a commitment to meet or talk more.

Here are some basic examples of what I mean:

“Hi, _____, you said _____ right? This is Karl Goldfield with Coaching Sales Champions. (Pause) I have two things to discuss and it will take less than five minutes. (Pause) First, we have worked for the last year with (Your Competitor), and helped them do (WHATEVER). Second I wanted to learn more about how you address XYZ. (Once they answer) I think we should meet/talk more. I will be in your area/call you back on _____ at _______.”

“Hi _______, this is Karl with Coaching Sales Champions. (Pause)I am a partner of (Very known company they work with). I wanted to send you some information about our product/service. (Pause) Are you still located at ____________. Is your fax still _________. (Pause) What is your e-mail/website/whatever? How would you like to receive the information. Great, now I will be in the area/call you back on _________ at ______.”

“Mr./Ms. _____________ research has shown that without a doubt the market trends in (YOUR INDUSTRY) show a great chance in (SOMETHING HAPPENING). In working with (A COMPANY IN YOUR INDUSTRY YOU RESPECT) I have helped them find strategies that (OVERCOME PROBLEM ALREADY STATED). Without a doubt Coaching Sales Champions can help you manage the same developments as they may arise at (YOUR COMPANY).”Each has a different value and should be used with different levels of companies and prospects. While the first two also depend on strategy and industry knowledge, the third is designed for the C level and VP’s in a large company. You can use it with other top officers and executives, but the real goal is to get them to stop you and take control of the conversation. This group does not really spend much time listening, so getting them to shut you down and take over the conversation is pure gold.

One thing I can assure you is that any time you change or learn a new speech, it sounds unnatural. You must practice it over and over again to get it to flow. My favorite thing about the speech conversation is everyone who has ever had success has an opinion. My opinion is simple, if it works, DO IT, if it does not, listen to someone like me who has done it. HAPPY HUNTING!!!