Softer Side of Selling

Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling

Overcoming Price Objection

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Overcome the objection and make the sale.

Overcome the price objection and make the sale.

Dealing With A Price Objection

Price is the monetary value we place on the product or service we sell. It represents what our customer is willing to pay for the solution to the problem they are trying to solve.

For most products, the marketplace sets the price a customer will pay to exchange their money for the good or service you are selling. For mass-marketed consumer products, competition limits the price for a product. But for unique one-of-a-kind solutions to products, the benefit of solving a problem drives the price.

Should You Move On?

What’s a salesperson to do when they get to the close and the customer thinks the price is too high to pay? Or the customer says: “I can get this for less money from your competitor.”

One approach could be to pack up your brief case and thank the customer for their time and move on. Then look for their reaction. If they are happy to see you go, move on to the next prospect. But if they are uneasy that you are pulling out, it’s probably a strong signal they want to work with you but need help in justifying the price.

Or Start Over?

If you choose to try to overcome the price objection, begin by again reviewing the problem they are looking to solve. How much is that costing them? If they use your solution, how quick is the payback? Is there added value by using your solution, your company, and you that they can’t get elsewhere? When presenting to a decision making group, find out who is driving the price objection and what their motivation is.

What’s Your Advantage?

Let’s say you are selling a part to a growing manufacturing company. Their current supplier can’t keep up with their demand so they are looking for a second source. The part you are selling is suitable for the application but it is 10% more expensive than the current supplier because they are only buying a small quantity from you. You have agreed to have a guaranteed stock level at all times to meet their demand and you can ship in one day compared to three days from the current supplier. All this adds a level of comfort to the buyer and the added value of not running out of the part and shutting down production would exceed the additional cost. Plus you can offer a volume discount for larger order quantities that would reduce the price difference between the buyer’s sources.

Avoiding the Price Objection

The key to overcoming the price objection is to know what value your product or service adds to the customer’s business. When you have been talking value and benefit compared to their budget all along through the selling process, then the price objection rarely happens at the close. The best sales people have nailed down the price expectation before the closing presentation.

For even more sales help, join our FREE Sales Club! “See” you next week.

Good selling!
Don Crawford & Lois Carter Crawford

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Prospecting

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Prospecting for customers cam be more profitable than prospecting for gold!

Prospecting for customers is like prospecting for gold!

Are You a Great Prospector?

Prospecting superstars don’t have some secret formula. And they don’t leave sales up to chance. They put effort into what they do. They give it their best try and they do a lot of things right.

Here are some of the things they do:

  • They willingly give referrals.
  • They always get referrals.
  • They settle for no one but the decisionmaker.
  • They confront stalls and put-offs head on.
  • They grab the prospect’s attention in the first few seconds of the telephone call.
  • They make a lot of calls.
  • They have a high tolerance for rejection.
  • Their prospecting antenna is always up.

Great prospectors are constantly working on their behavior, attitude and technique.

How Good Are You?

Look at the list above and rate yourself: 5 points if you are expert at a task 1 point if you never do it. 35 to 40 points? I’ll bet you are a superstar. Less than 35 points? Look at the weakest ones for you and practice them one by one until you are expert at each one.

All successful sales begin by identifying good prospects. Who is your best prospect? Get prospecting!

For even more sales help, join our FREE Sales Club! “See” you next week.

Good selling!
Don Crawford & Lois Carter Crawford

 

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Plan for Success

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Plan for success and become victorious.

Plan for success and become victorious.

Planning Is Everything

Plan for success; don’t plan to fail. You have likely heard it said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Or put another way by President Eisenhower, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”

Whatever you are trying to do rarely works out as planned, but the process of planning prepares you for success.

Who Plans?

The best salespeople plan. They plan the month, the week, the day, and each sales call. In each person’s sales funnel there are prospects at various stages of the buying process. Near the top are those who have just begun thinking about a purchase and at the bottom are the few who are not ready to buy. And they are distributed throughout your sales territory.

The best companies have an annual sales plan. Each territory is assigned a sales goal and perhaps a goal for each product line or type of customer in the territory. The salesperson’s job is to meet or exceed those goals. The goals are met by following a plan laying out the sales activities to be done each day.

Review & Look Ahead

During the time set aside each week for planning, review what happened the previous week. Look at your sales funnel to see which customers need the most attention in the coming week. If you have a large geographic area for a sales territory, divide it into several compact areas and spread your time among them over a month or several months depending on your business model. Begin setting or confirming previously set meeting times; then build your weekly schedule around them. Remembering what President Eisenhower said, also have other prospects in mind for when a meeting is cancelled.

Get Ready

Once you have a confirmed sales meeting, you need to prepare for the meeting. What is your goal for that meeting? Of course the answer depends on where you are in the sales process for the customer. If they are early in the selling cycle, the sales call goal might be to build rapport and learn more about upcoming needs. Perhaps it is the first meeting with the decisionmaker and your goal is to find out how decisions are made and to review and confirm the discussions you have previously had with others on the sales team. Whatever the goal is, write it down.

Then make a sales call plan which will lead to achieving the goal. Note what you might need to bring to the meeting. Arrange for technical or management support to join you if necessary. List what you know about the customer’s need so far and what other information you might need. Role play the meeting in your mind or aloud as you drive. Be as prepared as you can be.

Being prepared means that when you begin each day you know exactly where you are headed and what you plan to accomplish. Be ready for the pleasant surprises that will happen and unexpected challenges popping up. Don’t get to the end of your driveway only to stop and think, “Is it left-turn day or a right-turn day?” Work your well-planned day.

But remember: only in the movies does life follow the script.

Qualify

If your business model is a one-call-close, be prepared to quickly qualify the buyer and move on if they are not ready to buy. Know the questions to ask and how to build value before discussing price. Make sure all parties involved in the buying decision are present so you know the decision can be made.

And most importantly, get a commitment up front when you ask for the order. Convey to the decisionmakers that the only two acceptable answers are “yes” or “no.” “I want to think it over” is the worst answer you can hear because, in truth, you are the only one thinking it over. Clear up any misunderstandings and again try to get the order.

Without planning, success seldom happens. Plan for success and achieve your goals.

For even more sales help, join our FREE Sales Club! “See” you next week.

Good selling!
Don Crawford & Lois Carter Crawford

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Focus on Behavior

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Forget attitude—focus on behavior

Forget attitude—focus on behavior

Forget Attitude…Focus on Behavior

I’ll bet you have heard more than one motivational speaker talk about positive mental attitude and how important it is in the quest for success in sales.

Your Attitude Doesn’t Have to be Sparkly

I am more interested in the daily behavior of salespeople, that is, the daily level of activity accomplished. It is behavior—not attitude—that makes all the difference in performance.

  • How many calls did you make to prospects?
  • How many follow-up calls did you make to customers?
  • How many referrals did you request?

Nobody’s attitude can be 100% every day. There are days when we feel a little “down,” and that’s okay. We control our behavior—our level of activity. We cannot always control our attitude.

Surprise Yourself

If you focus on what you do—not how you feel—you’ll find that at the end of the month, you may have accomplished a lot on the days when you were “up” as well as the days when you were “down.”

Focus on Behavior

Tasks done well will affect your attitude.

I remember one blustery, rainy day when I worked in Chicago. The weather forecast wasn’t going to get much better and the traffic conditions were terrible. I left with plenty of time to get to the first meeting with a new potential customer. Walking through the driving rain from my car to the office I must have looked like a drowned rat.

The prospect had invited several of us competitors to a pre-bid meeting for a new project. By the time I got to the company I was a few minutes late. The receptionist said I was the first to arrive, took my wet coat and hat, and invited me to wait in the conference room. In a few minutes the purchaser arrived and we chatted.

One by one the other invitees called to regret not being able to get to the meeting. As a result, the purchaser and I discussed the project alone, and I got the details for which to prepare a proposal. Then he gave me the budget he had in mind for the project and said since I was committed enough to show up, assuming I could meet the budget, we would get the business.

For a day that started with a poor attitude, doing the necessary behavior resulted in success and a wonderful change in attitude. Don’t be preoccupied with your attitude. Do the necessary behavior.

For even more sales help, join our FREE Sales Club! “See” you next week.

Good selling!
Don Crawford

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Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling

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Available on Amazon

Secrets of the Softer Side of SellingWhether you’re early in your career or an old pro, Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling authors Don and Lois Crawford show you how to achieve your goals—even if you never believed it was possible. If you’re new to sales, or you own a business and have finally figured out that your job title really includes “sales director” or “sales rep,” this book could be the flat-out best book you’ll ever read.

Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling is laid out in easy-to-read chapters. Each chapter has an exercise section to help you practice the skill or technique. There are proven self-evaluation drills that challenge you to increase your strengths and overcome your weaknesses.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • The “secret” six-step sales process
  • Simple ways to build rapport
  • How to discover the prospect’s budget
  • Simple buyer behaviors to watch for
  • When to make a sales presentation
  • When to stop selling
  • How to make cold calls fun
  • How to handle the competition
  • How to manage customers for life
  • When to fire your customers

Learn More or Buy Now

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Go For The “No”

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When is "No Sale" a good thing?

When is “No Sale” a good thing?

Go For The “No”

Salespeople love to hear the word “Yes,” and dislike hearing the word “No.” Often when we hear “No,” we panic. We frequently think we did something wrong—sometimes even allowing it to wound our self-image. But be strong, and don’t take it personally!

When Can “No” Be Good?

It’s true. A “No” can actually be good. Because when the prospect says, “No,” the real selling starts.

Ask Why

All you need to say is, “I certainly respect what you are saying, but, off the record, you said “No” for a reason?” Quite often, your prospect will tell you. You may be surprised to find that you can quickly overcome the objections and soon get to “Yes.”

Put Your Fears Aside

Don’t be afraid to hear a “No.” Most times a “No” indicates a misunderstanding that can be cleared up. Why did the prospect say “No”? Ask clarifying questions to better understand why. If you can meet the objection and confirm the prospect is satisfied, then again ask for the order. Flush it out. You’ll know exactly where you stand and you’ll feel good about yourself.

So when can “no” be good? Sometimes you may have to “Go for the ‘No’” so you can start selling.

For even more sales help, join our FREE Sales Club! “See” you next week.

Good selling!
Don Crawford & Lois Carter Crawford

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Carefully Choose

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Carefully ChooseSpeaking to Prospects & Customers

The words we use when we speak with prospects and customers affect the outcome of the sales presentation. Think about and carefully choose the words you use to improve sales.

Proposal vs. Quote

Are you after a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship? Sounds a lot like marriage. Do we “quote” to the one we love or “propose?”

Price vs. Cost

Cost has a negative connotation. Price is more appealing. Have you ever seen a “cost tag” in a furniture store?

Benefit vs. Feature

People buy benefits. Think about drill bits. Carpenters and machinists really want holes. If your drill bit lasts longer than the competition, the
customer gets more holes per bit.

Want vs. Need

We buy what we want not what we need. I need transportation to get me to work. I want my own car rather than taking the bus.

Share vs. Tell

From the earliest age, our mothers taught us to share. “Would you share your budget with me?” is better than “Tell me your budget.”

BONUS TIP: Can vs. Will

Can denotes the person has the power to do. Will is optional. “Can you make a decision today?” asks whether they have the ability to decide. While “Will you purchase six cases of this fine wine?” begs for excuses like “I would, but my wine cellar is full, sorry.”

For even more sales help, join our FREE Sales Club! “See” you next week.

Good selling!
Don Crawford & Lois Carter Crawford

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It’s Here!

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Secrets of the Softer Side of SellingSecrets of the Softer Side of Selling, Second Edition
 Available on Amazon

We are pumped! We’re happy to let you know that Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling was published today! It’s now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format. Did you know that even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can get the free Kindle app so you can read it on your device?

So go get your copy now. Please? And when you do, we’d love it if you would leave a review on Amazon.

Good Selling!
Don & Lois Carter Crawford

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Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling: At the Printer

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It’s Almost Here! (New Book at the Printer)

Secrets of the Softer Side of SellingOur new Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling, Second Edition book and ebook have been uploaded for printing and distribution. Both versions will be available on Amazon by October 17, our launch date!

Boom-chucka-lucka!

We are still finalizing our launch plan, but there will be deals.

Improve Sales Results

Whether you’re early in your career or an old pro, Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling will show you how to achieve your goals—even if you never believed it was possible. If you’re new to sales, or you own a business and have finally figured out that your job title really includes “sales director” or “sales rep,” this book could be the flat-out best book you’ll ever read.

Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling is laid out in easy-to-read chapters. Each chapter has “Challenge Yourself” section to help you practice the skill or technique. We include proven self-evaluation drills that challenge you to increase your strengths and overcome your weaknesses.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • The “secret” six-step sales process
  • Simple ways to build rapport
  • How to discover the prospect’s budget
  • Simple buyer behaviors to watch for
  • When to make a sales presentation
  • When to stop selling
  • How to make cold calls fun
  • How to handle the competition
  • How to manage customers for life
  • When to fire your customers

While You Are Waiting, Did You Join Our FREE Sales Club?

 

 

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