soft skills

Sales Skill: Creating An Unfair Advantage

09/13/2021 By Don Crawford Leave a Comment

OK, Crawford, what are you doing here? I thought great salespeople were always honorable. Yep, but there are advantages you have over your competitor they don’t have. So those I consider an unfair advantage because others can’t have them. And they give you a leg up when competing for business. Let’s look at how you create an unfair advantage.

An unfair advantage benefits the competitor

What’s Your Unfair Advantage?
Image from Pizabay

First Unfair Advantage Is You!

Only the business you work for has you. So what, you may ask. The competitors have salespeople too. Yes, but they are not you. The knowledge, skill and experience you bring to the prospect is unique. How well you know the benefits of your product or service to the prospect is an advantage. Do you have the selling skills to convince your prospect your solution is perfect? Can you demonstrate experience where you have solved the same or very similar problem for a customer? Great salespeople have the skills to be a personal advantage to the prospect….

Characteristics Of Great Salespeople

08/30/2021 By Don Crawford Leave a Comment

Read the literature today about the characteristics of great salespeople and you will find common traits. And they are different today than those of past generations of great salespeople. Take my dad, the most influential salesperson in my life. He got in his car every Monday morning and headed out to see customers. When he got his customer’s office they would usually see him. No appointment necessary. Maybe he would bring donuts or take a customer to lunch. His tech was the phone on his desk and a Remington typewriter. His research came from his customers, his fellow salespeople and maybe a printed business directory. And my grandfather, another great salesperson used exactly the same tools. But now times are really different as are the characteristics of great salespeople.

Great Salespeople Share Characteristics
Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

Great Salespeople Put The Buyer First

This “putting the buyer first” characteristic of great salespeople is eternal. Both my dad and grandfather had it. But today we do it a bit differently. We have multiple tools to understand the needs of the buyer. By learning about the burdensome business issues the buyer has we have empathy with them. Great salespeople are successful because they put the buyer’s needs first. And we work hard to satisfy those needs with our product or service. Today we are more thought leaders and consultants for the buyer. We connect with buyers and other influencers using the skill of engaging and relevant storytelling. We build rapport and mutual trust between ourselves and the buyer’s team. For generations first among the characteristics of great salespeople has been the skill to put the needs of the buyer above their own….

Sales Skill: Build Trust

08/23/2021 By Don Crawford Leave a Comment

So you have done the research on a prospect. Determined they would be a good customer worth pursuing. Fought your way past the gatekeepers. And now you have a meeting with the decision maker. What’s the most important sales skill you need to have perfected for this meeting? Great salespeople know that getting the prospect to trust them is paramount to eventually closing the deal.

First Build Trust
Image by InspiredImages from Pixabay

What Is Trust?

Trust is developing the relationship where the prospect has confidence in you. When the prospect knows you have their best interest in mind, they will cooperate with you. And you need their cooperation to get answers to your questions. Those answers will lead you to the perfect proposal to win the business….

Sales Skill: Understanding Buyer Stress

06/28/2021 By Don Crawford Leave a Comment

Life in the US is looking like it’s returning to normal. Restaurants are opening, movie theaters, too. Travel for business and pleasure is picking up. People seem a bit more relaxed as the social restrictions are lifted. So that’s all great. But did you hear about the container ship blocking the Suez Canal? How about all those companies with supply chains spread over the world? Ships are in short supply and there are not enough containers. Demand is up but the capability to supply product is in trouble. And there is buyer stress all over the place. What’s a great salesperson to do?

Manage Buyer Stress
Image from Pixabay

Be Customer Focused

Great salespeople put the customer first. They are always in communication with the customer to understand their needs and problems. Some customers are going gangbusters. The demand for their products is high but the challenge is getting the material needed to meet the demand. Be honest. Buyers need salespeople with integrity. Someone they can trust. If you can’t meet the demand tell them then help them find another source. Or maybe an alternate product. Or offer to change the mode of shipment. Perhaps you are a supplier to retail stores. Be listening to your customers about product demand. Then pass the information on to operations so they can shift product mix. By being customer focused you reduce buyer stress….

The Salesperson And The Commencement Address

06/21/2021 By Don Crawford Leave a Comment

My wife and I recently attended the graduation of our oldest grandchild. Listening to the speeches I was struck by how a commencement address reflects on the life of a great salesperson. The messages congratulating the students on their success in high school and encouraging words about the future outline what every great salesperson believes.

Commencement speeches will motivate salespeople too.

Salespeople Learn From A Commencement Address
Image by AdrianMedia from Pixabay

Students, faculty and administration all had similar message. “We survived and indeed thrived COVID-19. And it formed the character of all who lived this unique high school experience.” Great salespeople too have overcome the challenges of the pandemic. So think about the common commencement address themes: vision, passion, humor, kindness, and continue learning. And, of course, to acknowledge and honor achievement….

Sales Skill: Getting to “NO”!

06/14/2021 By Don Crawford Leave a Comment

What you, great salesperson, are shocked that a sales skill is getting to “no”! Think about it. Do you win every sales pursuit? Do you want to convert every prospect to a customer? And aren’t you the one advising those new salespeople that selling is a numbers game? So the sooner you get all those “no’s” out of the way, the quicker you get to “yes”. There are three times in the course of getting the order when getting to “no” is important: Qualifying, Confirming and Presenting.

Go For The “NO”
Image from Pixabay

Qualifying: Looking For The “No”

Great salespeople know they have a qualified prospect when they have rapport with the decision maker, they have a problem you can solve and the budget is there. Any one of these is absent, then you don’t have a qualified prospect. So great salespeople ask good open-ended questions to qualify the prospect. If you can’t build trust and comfort with a prospect, chances are you won’t get good answers. Better to move on. When the prospect doesn’t have a problem they want you to help solve. Time to look for another prospect. No sense waiting to the close to find out they can’t afford your product or service. Get to the budget “no” quickly. Now you see that in the qualifying process getting to “no” quickly saves time.

Confirming

When great salespeople ask good open-ended questions, they hope for answers to lead them toward the successful conclusion of the sale. But we don’t often hear it right. So we ask confirming questions. These questions validate to the prospect we are listening. Confirming questions also help salespeople better understand the prospects mind. In short sales pursuits a confirming question can lead to the close: “If I can get it in blue, would you buy it?” Getting a “no” here gives the salesperson a chance to go on selling by asking other questions about color and other product features. In long sales cycles the “no” along the way offers insight in what it takes to get the “yes”.

Looking For “No” In The Closing Presentation

Now, Crawford, you’ve really lost it! Why put all the work into qualifying a prospect only to hope for “no” in the closing. Good question. Great salespeople are deaf to “no” during the closing presentation. It’s not they don’t hear the word but they interpret it as: “I have a question.” “No” is often an objection. In other words, an appeal for a clarification. So salespeople can find out the reason behind the “no” and go on selling.

The favorite outcome at the end of a sales pursuit is the “yes”. But the least favorite is not “no”; it’s: “I want to think it over.” The salesperson lives in limbo waiting for the prospect to think about it. And most times : “I want to think over” is a polite way for the customer to say “no” without hurting the salesperson’s feelings. Better to have the prospect agree at the beginning of the presentation to tell you “no” if they aren’t going to buy from you. But great salespeople work hard to get the “yes” and they understand the value of “no”.

What You Can Do Right Now Getting To “NO”!

Understand “no” is not personal
Realize “no” is a time saver for you
Treat “no” as an appeal for more information

To learn more sales secrets see Chapter Thirteen, Getting The Order, in Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling. For even more sales encouragement, join our FREE Sales Club! “See” you next week.

Good selling!
Don Crawford

Sales Skill: Focus on Behavior

05/31/2021 By Don Crawford Leave a Comment

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. While enjoying your work and being optimistic is important, successful salespeople focus on behavior. 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?

Forget attitude—focus on behavior

Your Attitude Doesn’t Have to be Sparkly

Nobody’s attitude can be 100% every day. There are days when we feel a little “down,” and that’s okay. I remember reading a biography of Babe Ruth, the star baseball player. He said on days he didn’t feel well he had to play harder to make up for it. The Babe was one to focus on behavior. We control our level of activity. We aren’t always with our best 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 will have accomplished a lot on the days when you were “down” as well as the days when you were “up.” You may not tackle the task list with the same enthusiasm when you are having an “off” day. But great salespeople focus on behavior. And at the end of the day have achieved a lot.

Focus On Behavior

And 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. They 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. Walking through the driving rain from my car to the office I must have looked like a drowned rat. 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. We chatted for a few minutes over steaming mugs of coffee.

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, 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 which started with a poor attitude doing the necessary behavior resulted in success and a wonderful change in attitude.

What You Can Do Right Now To Focus On Behavior

Don’t be preoccupied with your attitude.
Do the necessary behavior!
Enjoy the success for a job well done

To learn more sales secrets see Chapter Three, Being a Great Salesperson, in Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling. For even more sales encouragement, join our FREE Sales Club! “See” you next week.

Good selling!
Don Crawford

Establish Your Mompreneur Lifestyle Today

05/03/2021 By Don Crawford Leave a Comment

The Softer Side of Selling is pleased to present a guest blog post by Leslie Campos at Wellparents.com, a mompreneur. Thanks Leslie for filling in while Don was on vacation! Not a mom looking to start or grow your own business? Show this article to someone you know who is.

Mompreneurs Rock!
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

Mompreneurs Rock!

Are you a mom with a dream of owning your own business? Do you have the motivation, skill, and work ethic required to take care of not only your children but also a company that, in some ways, is like a child unto itself? There’s no time like the present to get started with your own business and live that “mompreneur” life you’ve been dreaming of. Let’s take a look at how moms can start — and grow — their own sales business:

Choose your business model

Do you know what you want to sell? Maybe you make small crafts or knit blankets, or maybe you want to sell your skills as a tax preparation expert instead. Whatever your product or service, you need to make sure you can support it with good business practices. Becoming a successful mompreneur doesn’t happen overnight — it takes time, dedication, and a detailed business plan.

Your business model is, put simply, your plan for how your company is going to make money. In a more complicated sense, it’s a map of how value moves from you to your customers and back to you.

Form an LLC

Creating a limited liability company (LLC) is another business-related activity that you want to consider. LLCs offer several advantages to small-business owners, including pass-through taxes, personal asset protection, and flexibility when it comes to how your business should be run. Personal asset protection (i.e., limited personal liability) is especially important: Essentially, if someone wants to sue your company, your personal assets (e.g., house, car, etc.) cannot be taken from you.

Head over to https://www.virginiallc.net/ because a formation service allows you to avoid hefty lawyer fees. Just make sure you research the regulations in your state before moving ahead as rules can be different, depending on where you’re located.

Cultivate your selling skills

As you’re starting your business and getting your feet under you, you will want to make sure you build up several skills that will make your job easier in the long run. As an at-home salesperson, for instance, you need to be an expert at cold-calling potential customers — one of the things we’ll teach you at Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling. It may seem frightening but keeping your eye on the prize and picking up the phone to make initial contact is a great way to make sales.

Make a list of potential customers from your target demographic, write a script for what you’re going to say, and set aside several hours to make those calls. And if you don’t get many bites, don’t get discouraged — even one sale is better than zero!

Taking care of your whole life

Working from home is something else you will have to contend with — and working from home with kids at that. Taking care of your children and your business at the same time can sound like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be scary. Set schedules, make to-do lists, and make sure your children know you’re working at certain times of the day (if they’re old enough to understand).

The elusive work/life balance doesn’t have to be so. The key here is setting boundaries and making sure everyone is respecting them — including you. Focusing separately on family and on work at different times of the day is important. Devoting half of yourself to one and half to the other leaves a lot to be desired on both sides. Instead, fully focus on each at different times. This becomes easier if you have a partner or babysitter to share the burden of watching your children, of course.

Another way to improve work/life balance (and get your much-needed nutrition for the week) is to meal prep on Sundays before the work week begins. This serves multiple purposes. First, you’re getting your meals (or lunches, at least) done so you don’t have to spend time during the week cooking. Second, preparing food has been known to have meditative benefits for some — so this can be a time for you to relax, as well.

No time like the present

The hardest part of getting started is just that — getting started. Take these tips and incorporate them into your plan for getting your business off the ground. Then, all that’s left is to take the plunge and create your successful sales business.

For more tips, tricks, and key tactics you can utilize on your journey in becoming a mompreneur and sales expert, visit Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling and join the sales club.

Thank you! Leslie Campos from Wellparents.com for this article. All you mompreneurs, contact Leslie here leslie.campos@wellparents.com with your questions and insights on starting your own business.

Your Most Important Sale: Me, Inc.

04/18/2021 By Don Crawford Leave a Comment

It’s that time of year when new college and high school graduates are looking to the most important sale: getting that great job. This year is a bit different as the economy opens up and many who were unemployed during the COVID pandemic are wanting to get back to work. And some of you are seeking a better job. Whatever the reason basic selling fundamentals can win you the job of your dreams.

the most important sale is the one you make to get your dream job

Use Sales Skills for ME, inc.
Image from Pixabay

Three Important Qualities of Me, Inc.

To make your most important sale you need attitude, behaviors and knowledge. Let’s look at each of these traits of a great salesperson.

Attitude

You must have a positive attitude to make your most important sale. Be confident but not cocky. Believe you will be hired. And be prepared at each step of the search process. Your attitude will be most obvious in the interview. Whether video, by phone or in person you need to be self-confident. Remember the company is interested in learning about you. And you are deciding whether you really want to work at the company….

Sales Skill: Choose The Right Word

03/14/2021 By Don Crawford Leave a Comment

Great salespeople always choose the right word. The words we use when speaking with prospects and customers determine the outcome of the sales pursuit. It’s not only the meaning of the words we use but the emotional effect on the buyer. Think about and carefully choose the words you use to improve sales.

Sales people choose the right word to win a sale.

Great Sales People Choose The Right Word
Image from Pixabay

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?” A quote is just a document with a list of items and prices. A proposal includes all the information a great salesperson has learned about the buyer and their situation. It is a summary of the conversations between the salesperson and buyer. A proposal demonstrates the salesperson’s interest in the buyer. A “quote” says: “here are my prices.”…