Keep Your Sales in Good Health

For true long term sales success you need to keep your process healthy but just like in real-life, sometimes you find yourself "under the weather".

On today's show discover:

• ... common issues that can leave your best efforts weak and tired;
• ... and proven remedies to get back on your game and your sales back to good health

Common Afflictions Tip of the Iceberg Syndrome

It's easy to come down with this syndrome if you're not careful....(heck it's even been responsible for sinking big ships!) As salespeople we sometimes have a tendency to place too much emphasis on the first thing our customers tell us.

Sure, sometimes that, is in fact, the most important thing but not always. Many times there's more below the surface, pain points that are even more important to your customer. When you latch on to the first thing they say without investigating further you might end up solving a low-priority problem and miss the sale altogether.

The best way to steer clear of "Tip of the Iceberg Syndrome" is to learn as much as you can about your customer. Ask good open ended questions and be curious. Through the discovery process you'll be able to assess your customer's highest priority and build strong value in your product, as a result.

Discount Fever

If your sales aren't as healthy as you like you may be running a discount fever! In our fast paced society we all want it now and this desire not to wait can cause discount fever. You have sales goals and the end of the month, week, or quarter is coming up fast! Sometimes the pressure can cause you to offer a discount to try to close the sale faster.

The idea is based on the fact that given a choice most people would take $20.00 today rather than wait 15 days and get $30.00 instead. Even though there is more value in waiting.

Discount Fever strikes when you start discounting to close now rather than nurturing the relationship for a bigger pay-off later. When the fever is really bad your customers can tell too because you seem desperate and appear to have little confidence. (it's not you....it's the fever!)

Another place where discount fever can ruin the health of your sales efforts is in rebutting objections. When you have the fever you're apt to skip steps in the process and go right to your down-sell.

Instead, trust the process and move through your rebuttals to revisit and address concerns, build value and close. You'll absolutely close more sales and generate higher volume while providing a better value to your customer at the same time.

Assumption-itis

Assumption-itis is a swelling of your....assumptions and you know what happens when you assume! Symptoms of assumption-itis are easily seen in salespeople who are asking leading questions. Why are they asking leading questions....because they assume they already know what the issues are.

"So you must not be sleeping very well at night, right? Like tossing and turning, because of the stress?"

" I bet you're having a hard time concentrating at work because of this situation, right?"

"What prompted your call today, is it pain, or sleep or stress?"

Rather than ask a leading question and assuming you know what's going on, keep your questions open ended. Open ended questions and an open mind help cure Assumption-itis.

"How are you sleeping at night?"

"How has this affected your work?

"What prompted you to call today?"

Conclusion

So those are just 3 difficulties that can plague your sales effort and all three can be cured when you follow basic principles of the sales process.

Remember to keep your sales in tip top shape:

• Avoid "Tip of the IceBerg Syndrome" by asking plenty of questions and by being curious to find out what's really going on with your customer...it might not be the first thing they say.
• Fight Off discount fever by building value rather than trying to close using a discounting strategy.
• And..to reduce assumption-itis avoid leading questions, keep an open mind and keep your questions open too!

Today's One-Two Punch Follow the Sales Process and Keep your Sales Healthy Ways to subscribe to The K.O. Sales Coach

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