Sandler Training

Jane was struggling. Most of her deals weren’t moving forward, and her quarterly income target seemed well out of reach.

After months of trying, Milt had finally obtained an appointment with Walt, the CEO of BigCorp. Milt was looking forward to meeting with Walt and asking all the questions he had carefully prepared in order to qualify this opportunity. He arrived at the appointment on time … but before he could even ask his first question, Walt barked: “OK, it’s a busy morning, and we’ve only got ten minutes. Show me whatcha got.”

Juan’s sales numbers for the quarter were sharply down; lately, he felt he was struggling with his prospecting. He asked his manager Anita for help.

“There’s a lot we can talk about when it comes to prospecting,” Anita said. “But let’s start with the simplest question first. Are you asking your current clients for referrals?”

The ultimate goal of customer service is to meet or exceed customer expectations. Can you define the hallmarks of quality service and products? Here are five suggestions to keep in mind.

Prospects and customers will sometimes make statements that sound positive, but actually reveal no actual commitment. A solid reversing strategy can and should be used to clarify prospects' vague answers to your questions.

Rosita had been behind quota before, but never by this much and never for this long. When her manager, Sam, offered to take her out to lunch, she figured she was either looking at very good news … or very bad news.

“There’s no easy way to say this first part,” Sam said quietly once they were seated at their table, “so I’ll just say it. You’re on probation. You’ve got sixty days to turn things around or we’re letting you go.”

Bad news. Rosita took a deep breath, nodded, and then asked: “OK. Is there a second part?”

“There is,” Sam said, smiling. “Fortunately, it’s a lot easier to talk about. I don’t think any of this is your fault.”

Rosita had no words for a reply. She hadn’t seen that one coming.

Selling takes place when you guide the prospect through a step-by-step process leading to the prospect’s disqualification. If you do not disqualify the opportunity, the sale moves forward and eventually culminates in the prospect making a buying decision.

The key to creating an effective prospecting approach is to first understand who your ideal prospects are—the challenges they face, the outcomes they desire, and the potential roadblocks they face.

Investing time to learn about your prospect before “pitching” your product helps build rapport and trust. When you understand your prospects, it’s easier to understand their points of view. Similarly, prospects must have a sense of your sincere interest before they can become comfortable with you—and seek your advice.

Many salespeople feel uncomfortable discussing money issues with prospects and clients. It's important to understand that talking about money—fees, price, terms, etc.— is an integral part of selling. This discussion must take place before considering a presentation.