Read an Excerpt
PERFECT PHRASES for the SALES CALL
Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases for Persuading Customers to Buy Any Product or Service
By Jeb Brooks, William T. Brooks The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Copyright © 2011The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-07-174504-8
Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
The Realities of Today's Selling Environment
There are 12 realities that form the philosophical underpinning of why the phrases and terms outlined in this book really work. Why is that? Because sales is a dynamic science that when practiced correctly, becomes an art form. And although its tactics are constantly changing, its foundational principles remain constant.
Let's take a look at a few principles of selling.
1. The Secret to Selling Is Never in the Selling
Reality: The secret to selling is never in the selling. Instead, it's always in the continuous act of prospecting.
Most salespeople fail because they lack a sufficient supply of qualified prospects. What does that tell you? That you need to consistently, intelligently, and capably prospect for business, no matter how long you've been selling. It never stops. Whether you're vertically integrating an account or attacking an entire market segment, sales is always all about prospecting. And that's true whether you've been selling for two months, two years, or even a lifetime!
2. To Sell Successfully, You Must Be in Front of a Qualified Prospect
Reality: To sell successfully, you must be in front of a qualified prospect when he or she is ready to buy, not when you need to make a sale.
Because qualified prospects will always choose what they perceive to be the most viable option when making their purchasing decisions, it's essential that you and your company are in front of the people for whom your offering is a viable option. That means qualified prospects! And remember that prospects make buying decisions on their time schedules, not yours. A major part of that secret is to invest your time intelligently and wisely. You must avoid at all costs merely spending, irresponsibly wasting, or just plain abusing your time with unqualified prospects. You need to expediently and efficiently identify the most promising prospects quickly and move beyond those who are not qualified. Your only real asset is time, and your only real advantage is how you invest your time and with whom you invest it.
3. You Must Position Yourself Correctly
Reality: You must position yourself, your organization, and your product or service correctly in the mind of the buyer.
Due to rapid changes in technology, competitive pressures, a crowded market, and the commoditization of many products or services, you must differentiate what you do and how you do it from the rest of the pack. This is becoming even more critical to long-term sales success. In the final analysis, how you position yourself will far outdistance how your organization, product, or service is positioned. This is true no matter how large or small your organization's advertising and promotion budget may be.
4. There Is Less Margin for Error
Reality: There is less margin for error than ever before.
This reality mandates that you must always show up on time, fully prepared, equipped with thorough knowledge of your prospects, what they are trying to solve, how they function, how and why they make decisions, and much, much more. Bottom line? Virtually all prospects have a plethora of options from which to choose. Unfortunately for you, you are only one choice among many.
Therefore, you must not only be fast on your feet, but also have the skills to apply your product or service, know exactly how to impart that knowledge to your prospect, and know how you can leverage his or her understanding of it to your best advantage.
5. Prospects Must Believe You Have Something Important to Offer
Reality: Prospects will only grant appointments to salespeople whom they perceive as having something important to offer that will positively impact them.
Coming across as desperate or ill-prepared will do nothing to help you maximize this principle. On the other hand, knowing what to say and do, when to say and do it, and precisely how to position yourself will allow you to win!
Let there be no doubt. Old-school methods like aimless cold calling, using "tie- down questions," or memorizing scores of worn-out old closes will blow up in your face in this century.
6. Being Trusted Is More Important Than Being Liked
Reality: Being trusted is far more important than being liked when selling.
Salespeople who master the art of building trust outsell those who are merely glad-handers looking for another target of opportunity. Certainly, in order to have the opportunity to build trust, it's important to be pleasant and friendly. But all in all, a salesperson who is trustworthy and knows how to demonstrate and communicate that trustworthiness at the very first opportunity will outperform one who is just a smooth-talking "flash in the pan." Which do you want to be? Which should you be? Which are you? What type of sales experience are your prospects and customers looking for and expecting? What type of experience do you give them?
7. Prospects Are Busy
Reality: Prospects are busy.
What does that mean to you? Simply that you need to get to the point of your meeting with the greatest speed and efficiency. Move from small talk to positive, effective sales talk with confidence, trust, and ease. Prospects don't have time to invest in a long, drawn-out journey waiting for you to get to the point.
8. Prospects Will Buy to Solve Their Problems, Not Yours
Reality: Prospects will buy to solve their problems, not yours.
What might be your problem? To make a sale, earn a commission, win a contest, earn a bonus, keep your job, pay your bills, get a promotion, or look good to other people.
The truth is that none of these have anything to do with their problem! And just what might their problem be? To achieve greater efficiency, make money or a profit, keep their job, fix something that's broken, enhance their organization—or to solve whatever your product or service helps them solve.
9. Prospects Will Try to Make Your Product or Service a Commodity
Reality: Prospects will try to make your product or service a commodity.
Why will they do that? It's simple. In the world of commoditization, price always rules. Prospects are always trying to get the best price. Therefore, if they can reduce whatever product or service you sell to a commodity, they'll win! Your job is to keep that from happening. However, in order to do that, you must know exactly what, when, and how to deal with it. You need to be prepared to handle "I can get the same thing down the street"—and handle it well.
10. Prospects Will Want to Know the Price Before You Want to Give It
Reality: Prospects will ask the price of your product or service before you're prepared to give it.
Premature price questions are far more the rule than the exception. And, once you offer a price either verbally or in writing, that's likely to be the only thing your prospect will remember about your product or service!
And if you offer it too soon you won't have created value. Why is that? Because you haven't shown how you can satisfy a want, fulfill a need, solve a problem, or resolve an issue.
On the other hand, if you withhold it too long or too clumsily, you'll run the risk of alienating your prospect and creating an adversarial relationship.
Clearly, both of these options are wrong. So, what do you do? Hang on. You'll find out soon.
11. Establish Value or It's All About Price
Reality: In the absence of v
(Continues...)
Excerpted from PERFECT PHRASES for the SALES CALL by Jeb Brooks. Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
