Let us create a 3d Digital eBook for you! DigyCat.com
|
||
|
||
|
Sales Training | Let us create a 3d Digital eBook for you! DigyCat.com |
|
|
|
Seven Critical Qualifying Questions
Training your salespeople to not waste time working unqualified accounts, or building relationships with the wrong people in qualified companies is imperative to the long the term success of our sales team and your company. By understanding your salespeople's natural fear of qualifying, you can better coach them to ask the seven critical qualifying questions early in the sales cycle. Their productivity will improve, and you will acheive more sales in less time. Why Don't They Qalify? There are two reasons why even veteran sales pros lapse into working unqulaified accounts. The first is tactical. Salespeople, who typically have a highly political style, don't want to offend a prospect by asking questions about decision making, spending authority, and budgets too early in the sales process. They want to make friends first. The second and primary reason is psychological. It is part of the typical salesperson's pshychological makeup to want to be liked. And most salespeople are very likeable. Unfortunately, it is more comfortable in the short run for the salesperson to build a relationship with the wrong person than to ask questions that may alienate the prospect. Succumbing to Temptation The nature of the sales job reinforces this fear of early qualification. Because salespeople face a lot of rejection, they are vulnerable to the song of praise and positive feedback from their prospects. For the prospect, it can be almost like having a congenial (and free!) employee doing problem analysis and preparing the way for the prospect's solution. For the salesperson, it provides frequent strokes. And because the relationship is good, it is natural for the salesperson to assume that he or she will eventually make the sale. Of course, if the prospect is not legitimately qualified, it is only a matter of time before both parties realize that the salesperson's solution is not a fit. But by then the salesperson has wasted valuable time. Even worse, he or she may have wasted aditional valuable resources such as sales and technical support. Teach Early Qualification It is reasonable, therfore, for the sales manager to require and verify that the seven critical qualifying questions are answered early in every sales cycle. By all means, this should be done before your company commits sales support or technical personnel to the sales effort. This is especially important in longer sales cycles or more expensive products. A good time to do this is during the forecast and review sessions that most managers schedule on a regular basis. During these meetings, confirm that each salesperson is asking the "W" questions (what, why, when, and who) to qualify both the prospect company and the individuals within that company. What Will They Do and Why? 1. What need(s) does the prospect have that can be met by your solution? Can your salesperson clearly articulate those needs? 2. Why would the prospect be willing to spend x dollars for your product or service? Has it been budgeted? When Will They Do It? 3. When does the prospect plan to implement your product or service? For many products and services, implementation - not the close date - is the key because it is the purpose of the buying decision. It also focuses on the customer's perceived benefits, not the salesperson's sales forecast. Who Are The Decision Makers? 4. Who will make the decision to buy the product or service? 5. Who are the decision influencers who can bring pressure to bear (positive or negative) on the person who will make the final decision? 6. Who has the budget or spending authority to implement the decision? Don't confuse decision and spending authority. They may not be vested in the same person. 7. Which decision makers have your salespeople called on? It should be all of them! Bold, Direct Questions Given these quesions, there are really only two skills that your salespeople need to qualify properly. The first is confidence. The second is questioning skills. Good questioning skills can create confidence. Prior to making a call on a prospect, you want your salesperson to get the answers to as many of these seven critical questions as possible. Resources could be the propect company web site or past sales reps who have contacted the prospect company, etc. The amount of information that can be collected in advance will vary for each prospect. But without fail, once your salesperson is in front of someone in the propect company, he or she should ask bold, direct questions: "Do you have the authority to implement this decision?" "Has this item been budgeted? Does it need to be? Do you have the funds available?" Your salesperson will not get the answers that qualify the lead every time, but it is better to walk away from a sales cycle that will lead nowhere. Geting to the Decision Maker Teach your salespeople to convince the influencers to take them to the decision makers. That retains the relationship with the influencer, while opening an opportunity to the decision maker. If they must, they should go over the influencer's head without permission. This will almost certainly alienate the influencer. But if the sale is going nowhere, your salespeople may have to take that risk. Ask yourself: Can our sales strategy overcome the loss of this influencer? If the answer is yes, it's a reasonable risk. Rob has been a sales manager and trainer in the sales and marketing industry for over 20 years. Based in Houston, Texas, Rob is the creator of Sales Careers Online, a career web site dedicated exclusively to the sales and marketing industry. If you are seeking a new job in the sales and marketing industry, please visit http://salescareersonline.com
MORE RESOURCES: Sales Training - Google News GNTO plans to launch online training programme for Indian travel trade this year - TravelBizMonitor
Rainmaker Releases Latest Enhancement to B2B e-Commerce Solution - MarketWatch (press release)
Graduates wanted for Bauer Radio Academy - Radio Today
Trained Realtors help deal with foreclosures - NorthJersey.com
Nissan opens new training center in Irving - Fort Worth Star Telegram
ONTILITY Solar Training - March 1st NABCEP Exam Prep Class in Los Angeles - RenewableEnergyWorld.com
Sales Performance International Launches China Website - EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
8 Must Questions to Ask in Every Sales Situation Solving people's and organization's problems is ultimately whatbusiness is all about. Effective selling involves defining yourexisting or potential customer's problems. 4 Easy Ways to Boost Your Sales Here are 4 easy ways you can boost your sales for little or no new expense .. The Five Most Common Mistakes Salespeople Make Over the decades that I've been involved in sales, I've worked with tens of thousands of salespeople. Certain negative tendencies -- mistakes that salespeople make -- keep surfacing. Increase Profits from Your Existing Customers An area many businesses fail to recognise as a way to increase profits is by utilising their existing customers. Don't view each sale as a "one-off". Win More Sales With a 5-Step Sales Process Facilitating the buying process can be very straightforward and fairly uncomplicated. Yet most professionals have no idea what it takes to guide a potential client through a decision making process. 3 Steps to Immediately Improve Sales Want to increase sales within your company? It's not as hard to do as some might have you believe. Though we as a nation are in the midst of an economic downturn these past two years, your company does not have to be. The Power of Confidence My experience has taught me that people want to buy from sales people who are confident in their abilities. Taking control of the circumstances and situations around you will develop your self-confidence. Failed Salespeople Share Similar Traits We are each responsible for our own success - or failure. Winning at a career in sales is no exception. Sales Performance and Motivation: How to Get Your Edge Back Performance and motivation are like chocolate & peanut butter; the combination is better than either one alone. Motivation feeds successful sales performance, which in turn generates increased motivation, which encourages performance, and so goes the synergism of our days. Sales and the Law of Attraction I'm about to challenge your belief system, or at least I'm going to try.I'm going to tell you exactly why you make a sale, and why you do not. How To Stop Chasing Prospects Forever! Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by salespeople is the problem of chasing prospects. In this article I'll explain exactly why that happens, and how you can avoid it entirely and make prospects chase you instead. Probe Before You Sell When selling a product to a customer, it is very important to find out as much as you can about your customer and their needs before you proceed with your sale.This is commonly referred to as "needs based selling. Multiply Your Sales When Thomas Edison's light bulb finally burned for 45 straight hours he said, "If it will burn that number of hours now, I know I can make it burn a hundred."What does this have to do with internet marketing?Everything. 7 Keys to Turning Cold Calls Into Warm Calls Let's face it when it comes to cold calling many of us fear being rejected. What if I was to tell you I have come up with 7 keys to turning your cold calls into warm calls? Would you believe me?Try these 7 cold calling ideas for yourself and see just how easy making a cold call can really be. Is the Sales Funnel Dead? Think about it. If only it was as easy as "filling a funnel" and having sales fall through the other end. Generate Sales with Lead Generation Marketing Tools One of the best projects to undertake as an online marketer is to master the art of generating sales from your warm market contacts. A warm market is simply people who have already been exposed to your business and marketing plan. Youre Hired... I Think I'm not a fan of "The Donald" and I had never seen his hit show until last week. Bernadette, my wife, seems hooked on "The Apprentice" and makes a habit of watching every Thursday while I usually go off to our den to read a book. Focus On The Customer: The Only Secret To Closing People are always looking for ways to close the sale. Often times when you lose a sale, it has nothing to do with your ability to close. Sales Training - What Is a Disguised Implied Need? Have you ever been in the position where you are getting, what you think to be, close to concluding the deal only to find your client comes up with objections?Some would argue, as salespeople, we have not handled all the possible objections upfront, in other words we have not demonstrated our value proposition fully. However, in the real world objections at the last minute happen to all of us regardless of what we think we have done to conclude the deal. Sales Predator Or Professional Sales Rep From a customer's perception, it's easy for a salesperson to come across as a predator. If the customer views you as the predator, he probably sees himself as the prey.
|
|
Looking For Royalty Free Photos for your Website, Business or Advertising?
List4Sale Domain Is For Sale - $10,000 For Enquiries eMail Us © www.List4Sale.biz 2011 |
|
