Aug 14th, 2013
CEO Connector
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Aug 14th, 2013
Get Your Prospects to Handle Their Own Objections
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Sep 12th, 2013
A Proactive Sales Plan that Works
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Oct 10th, 2013
Prospecting Workshop
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Nov 14th, 2013
Closing the Sale
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NEWS Articles
Handling Rejection
How do you go about getting your business? Hopefully you are using many different channels to prospect for business that are working for you. But when business is off and we know we need to do more prospecting, why is it we hesitate? Why do we always find other things we need to do that are more pressing and avoid the most important activity, getting more business?
One of the toughest parts about owning a business and more specifically, being in sales is handling rejection. You can't get the person you want to speak with on the phone, they refuse to take your call or they are not in. The gatekeeper will not let you through or the decision maker does not want to meet with you. Then, to top it all off, most of the people you come in contact with will be telling you "NO!" If you've had the feeling of your heart sinking into your stomach, you are not alone. Over the years, I have been on thousands of sales calls and have certainly lost my fair share. The disturbing part wasn't necessarily the lost sale, but the way I felt afterward. My ego was damaged and I didn't want to speak to anybody. The mere thought of the loss sickened me, and I'm an OPTIMIST! Was there something wrong with me? Why was this happening?
Top sales people understand a simple truth about selling their products and services. They will not be a fit for everyone. This point is a critical factor in eliminating your feelings of rejection on a sales call. An important part of handling rejection is the realization that the prospect's decision not to buy is typically not personal, but just business. You cannot control whether or not a person will be in their office when you call or if they will be preoccupied at that time. If you are making a cold call, you do not know until you speak with them if they are a viable prospect for you. Why beat yourself up over things you have no control over?
The problem is we are focused on the results. The best way to handle this is to focus on the activity. You first need to know your selling statistics. Are you closing 1 in 10 appointments or 5 in 10? By knowing this, you can turn those ratios to your positive advantage. For example, if your ratio is 2 sales out of 10 closing appointments in a week, that means that 8 prospects decided not to buy. That's okay because you NEEDED the 8 "no's," to earn your 2 sales. Without those 8 "no's" you wouldn't have received the 2 "yes's." The multiple sales that you think you "lost" were actually taking you closer to the WINS you earned and therefore you are winning by getting them. Now, think about a word I just used a second ago, "lost." Isn't it interesting that we feel like we've lost something, when the fact is we never had anything to begin with? How can you lose a sale if you never had it to start?
Another key factor to effectively handling rejection is to change your attitude about the word "NO." How often do we encounter people who:
Don't have a need or compelling reason to utilize your products or service
Aren't committed to fixing the problem
Aren't the actual decision maker
Aren't willing and able to invest in your solution
If you really think about your last few business deals that ended in a "NO," they probably weren't qualified to work with you in the first place. I teach my clients to strongly qualify each prospect and to actually push them to a "NO." The word "NO" should actually empower us as sellers to move on emotionally, while saving us time and money by not continuing a pointless cat and mouse game.
Your current attitude and philosophy towards rejection and hearing the word "NO" could be a huge determent in building a successful business. Use the pointers discussed in this article and truly commit yourself to changing your ways for future success and happiness in business.
I am more than happy to talk with you over coffee for an hour and see if I could help you take your business to the next level. Our motto is Results Guaranteed! We stay with every client to help achieve the goals they desire.
How to Get 100 Referrals in 60 Days
Everyone knows that referrals are the best way to get new business. If you want to find an attorney, a new CPA, a new physician, or a good place to go out for dinner, you would rather be referred from a trusted business associate or a friend wouldn't you? No one prefers solving problems through a cold call to a good referral.
So why is it that most salespeople will admit they are not getting enough referrals? There are a lot of reasons. Here are a few:www.masshightech.com/stories/2011/08/22/daily26-How-to-get-100-referrals-in-60-days.html
Getting to Decision Makers
Quite often our clients want to know how to get to decision makers. Decision makers have gatekeepers and many times we find ourselves dealing with voicemail. I could write at least a dozen tips on this subject. I will give you six today:www.masshightech.com/stories/2011/09/19/daily29-Getting-sales-pitches-to-decision-makers.html
Sales Prospecting Do's and Don'ts
We all know that prospecting is the life blood of sales. I coach a lot of small business owners who wear a lot of hats in addition to sales, and they want to know that they or their salespeople are not wasting time while prospecting. Those that have salespeople feel they are not in front of enough qualified prospects. Others feel they can't get the momentum they need for lack of a plan. This leads to more aggressive sales tactics with those who are in the pipeline, which compromises results and margins. So I decided to offer some tips. www.masshightech.com/stories/2011/10/17/daily34-Sales-prospecting-dos-and-donts.html
The Future of Business Networking
Are you getting results from the time you spend networking? I am sometimes asked by clients, before we start working together, if networking is non-productive time. If your referral sources are not getting you all the business you can handle, perhaps you should consider how you are networking. Even if you get all the referrals you can handle, how will you water your referral tree if you stop networking? Here are some tips to make your networking successful: www.masshightech.com/stories/2011/11/14/daily19-Top-10-tips-for-successful-business-networking.html
At Winfree,
we get
you results,
GUARANTEED!!!