Every once in a while, someone jolts me out of my comfort zone - and makes me question what I’m doing. Dan Waldschmidt, author of the new book EDGY Conversations, is one person who always seems to do that. He’s spent the past four years studying how ordinary people were achieving success against all odds. I hope you enjoy my interview with him.
How can you quickly position yourself as a trusted advisor when meeting someone new?
Here are 3 strategies you can use to immediately be seen as a credible, potentially invaluable resource:
From the first day I started selling, I was told that I should never, ever assume – that it would only lead to failure. Instead, I was supposed to be consultative, learning about a prospect's situation before I made any definitive recommendations or pronouncements.
Well, today things are different. To be effective in today's business environment, you need to assume. Why? Because it makes you sound like you know what's going on. Let me show you what I mean.
As I write this, I’m flying home (via Delta) from a speaking engagement in Orlando. I fly a lot; it’s part of my business.
When the flight attendants give their safety overview, I never pay attention. I could practically do it by heart myself. Same for the video that cover these details. Boring.
So why am I glued to the screen today paying rapt attention?
If you're tired of calling on people who really want to work with you, but can't seem to get anything approved, listen up! Spending one more day working with these really nice individuals is a total waste of your time - even though they love you and what you're selling. You'll never close deals that way.
If you want to get the business, you need to find those individuals in the company who are making things happen. CEB, a sales research group, calls these people the Mobilizers. They're the ones who spearhead new projects in their organization. They can see into the future and know that change is imperative for the company - and for them personally.
Ever made a big whopper of a sales mistake? I sure have! Let me just share one.
When I began selling at Xerox, one of the first things we had to do was to memorize a demonstration script that included everything you needed to know about using a copier. We had to learn it perfectly before we were allowed to make sales calls.
Did you know that the maximum amount of time a person can focus intently on a task is 90 minutes? Any longer and your sales productivity starts to spiral downhill, your mind wanders and you lose your edge.
So then you start working on things that are easy to do, but not very important in the overall scheme of things.
It's time to get up and move. Go get some coffee. Take a walk outside. Have a chat with a colleague. Call a friend on the phone. Do some stretching. And, if you work at home, consider doing the laundry or something else that's totally mindless.
Asking good sales questions is pivotal to your sales success. But, that's not what I'm here to talk about today. Instead, we're going to focus on what happens AFTER you ask these questions.
And, it's no secret that you need to be a good listener. To most people, that's a big duh!
But here's the deal. After asking a sales question, if the prospect hasn't responded in 2-3 seconds, the average seller jumps in to fill the silence.
Find out how strategically planning for a sales meeting helped Heather land her company's largest contract.
Heather*, CEO of a small training company, couldn’t believe her luck. Through a referral, she’d secured a meeting with a senior Pentagon leader to talk about her new management development program.
Waiting nervously in the lobby, she felt a bit out of place in her trendy outfit and edgy hairdo. When her name was called, she jumped up. Standing by the door to the hallowed halls was the General, who warmly greeted her. Several feet behind him stood his two aides de camp.
“Card,” the General barked. One stepped forward, handed him his business card and promptly resumed his original position. He handed it to Heather. Reciprocating, she fumbled in her purse till she found one, and then gave it to him.
Katie was excited. She'd just received a promotion. And, for the very first time ever, she was asked to do a presentation to a client who was in for an all day meeting on Monday.
She'd be doing her part right up front. 10 minutes. That's all she had on the schedule. But she wanted to make a good impression - on both her colleagues and the client.