One important resolution salespeople should consider

Spend more time this year with the people who have the power to say “Yes”.

Rejection is tough. I have yet to meet a salesperson that looks forward to rejection every morning. While rejection may be part of the job description, I would argue that it is a line item that few look forward to. It doesn’t matter how new or tenured you are in sales, rejection usually delivers a decent jab. On the other hand, rejection can be a good thing, when coming from the right person. Selling is a numbers game after all. Simple probability tells us that the more you hear “No”, the greater chances are of you eventually hearing a “Yes”. Yet if that is the case, why do some hear a “Yes” quicker and more consistently than others?

Focus on what you can control, influence what you cannot.

IMG_3665

Early in my sales career I asked a similar question to top sellers and average performers, and as you can imagine, I got a colorful spectrum of answers. Many of the answers seemed like factors I could not control. One of my mentors advised that I focus on what I can control and influence what I cannot. So I dug deeper and a common denominator started to appear. What I discovered was that top sellers consistently spent more of their time, on average, cultivating relationships with the true decision makers within their target accounts. This focused time management approach equipped them with a unique advantage during the Close. In instances when they did not secure the business, they were able to uncover the real reasons for the rejection because it was coming from the right person.

If you’re going to get a No, at least get it from the “Yes” person.

When you spend more of your time with someone who only has the power to say No, they will more than likely exert that power because that’s the option they have at their disposal. No matter how compelling your presentation, confidence or price, the answer will still be “No”. Think of it as asking a professional plumber to perform open-heart surgery. The only sensible response would be a “No”. Clients have many ways to say “No” but only one way to say “Yes.” This is especially true when you ask the wrong person for the business. Some may quickly tell you the right people are not involved which is why the sale will not happen. But many, wanting to save face, may give you a long-winded answer as to why the answer is “No”. When the right people are involved, you know it because decisions are made faster.

Your time is precious currency, invest it wisely.

In 2015, prioritize enough time to understand who the true decision makers are within your target company. This due diligence is worth the effort. Asking the questions below could be a good start in uncovering the true decision makers.

  • Who all needs to be involved in this decision-making process and what role will each play in the decision-making process?
  • Would the price tag of the engagement require a committee approval?
  • Who is impacted the most if the project succeeds? If it fails, whose neck is on the line?

The challenge is that the true decision makers are most times the hardest to get a hold of. But top sellers welcome this challenge with a smile and a well thought out strategy which is why they continuously perform at a high level.

What other sales focused New Year resolutions are you prioritizing for 2015?

3 Valuable Lessons I Learned Cold Calling Door To Door

“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill

In my days at Cbeyond, cold calling small businesses door to door was an integral part of the daily grind. Below are three lessons I picked up along the way that continue to deliver results in my sales career today:

 

  1. Understand your numbers then commit to go above and beyond them
  2. Just because you have a steady stream of referrals doesn’t mean you should stop cold calling
  3. Those who ask more for it (the close), get more of it (the sale)

 

1. Understand your numbers then commit to go above and beyond them. At Cbeyond, we were all assigned metrics – the number of doors to hit, phone calls to make, qualified leads to get, and appointments to set – that if met, gave us the best opportunity to succeed. Since selling in its simplest form is a numbers game, what separated the top sales associates from the average sales associates was their ability to crush their metrics. For instance, if the requirement is to knock on 50 doors a day to get five qualified leads and set two appointments, those who knock on five additional doors per day at the end of the week would have 2-3 more qualified leads and one extra appointment set. When I spoke to Brent Maropis, former VP at Cbeyond and current CEO of Rev.io, he mentioned that top salespeople have a bias towards taking massive action. The good news is that it doesn’t matter if you’re in sales to benefit from this concept. Whatever your profession, define your metrics then commit to go above and beyond them. If you do this consistently, success will be inevitable. #NumbersDontLie

IMG_2290

2. Just because you have a steady stream of referrals doesn’t mean you should stop cold calling. Referrals were an excellent source of leads. Whether you are a sales hunter or farmer, there is immense value in incorporating customer referrals into your customer acquisition strategy. At Cbeyond, our customers and IT vendors made great referral partners. However, betting your quota for the month based strictly on referral leads was risky, and many sales associates fell into this trap (myself included). When the deals pushed, it put me under unnecessary pressure which led to desperation (not a good look!). The top sales associates excelled at getting qualified leads through various forms of cold calling (in person, phone, email) and working closely with partners and referrals. Someone that excelled at this was Sean Haq, who broke several sales records at Cbeyond and has continued to deliver amazing results in his sales career.  #DiversifyYourHustle

3. Those who ask more for it (the close), get more of it (the sale). Asking for the sale was one of my biggest challenges when I started my sales career, and I’ve come to realize that this is one of the most important skills needed to be successful in sales. One of my most memorable moments at Cbeyond came when my bold ask resulted in my first Cold Call Close. A Cold Call Close is when you walk into an office unannounced, conduct your presentation with the final decision maker, and get a deal signed after your presentation. Here’s my story. It was 5:37 pm one hot summer day in San Jose and I really wanted to get back in my car and blast the A/C. I decided to knock on one more door. I approached the door, secretly hoping it would be locked so I could satisfy my conscience. To my surprise (and fear), the door was unlocked, so I walked in. I noticed the receptionist had left for the day so I continued walking down the hallway. A man who appeared to be the owner was seated at his desk in the corner office. At that moment, my nervousness made me clear my throat, and he looked up; this meant I had less than 20 seconds to pique his interest. There was a football (soccer, for Americans) game on – Real Madrid vs. Sevilla FC. I introduced myself and started to articulate my value proposition. But before I could finish, I interrupted myself and mentioned I was a huge football fan and asked if he didn’t mind me finishing the game with him since there was just 15 minutes left. He agreed (the first close). During those 15 minutes, we talked about the beauty of football and of course screamed at the TV when someone didn’t make a play we expected him to make. This rapport building session allowed me to be my authentic self and loosen up, so it built my confidence. When the game was over, he discussed some of the business challenges he was experiencing and explored how we could assist. An hour later, after overcoming his objections, I asked boldly for his signature, and he signed on to become a client. It’s uncomfortable at times asking for the sale, but that’s one skill you need to get comfortable nurturing to be successful in sales and business! #AlwaysBeClosing

Happy Selling!

Create a Sense of Urgency with This One Question

What does success look like for you in this meeting?

I’ve been fortunate to lead and participate in hundreds of sales meetings with executives and owners from Wall Street to Main Street. While many ended positively, others allowed for learning opportunities. In all of these meetings a common denominator exists: all parties come with an idea of what success looks like to them. For the salesperson it may be getting referred to a key decision maker, identifying all the criteria to win a bid, or confirming when the contract has been fully executed. For the client it may be negotiating a 20% reduction in the price of the quote, discovering the top 3 features of an application, or learning about the fastest-growing market segments.

Since both parties have different incentives, the best salespeople make a concerted effort to understand the client’s underlying motivations by getting them to paint the picture early on in the meeting. This approach ensures the salesperson is addressing the client’s most important needs at that very moment. In addition, the best salespeople not only get the client talking early, they also align their incentives with that of the client. If done effectively, the meeting is usually a success for both parties and urgency is placed on what is most important.

IMG_0749

OK, what if I already have a preset agenda?

Having an agenda for your meeting is highly encouraged. It’s also professional to share the agenda with your client prior to the meeting and get their feedback. If you’re not doing this now, I highly encourage it. This practice allows your client to get involved in “structuring” the meeting flow and confirming their priorities prior to the meeting. Think of it as reducing the risk of having a disorganized meeting. Usually, the client’s idea of success validates the preset agenda. However, if the facts have changed for your client prior to the meeting, rather than be confined by the preset agenda, ask the client this question: what does success look like for you in this meeting?

OK, what if I am not prepared?

Rather than hang up the phone or pack up to leave, take time to understand the “why” behind their idea of a successful meeting. Listen, and take notes. By fully understanding the “why”, you put yourself in a position to uncover more opportunities to help and advise the client.