Is "More" Always Better?

When you’re counting close friendships, loving relationships, acts of kindness, or the gold bars securely stashed away in your secret vault, the answer is, “Yes!” It’s better to have more…rather than fewer of them.

Is the same true when it comes to the tools for building and growing your business?

Many salespeople (and their organizations) believe that more is better. Unfortunately, “more” often translates to the latest technology or some “magic bullet” process for attracting new clients or closing sales.

Do you really need the latest and greatest to grow your business?

Do you need the newest and most comprehensive CRM application that allows you to not only record, but also organize, prioritize, and analyze every bit of information about every contact and every customer?

Do you need a cutting edge marketing program that gets your message out to a scientifically defined demographic, in a precise manner, at a predetermined point in time?

Do you need the latest computer applications to preload, download, and explode each step in your business development process so you can track, document, and report every interaction with every prospect?

All of the “latest and greatest” can provide some advantages… sometimes. And some can be very beneficial. But, do you need all of them? And, do you need more of them?

Probably not. In fact, they can hinder your ultimate productivity and progress.

Continually seeking new resources to make your job easier, more effective, or more efficient, sidetracks you from the actual work that needs to be done. It’s a form of procrastination that has a compound negative impact. Not only do you spend time looking for and researching the next magic bullet, but once you find it and obtain it (or what you think is “it”), you must spend additional time learning how to implement it. And all of that time is time diverted from your primary objective of building your business.

When growing your business, it’s not about how many resources you acquire…or whether they are the latest and the greatest. It’s about how you use the resources you already have to solve the problems you face, and to create a path for accomplishing your goals.

It’s about thinking strategically; understanding the true nature of the roadblocks between you and your objectives, and then calling on your initiative, skill, and determination to find a way around, over, or through them.

It’s about tackling the hard tasks first and getting them out of the way as quickly as possible, rather than wasting time looking for magic bullets to make the tasks easier…or perhaps make them disappear.

And, it’s about being honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses; identifying the strategies and skills you need to improve; and then taking the necessary steps to refine the strategies and develop your skills.

There will always be a new shiny object to attract your attention—one that promises unparalleled results. But, your ultimate success won’t come from a new technology, a new computer application, a new marketing process, or a new sales tracking system. It will come from your determination to do what has to be done…and your willingness to do it to the best of your abilities.

The "More Prospects" Paradox

   
Logic suggests that “more prospects” will lead to more sales. While that may be true for some salespeople, for many others, “more prospects” actually leads to fewer sales.

“Prospects” is undeniably the essential element in the sales process. However, the quality of the prospects and the pattern of interaction with them after the initial contact will determine if the sales process leads to closed sales…or closed files (and fewer sales).

What accounts for the difference?

It starts with the salesperson’s mindset. Some salespeople are of the mindset that “everybody’s a prospect.” These salespeople jump at the chance to tell their stories to anyone who will listen—voluntarily or otherwise…whether they’re truly interested or not. And, that mindset gives rise to two problems.

First, the salespeople spend an inordinate amount of time chasing prospects of questionable quality. Their quest being to convince those prospects that the product or service they have to offer deserves consideration. The more time they are in “chase” mode, the less time they have to develop and close sales.

Second, during the appointments they eventually schedule, they waste additional time attempting to “convince” prospects of the merits of their product or service. Their “convincing” approach (along with their “everybody’s a prospect” philosophy) fails to recognize the difference between a suspect (someone who may be curious about or have a casual interest in the product or service) and a prospect (someone who has a recognized need or acknowledged desire for the product or service).

Another element that accounts for the difference between “more prospects” leading to either more closed sales or more closed files is the process used to qualify and develop opportunities. The more structured (and perhaps stringent) the process of qualifying an opportunity, the more quickly suspects can be weeded out (wasting little time with them) and the more quickly opportunities can be developed and sales closed with qualified prospects. Salespeople with the “everybody’s a prospect” mindset, however, are likely to have an extremely flexible selling process (which in some cases means no defined process at all).

If you want “more prospects” to lead to “more sales,” first, be more selective about the people you target as prospects and with whom you invest your time. Develop a profile of the “ideal” prospect derived from the characteristics of your most consistent and/or profitable customers and then target prospects that most closely fit the profile. Even then, when a potential prospect expresses an interest in your product or service, quickly determine if that interest is driven merely by curiosity…or an actual need or desire for the outcome your product or service delivers. Sometimes, it takes nothing more than a direct question like, “What specifically sparked you interest in…?” or “What are you hoping to accomplish by investing in…?” Next, be more stringent in qualifying the various aspects of the opportunity. Prospects must not only have a legitimate need or desire for your product or service, but they must also have the wherewithal to obtain it. And, they must be in a position to make a decision in a reasonable manner and within a reasonable time frame—reasonable for you, that is.

When you focus your efforts on quickly identifying and weeding out suspects, and then use a selling process to methodically qualify the remaining prospects, “more prospects” will lead to more sales.

Can Asking Questions Be the Answer to Closing More Sales?

If you examine the day-to-day conversations that take place in the business arena (or almost any setting), you’ll discover examples of miscommunication and non-communication occurring in varying degrees. Conversations will contain distortions, deletions, and generalizations. They are part of the fabric of interpersonal communication. And, it’s the distortions, deletions, and generalizations that get in the way of closing more sales…and closing them more quickly.

When a customer says, “This happens every time I place an order with you,” does he really mean that the situation to which he is referring occurs each and every time an order is placed? Or, is “every time” somewhat of a distortion—an exaggeration, perhaps to emphasize his point?

When you ask a prospect how buying decisions are made regarding the service you have to offer, and he says, “I make those decisions,” is that an accurate reflection of the decision process and his decision-making authority? Or, did he perhaps delete the part of the process that requires him to get the CFO to first approve the allocation of funds and then sign-off on the purchase?

When a prospect says, “We’re very happy with our current supplier,” does she mean that she is 100% happy, 100% of the time, with every aspect of the service provided? Or, does she mean that she is generally happy… that there might be an area or two that could stand improvement?

David Sandler suggested that when you interact with your prospects and clients you do so with the mindset that they all lie…all the time. His suggestion isn’t an indictment of their honesty. Rather, it’s a reminder to be on the lookout for the distortions, deletions, and generalizations… and when you encounter them, to challenge the distortions, recover the deleted information, and specify the generalizations. To help you with those tasks, he developed a questioning strategy patterned after the approach psychologists use to “decode” their patient’s declarations and explanations.

Why pattern a questioning strategy for the sales arena after the psychologist’s approach? Psychologists don’t “tell” their patients very much. Instead, they ask a lot of questions, not only to obtain information, but also to help their patients focus on the underlying issues contributing to their perceived problems. Also through the questioning process, psychologists help their patients make discoveries and view their problems more clearly. Isn’t that exactly what a salesperson should be doing with prospects, especially during the early stages of qualifying and developing an opportunity?

The questions the psychologist asks generally fall into two broad categories. One category of questions is designed to explore the underlying issues that precipitate the distortions, deletions, and generalizations contained in the patient’s statements and explanations. The second category is designed to guide the patient in a particular direction of exploration. Aren’t those ideal strategies for salespeople?

Let’s eavesdrop on a therapy session and take note of the therapist’s questions and comments. Patient: I just feel terrible. Therapist: What specifically do you feel terrible about? Patient: My work. Therapist: Your work in general… or a specific aspect of your work? Patient: Actually, an encounter I had with my boss. Therapist: I see. And, how did the encounter with your boss contribute to you feeling terrible? Patient: During a discussion about project deadlines, it became clear that he didn’t appreciate how hard I work or the significance of the work my department performs. Therapist: Is his recognition of your hard work and its significance important to you? Patient: I suppose it is. Therapist: Why, specifically, is it important to you that your boss recognizes your efforts and the significance of your work? Patient: I suppose it’s important because… OK, we’ve eavesdropped enough. Let’s examine what we heard. There are two important “takeaways” from our eavesdropping adventure. The first is how the therapist used questions to clarify the patient’s statements and reveal the underlying issue—the real problem to be addressed—the patient’s need for recognition. The second is how the therapist kept his questions focused on the topic—the patient’s feelings. He didn’t become sidetracked exploring, for instance, the reasons for or topic surrounding the patient’s encounter with his boss—which could have led to a lengthy off-topic conversation. Now, let’s see how this line of questioning can be used in the sales arena to clarify prospects’ and clients’ statements and answers. Prospect: Thank you for calling, but we’re very happy with our current supplier. Salesperson: I understand. Does “very happy” mean that you’re 100% happy, 100% of the time? Prospect: Pretty much so. Salesperson: Hmm. “Pretty much so” doesn’t sound like “100%.” Is there something… even something small… you’d like your current supplier to do differently? Prospect: Well, I suppose there is one thing. It’s not a regular issue, but it’s a problem from time to time. Salesperson: What might that be? Prospect: There are times when we need to split a shipment and stagger the delivery dates and… “We’re very happy” was a reflexive response—a slight distortion of the real situation revealed after a few additional questions. OK, let’s look at another example. This time, let’s use the same questioning strategy to clarify a prospect’s question. Prospect: How many clients do you have? Account Exec: I’m glad you asked. However, I’m curious why you asked. (The implied question being, “Why did you ask?”) Prospect: We’ve worked with other advertising firms where the account reps were juggling several accounts at once. Account Exec: And…? Prospect: And I never felt like I had their full attention. Account Exec: Which means…? Prospect: Which means if I decide to work with your firm, I want to be sure that I’ll be getting your full attention. Account Exec: That’s understandable. Would it make sense to talk about what an ideal working relationship would look like to you? Prospect: Certainly. Account Exec: Would you like to start? Prospect: OK. First, I would expect… By “questioning” the prospect’s question, the account exec discovered the real intent behind it. The prospect really didn’t want to know how many clients the account exec had. His real concern was about the amount of attention he would receive if he became a client. Had the account exec answered the first question, the prospect’s conclusion regarding that concern might have been inaccurate. So, can asking questions be the answer to closing more sales? What do you think?

Being Courageous… Five Seconds at a Time

Becoming a great salesperson takes courage—the courage to do things that make you uncomfortable. Fortunately, you only have to exhibit that courage five seconds at a time.

Truly uncomfortable events happen infrequently but usually at critical times. And, when those critical times occur, they typically last no longer than five seconds. The problem is that, for many sales professionals, five seconds feels like an eternity, and they can’t last. Instead, they wimp out and take the path of least resistance. They fail to understand that the discomfort is temporary and, in relation to what they have to gain, worth tolerating.

For many salespeople, the more time they invest in an opportunity, the more they perceive to be at stake. And, at the very moment that they need to exhibit five seconds of courage by planting their feet and not giving in to a prospect’s wishes that aren’t in their best interest, they cave in for fear of losing the sale.

I’ll share with you what might have been my most challenging moment—one that stretched my five seconds of courage almost beyond the breaking point. It was during a closing call with a prospective client. To my surprise, I was introduced to a new last-minute decision maker. He wanted to be brought up to speed about the previous two meetings—and he only had 15 minutes. We provided him with a ten-minute summary of the previous meetings, at which point he asked for my presentation materials.

Thinking about all the time and effort I had already invested in developing the opportunity, and not wanting to alienate a potential client, I started to slide the materials across the table. Thankfully, my five seconds of courage kicked in before the folder reached his side of the table and I asked, "What are you hoping to find in this information?" The new decision maker stared at me for what seemed like several minutes, which I’m sure was only a few seconds, and then he said, "I don’t know."

Empowered by the apparent success (or at least survival) of the first five seconds of courage, I summoned another five seconds of courage and pulled the folder back and said, "Then, you won’t find it." Again, there was silence. As the decision makers stared at me, than at each other, I went to the well for a third time—five more seconds of courage to remain silent. Finally, the new decision maker said, "You’re right." Because he truly had to leave in a few minutes, we agreed to reschedule the presentation for another day when both decision makers could devote the appropriate amount of time and make a decision.  I’m happy to report, they are still a client today.

The situation was challenging for three reasons. First, it would have been much easier to simply smile and hand over my presentation materials, then go back to the office and wait by the phone for a call. I was really uncomfortable asking this person, with whom I had but a ten-minute relationship, what he was hoping to find in my materials. Second, I had to summon up another measure of courage almost immediately, despite visions of doom, when I pulled the presentation materials back. Third, it took quite a bit of courage to remain silent as the two decision makers digested what had just taken place. Even though I was the one who was blindsided by a last-minute decision maker entering the process, the pressure about what to do next was on them.

It’s doubtful that I would have obtained the business if I had handed over the presentation materials. Maybe I would have gotten lucky and closed the deal eventually, although I doubt it. But, by summoning the courage—five seconds at a time—to do what needed to be done, I was able to make my own "luck."

Five seconds of courage can mean the difference between success and regret. When facing an uncomfortable situation, and you have the option to either take the easy way out or summon five seconds of courage to do what needs to be done, don’t make the wrong choice.

Who Do You Blame Now?

You invested a lot of time and energy developing the presentation. When you delivered it, you dotted all the "i"s, crossed all the "t"s, covered all the bases, and satisfactorily answered all of the prospect’s questions. Instead of a buying decision, however, all you received was the prospect’s promise to give your presentation "careful consideration" and get back to you within a week or so.
CAREFUL CONSIDERATION!!! A WEEK OR SO!!!
You could blame the prospect for being indecisive or dragging his feet. You could guess that a competitor made an eleventh-hour concession that undercut your offering. You might even suspect that the prospect used you to gather current information to use as leverage with his existing supplier. And, you might be correct. Any one of those situations may have occurred. But, isn’t that what buyers are supposed to do…negotiate or hold out for what they believe to be the best deal?

Rather than assigning blame, take responsibility.

Before you even begin to work on a presentation determine exactly what the prospect needs to see or hear to be comfortable to give you the business. Get the prospect to paint a picture of the "best" deal. Then get a commitment about exactly what will happen when you come back with a presentation that precisely matches the picture. If the prospect is unwilling to commit to a buying decision, then it’s most likely not in your best interest to pursue the opportunity.

Success...It's All in Your Head   

Your mindset has more to do with your success than almost any other single element.  There are plenty of salespeople who possess extensive product knowledge, have numerous influential business contacts, are well-spoken, and have appealing personalities, yet their sale performances are average… sometimes, only marginally acceptable. 

Then, there are salespeople who have just enough product knowledge to get by, have few business contacts, don’t always articulate their thoughts in the most artful manner, and don’t have particularly sparkling personalities, yet their sales performances rank in the top ten percent.

How can that be?

Success in sales, or almost any endeavor, is not simply a product of one’s talent, education, personality, or contacts (although, those elements can surely help), but rather the result of one’s attitude—the natural tendency to have a positive outlook and maintain positive expectations.

But, it’s more than just being able to see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty.  It’s the ability to see possibilities…coupled with the resolve to take the required actions to turn those possibilities into realities. Some people will view a challenge, and after analyzing the positive and negative aspects of it, choose to focus on the positive.  They see possibilities and envision success.  The more they focus on the positive aspects, the stronger their belief grows about their ability to successfully meet the challenge.  And, the stronger their belief grows, the more resolute is their judgment to take the actions necessary to achieve their goals.  They press on, regardless…and they succeed. Others, will view the same challenge and focus on the negative aspects—all the reasons (real and imagined) that the challenge can’t be met successfully.  They only see limitations, and envision only failure.  The more they focus on the negative aspects, the stronger their beliefs grow about the improbability of successfully meeting the challenge and the futility of investing any effort in its pursuit.  They give up, or at best, make a half-hearted effort…and they don’t succeed. Your success is nothing more (or less) than what you envision it to be…and your determination to act in a manner consistent with that picture.  If success has eluded you thus far, perhaps it’s time to change your picture, and then press on.

All RFPs are Not Created Equal    Many salespeople believe that they should respond to all proposal requests that come across their desks where the scope of the work falls within the capabilities of their companies.  It’s easy to see the allure.  Working on an opportunity that “fell out of the sky” is far more desirable than “beating the bushes” to turn up an opportunity. Desirable, yes.  But, is it smart? Responding to a request for a proposal (RFP) carries with it associated costs.  What are they? There's the time invested identifying and specifying the relationship between the prospect’s request and the solution your company could offer. There's the time invested researching the competition you face and the solutions they could offer. There's the time invested developing an advantageous positioning of your solution relative to your competition. There's the time invested writing the proposal and developing the appropriate supporting materials. There are the production costs of any required presentation materials. And finally, there is the opportunity cost of working on a proposal instead of pursuing other opportunities. It’s important to recognize that not all RFPs are created equal.  That is, there are various reasons buyers send out RFPs…not all of which are for the intention of doing business.

One reason companies might send RFPs is simply to obtain some no-cost consulting.  For example, they may be considering establishing a new process or system using in-house resources…and sending RFPs is a way to gather relevant, valuable, and FREE information about processes, costs, implementation timetables, and so forth to guide them in their development efforts.  Another reason companies might send RFPs is to gain leverage with a group of competing potential suppliers.  The buyers end up with several “bargaining chips” with which to negotiate—playing the bidders against each other.  It’s also an effective way to pressure an existing supplier…especially when negotiating contract renewals or requesting additional services at prices favorable to the company. There are, however, other less manipulative reasons for proposal requests.  You may have discussed a business opportunity with a new or existing client, and the client’s request for a proposal is to obtain information in order to be comfortable moving forward.  Or, if the buyer has made the decision to move forward, the purpose of the request is to secure confirmation of the arrangements discussed. What should be clear is that blindly responding to an RFP is an iffy proposition…even if the scope of the work is well within the capabilities of your company.  Why? Because a proposal is a presentation…delivered on paper rather than in person.  Whether delivered in person or on paper, it doesn’t make good business sense to invest time, energy, and company resources developing a presentation without first thoroughly defining and qualifying the opportunity it addresses. While you may not always be able to do as thorough a job of qualifying an opportunity generated by an RFP as an opportunity that’s developed through ongoing person-to-person interaction with the prospect, it’s imperative that you have a dialogue with the buyer or an appropriate representative in order to qualify the opportunity, and at the very least, determine the underlying reasons for the request.  Then, and only then, can you determine if the request is worthy of your time and efforts.

You Only Have 30 Seconds

When initially speaking with prospective customers, you typically have 30 seconds or less to not only get their attention, but establish a reason for them to engage in a conversation.  During your “30-second commercial” you must let prospects know what you do and more importantly, why it’s relevant to them.  So, what do you say?  Have you perfected your commercial highlighting key features and associated benefits of your product or service?  When you give your pitch to prospects, do you obtain a favorable reaction?  Probably not. At best, you may hear, “That’s interesting”— even though they really aren’t interested. You may get a request for information as a way to end the encounter.  Why does that happen? Prospects have seen and heard it all before— radio, e-mail, and direct mail marketing and advertising. Your commercial is just more of the same. Regardless of how unique, timely, and important you believe your message is, it’s just more noise to the prospect.  Unfortunately, your finely crafted commercial hurts you in two ways.  First and foremost, it diminishes your credibility. You’re not someone who stands out from the pack; you’re part of the pack, scrounging for your morsel.  Second, you waste valuable time—yours and the prospect’s.  So, how do you change the prospect’s response from, “Send me some literature” to “We need to talk”?  Stop telling prospects about your company and your product or service.  Stop telling them what you can do for them. Don’t make your pitch about you.  Make it about them. If a prospect is going to invest any time talking with you, he wants to very quickly know “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM?) 

Use your 30 seconds to focus on the prospect’s world. Relate your product or service from the perspective of the problems and issues the prospect is dealing with or the goals the prospect is attempting to achieve. This approach establishes credibility by quickly getting to the WIIFM question—distinguishing you from the rest of the pack. When prospects believe that you understand their problems, concerns, challenges, and goals, they listen— making it easier to convert your 30-second commercial into a meaningful conversation.  To truly understand your prospects’ worlds, you must do your homework. You must be thoroughly familiar with their problems, concerns, fears, challenges, and goals as they relate to your product or service. You must know what the prospect would lose by not having your product or service. Then, you can create a description of your product or service around those elements, making sure you answer the WIIFM question.

Consider the following “commercial” for a company specializing in marketing and graphic design services for hi-tech companies:

We specialize in marketing and graphic design services for hi-tech firms who have the need, but not the resources, for a full-time, in-house department.  And, they need a company who already speaks their technical language so they don’t waste valuable time—time they would be billed for—educating company personnel in order for them to produce appropriate and accurate copy.  Because our design people have extensive backgrounds and experience in a number of hi-tech fields, we already speak our clients’ language and we’re able to help them develop and implement projects more quickly and more economically.

The first sentence describes the type of work done, the companies served, and the reason a company might want the service. The next sentence addresses a particular challenge the prospect might be facing. The last sentence describes the value the design firm can provide.  It is short, sweet, and to the point. It very quickly answers the question, “Who is this person and why should I listen to him?”  If your commercial doesn’t answer that question your prospect will quickly tune out.  Can you describe in 100 words or less what you do and how it is relevant to your prospects—from their perspective? (The above example is 97 words.)  Your opening statement will either draw prospects into a conversation or turn them away. So, carefully consider what you are saying.  Are you quickly answering their WIIFM question? Are you putting your product or service in the prospect’s world and telling the story from his perspective?  Whether you call it an elevator pitch, a commercial, or a positioning statement, a carefully considered and constructed opening with a prospect—one that focuses on the prospect’s world and the prospect’s issues—can make the difference between a prospect remaining a prospect or becoming a customer.

You Possess the Magic

There is a magic in being in the sales profession. And, that magic is the opportunity to “pay the price” for success—just once. And when you do, no one can take that from you. The average individual makes approximately seven career changes during his/her working life. Diagrammed, it would resemble not a straight line, but would look more like a slowly rising roller-coaster course. Each change requiring a hesitation step, a backward move, before the individual begins heading upward again. Difficult enough professionally, and even more difficult if you consider the stress being placed on the individual and his family as they adjust and readjust to the accompanying financial and family pressures. These same people tend to overlook the fact that life has a beginning and an end. They allow their work to consume as much as 75% of their time, depriving themselves of life’s abundant gifts. How many of these struggling individuals find themselves sitting by the roadside of life watching the winners go by and thinking, “There, but if I had stretched just a bit, go I”? The secret is to discover early in life how unnecessary it is to start over, again, and again. Instead, be smart enough to search out and grab hold of a vehicle which will propel you towards your goal.



“I hated every minute of training,
but I said, ‘Don't quit. Suffer now
and live the rest of your life as a
champion.’” ––Muhammad Ali

To live your life as a champion salesperson, you have to go through the same training process as other top professionals whether they are athletes or astronauts, fire fighters or fighter pilots. Training conditions you to act and react in certain ways. This conditioning becomes a way of life based on rules, principles, and systems developed to ensure your success.

One of the most important Sandler conditioning principles is maintain a healthy self-esteem. You can’t be a champion—work effectively and enjoy long-term success—if you don’t feel good about yourself. Ironically, you fill your day with activities that have the potential to chip away at your self-esteem.

You make prospecting calls on people who either don’t want to talk to you, or if they do, don’t have the time when you call. You make presentations to people who should buy, but won’t…can buy, but don’t. You hear “no” more often than you hear “yes.” It’s one rejection after another. What can you do? You must be conditioned to not take personally, the interactions you have with prospects and customers. If they reject your product, service, or company, it’s not a rejection of YOU. And, in the rare instance when you don’t click with a prospect and they do reject you…so what? Maybe they don’t get along with anyone. Maybe they were having a bad day before you showed up on the scene and rejecting you is the only way for them to feel good about themselves. By rejecting you…ruining your day, their day is now better by comparison. Your training must condition you to become mentally and emotionally tough. You must be able to accept a NO, even from those who should have said YES, and then move on. If There's a lesson to be learned from the failure, learn it, apply it, and subsequently benefit from it. It's part of training. If you don't quit, you will live your life as a champion.



You took the first step in fulfilling your life’s goals when you chose the selling profession as your vehicle. You have the opportunity to realize a long-term payoff, if you are smart enough to make a short-term investment of time and energy. This can be the year you lock up your future. Carrying through on what you have prepared yourself to do—one day at a time—will reap the rewards waiting to be harvested. This is the time to make a new resolve to do whatever it takes to gain for yourself and your family…financial freedom, personal growth, and professional success. The vehicle is in your hands. You provide the magic!