Selling to Consumers | Sales Training Blog by Skip Anderson

Go for the Big Sale. Or Maybe Not.

Conventional wisdom tells us that salespeople should go for the big sale, the record breaker, the home run. And conventional wisdom is usually correct.

But once in a while, going for the "big sale" isn't the best selling strategy. Sometimes the more moderate transaction is in the best interest of the salesperson (not to mention the customer). Will going for the big sale offend the customer so they don't even make a small purchase? Will going for the big sale interrupt an ongoing stream of revenue from the customer (a big short term gain chosen over an even bigger long term gain)? Will going for the big sale effect the relationship with your customer, or your market, or have some other negative consequenceIf the answer to any of these is "yes," then maybe going for the big sale is not the right activity at the present time.

Only wisdom can tell us if going for the big sale is the best action. And wisdom isn't always developed through experience. There are many experienced salespeople who have little wisdom, and many new salespeople who seem to have born with it.

Going after the big sale is a great idea- most of the time.

 

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies that sell to consumers in all B2C sectors to increase sales by leveraging the buying potential of every prospect and shopper.

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Some Talking Points About Talking Points

Some talking points about talking points:

> Talking points provide consistency. If every member of your sales team uses the same talking points, they will provide a consistent message to your market.

> Talking points cab help create a perceived reality. Telling every single shopper that your fall collection of cashmere sweaters is "the new generation of cashmere" will eventually allow your product to stand out from all the other now generic cashmere sweaters available from other retailers.

> People typically react badly if they feel like they're being fed talking points- unless the talking points have been designed to resibate with that individual (or individuals) that they're being fed to. In that case, people love talking points, and might even remember them or share them with others.

> Talking points can help inexperienced salespeople know what to say. Almost anybody who can't think for themselves (yet) can remember to recite five talking points.

>Talking points lose their maximum effectiveness when you present more than five of them.

 

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies that sell to consumers in all B2C sectors to increase sales by leveraging the buying potential of every prospect and shopper.

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When Selling, do You Make Ear Contact?

Everyone knows how important it is to make eye contact when selling face-to-face. Eyes, being the windows to the soul and all, are a powerful vehicle to connect with another human being. Since prospects are human beings, this works out to everybody's advantage.

But equally important as eye contact is ear contact. If eyes are the windows to the soul, than ears are the heartbeat of the soul.

Do you sell using your ears as much as your eyes? Are your ears a finely tuned instrument? Does listening play as important a role in your interactions with your prospects and customers as your eyesight? And your voice?

The next time you are interacting with a prospect in a face-to-face selling situation, pay attention to how well you use your hearing, listening for nuance in communication, listening for meanings rather than just words, and listening for unique speech patterns and your prospect's choices of words. All of the data your ears pick up can be used to better understand your prospect and his needs and buying requirements. And the next time you're speaking with your prospect on the phone, shut your eyes to shut of visual stimulation (or distraction) so you can zero in on the clues being presented to you aurally.

Eyes aren't overrated. But ears are underated in selling. What better way is there to engage your customers than by actually listening to them?

 

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies that sell to consumers in all B2C sectors to increase sales by leveraging the buying potential of every prospect and shopper.

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Sales Success: It's All in Your Head

When I was losing weight, I would sometimes convince myself that my plan to lose weight would allow me to have a couple chocolate truffles here and a few doughnuts there. Intellectually, I know that chocolate truffles and doughnuts are not foods that are known for their nutritional value or for their ability to create weight loss. 

Yet, I somehow convinced myself that "just this once" was okay, even if "just this once" happened several times per week, and even if it didn't include truffles or doughnuts but instead included french fries or pork ribs. Although the weight I was carrying was in my body, it was allowed to stay there (and grow) because of what was in my head. 

As it turns out, I wouldn't lose weight in my body until I took responsibility for what was in my head. Crazy thinking leads to crazy behavior.

Selling can be like that, too. 

We know that there is a path to success in sales. We've learned this path either from others in our company (colleagues, mentors) or from our salespeople parents, or from books we've read, educational seminars we've been to, from our sales manager, or from our experience. Yet, our crazy thinking creeps up on us, and we start to believe we can take shortcuts, yet achieve the same level of success.

So we don't upsell, or make the number of calls we're supposed to make. We don't follow the sales script or follow all the steps as defined in our sales manual. We talk about features but leave out the benefits. We convince ourselves our prospects don't want to hear what we have to say, or won't accept the price increase the company has just announced.

So our crazy sales thinking sabotages our real world sales success. We become our own worst enemy instead of being our own best supporter and cheerleader. We move backward instead of forward.

Your head will tell you...

... whether to greet the next prospect in your store or office with sincere gusto or with dreadful monotony.

... whether you'll be able to sell your widgets at $1150 instead of the old price of $1000.

... whether to practice a sales script until you know it or dismiss it as unnecessary or unimportant.

... whether to work until 5:00 on Friday afternoon or sneak out at 2:00 (haven't you already done that the last seven Fridays?)

... whether to put in the little bit of extra effort to do this or that instead of choosing the easy way.

... whether your prospect is a prospect or isn't a prospect (because it doesn't look like they can't afford your product or service, or they don't look like your typical customer.

... whether you learn or get stale, whether you energize yourself or bore yourself, whether you reach for the stars or don't bother reaching at all.

Sales success: It's all in your head. And whatever is in there will determine how successful you become. 

  

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies that sell to consumers in all B2C sectors to increase sales by leveraging the buying potential of every prospect and shopper.

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How's Your [Selling] Eyesight?

  
The tasks of everyday life require good eyesight.

Thankfully, my close-up eyesight is quite good. I can read my morning newspaper, see my breakfast eggs, and clip my toenails without any problem whatsoever (rest assured, I don't do all three at the same time).

But thanks to my nearsightedness, I can't see things in the distance. Road signs, a deer standing in the middle of the highway, and the visual glitz of Las Vegas would all be a mere blur for me if I didn't wear my spectacles.

I've been nearsighted since the seventh grade. My first pair of glasses was a rather geeky affair, a black plastic-rimmed thing (come to think of it, it was almost identical to the pair I have on my head right this minute). I lost those eyeglasses the summer before eighth grade. My father accused me of selling them to get money - I guess I had sales tendencies back then, too - although my dad's assertion was incorrect.

Selling requires good "eyesight," too. Most of us who sell for a living will achieve true success only if we see the current opportunities as well as select the proper path to get to make the long-term possibilities become realities. 

Two Sales Maladies: Sales Farsightedness and Sales Nearsightedness

Malady #1: Sales Farsightedness.

People with sales farsightedness tend to focus on the future at the expense of the present. They don't understand that revenue needs to be created now. There is an immediacy in sales that some simply don't comprehend.

Imagine if a cell phone company quit focusing on immediacy as it relates to their product development, not to mention their sales. With new technologies sweeping in and changing the mobile technology game every few months, companies that don't focus on the immediacy of getting things done today would get lost in the shuffle. They would soon fall by the wayside - becoming quickly irrelevant - and replaced by faster-paced companies who have figured out how to make new products today and sell them today, too.

Companies want revenue today. They don't want to wait for tomorrow or next week or next year. Salespeople should want the same thing, too. Top sales performers speed up the sales cycle whenever possible. In sales, the closer to today, the better.

Some symptoms of Sales Farsightedness

> Failing to close business now, or soon. Settling for later instead.

> Putting effort into a written proposal, bid, or quote when the prospect hasn't asked for one, or one isn't necessary.

> Scheduling meetings (first time meetings or follow-up meetings) too far in advance.

> Waiting for a prospect to make a decision instead of helping him/her arrive at one.

> Thinking of only the long-term possibilities of a client, account, or prospect at the expense of the opportunities that exist today. 

> Allowing bad sales numbers for this month linger on to the end of the month. Waiting until next month to turn things around.

Malady #2: Sales Nearsightedness

Salespeople with sales nearsightedness always focus on the here and now at the expense of the future. They don't understand that some sales (and prospects) need to be nurtured over a period of time, and real wealth in some sales jobs comes from a long-term approach.

Thinking about the future implications of today's actions is a valuable asset for a salesperson, and indeed, any business person. A future sale is often a destination that cannot be reached without careful planning or strategizing today.

Imagine a mobile communications company who doesn't put sufficient resources into R&D. They will quickly be surpassed by competitors that have invested in product development to give them an edge once the future arrives. Salespeople need to do that, too. Some things simply take effort over a period of time.

Some Symptoms of Sales Nearsightedness

> Not taking careful notes about a client interaction today, and therefore forgetting important details about what happened with a prospect today when you need those details in the future.

> Not planning follow-up phone calls and leaving them to chance instead.

> Not having a long-term plan and working that plan.

> Treating every sales opportunity as a one-call close when that isn't always the case.

> Not investing in sales training, books, sales materials, webinars, or seminars to help sales results in the future.

> Being reactive instead of proactive when it comes to the future.

> Passing up prospects that are likely to offer future opportunities in favor of prospects that only provide a near-term sales opportunity.

> Focusing on the transaction instead of the relationship.

What are other symptoms of sales farsightedness and sales nearsightedness you can think of?

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment.Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies that sell to consumers in all B2C sectors to increase sales by leveraging the buying potential of every prospect and shopper.

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This Prospect Will Make Or Break Your Sales Career

 
Your effort will make or break your sales career. So will your knowledge and skill and ability to add value to your prospects' lives. So will your ability to create trusting and genuine short-term and long-term relationships with prospects, customers, managers, and suppliers.

But, perhaps more than any of the factors above, this prospect type will have more to do with your career success than any other:

The "on the fence" prospect.

This is the prospect that could fairly easily either become a customer or a no-sale. They have an interest in your product, and your company, but they also have an interest in perhaps buying from another company or buying another product, or an interest in not buying anybody's product and keeping their money instead. They are hesitant, or cautions, or not completely convinced. They've given you time to present your product and its features and benefits, they've communicated forthrightly about their needs and maybe even asked good questions. They've expressed interest and perhaps excitement about your product and about owning it, or using your service.

Yet, there they are: on top of the fence, swaying first to the "no sale" side of the fence just a bit, then over to the "customer" side a bit, and then back again, but they remain squarely on the fence.

Ultimately, though, a prospect cannot stay on the fence forever. The default decision for fence-sitters is to remain a non-customer, since buying a product requires that the fence-sitter tip to the "buy" side and off the fence. Make no mistake about it: fence-sitters are non-buyers until they get off the fence and into your customer (meaning "people who have bought from us") list.

I see many salespeople who spend tremendous amounts of time working with prospects who are simply not going to buy. Persuasion is a good thing in selling. But just as Glenn Beck is simply not going to persuade supporters of Dennis Kucinich that Beck has the "correct" political viewpoint, and Rachel Maddow is not going to persuade Texas Governor Rick Perry that she has the correct political views, a salesperson is simply not going to persuade a prospect who is dead-set against buying to buy.

I also see a lot of time and energy wasted by salespeople on prospects who are definitely going to buy. In the areas where my client companies work (one-call close, B2C selling, retail), salespeople need to do their best work with people on the fence, let those who are definitely going to buy buy, and let those who definitely not going to buy not buy.

So here's my sales training tip for the day: The prospects whom you deal with in the next year who are on the fence will make or break your sales career in the next year.

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment.Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies that sell to consumers in all B2C sectors to increase sales by realizing the buying potential of every prospect.

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Brochures Don't Sell. People Sell.

Brochures, flyers, catalogs: They're all part of the weak salesperson's selling arsenal, at least in the face-to-face (F2F) selling realm. While these pieces can be helpful in marketing a business or a product, they are rarely much help to a salesperson in selling a product or service. 

The most effective tool a salesperson has in his selling arsenal is the salesperson.

A human being has the capacity to be infinitely more engaging with another human being than does a piece of paper, and an engaged prospect or shopper has a higher likelihood of becoming a customer than a non-engaged prospect or shopper. A brochure cannot ask questions. A catalog cannot leverage subtleties of personal communication preferences to have a greater impact. A flyer cannot keep an individual's interest like a human being can. A leaflet cannot become a trusted advisor.

RESIST the temptation to hand out a brochure...

> when a prospect asks you a question;

> when a shopper asks if you have one;

> when a browser asks if you have any information;

> when you're presenting your product or service to your customer;

> when you are handling an objection;

> when you habitually reach for one;

> when you don't know what else to do.

INSTEAD, do this:

> ask a question;

> then ask another one;

> listen;

> show the actual product;

> tell a story;

> paint word-pictures;

> take out a pad of paper and take notes;

> present;

> explain;

> smile;

> invite the prospect to touch your product;

> clarify the issue;

> review;

> ask for the sale;

DON'T BE A DISPENSER OF FLYERS. ENGAGE INSTEAD!

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment.Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies that sell to consumers in all B2C sectors to increase sales by realizing the buying potential of every prospect.

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10 Reasons In-Home Sales Calls Don't Succeed

For those who sell in consumers' homes, the in-home sales consultation is the catalyst to either sales greatness or failure. If you master the dynamics of selling in the home, you master your sales career!

Here are 10 reasons why in-the-home sales consultations might not be successful:

1. Not on time.

People are busy, and while prospects will likely cut a sales rep some slack if he's late (it's always best to call the prospect as soon as you know you're going to be late), outright disrespect for a prospect's time doesn't help grow sales.

2. Focus on the product instead of the prospect.

Of course salespeople need to present their product's features and benefits in a positive and interesting way, but that shouldn't be the centerpiece of the sales appointment. Although product and technical expertise is important in all kinds of selling, it's more important to have people expertise. The way to sell successfully is to focus on the prospect and her needs, not just the product that's being sold.

3. Do stupid things.

The salesperson parks in the driveway (a no-no in the eyes of some prospects), or plods across the lawn, he tells the prospect he doesn't like cats, he sets a tape measure on a nice cherry dining table and scratches it, he doesn't take off his shoes and tracks muck into the home, etc. Stupid.

4. Wrong pace.

Some prospects are naturally fast-paced, while others are s-l-o-w. Since people like to be around people who are like themselves, salespeople need to adjust their pace of speaking and the pace of their movement to the natural preferences of their prospects.

5. Not leveraging the location.

The prospect collects Italian pitchers. They're all over the kitchen, dining room, entry, and family room. But the salesperson is too busy playing with his order form, brochures, and PowerPoint presentation to notice, much less say anything about it to the prospect. Really? Yet this bozo told his sales manager during his job interview that he's a "people person." Yes, really.

6. No sit-down chit-chat.

The sales rep is in the home to do business. A great place, probably the best place, to do business is at a table, like a kitchen table or dining table. Yet, thousands of salespeople try to do business while hovering around the broken furnace, or in the unfinished basement, or in the upstairs bathroom, or in the entryway of the home where the security system control pad would go. Why? Because that's where the products they're selling are going to be installed if the prospect buys. Almost all in-home sales interactions can benefit from sitting down together first.

7. Missed opportunities for connection to prospects.

The rep knows some of her prospects own dogs, yet she doesn't t keep a small package of dog treats her our bag to offer one to the furry friends. She knows kids can be a distraction when trying to talk business, yet she doesn't t carry a couple coloring books and crayons in her supplies to keep the lovable kiddos busy while she has a serious talk with the Mom about her needs. She assumes everyone remembers her name, so she doesn't give a business card to the prospect at the beginning of the call. Missed opportunities. 

8. Not spending enough effort on discovering or understanding needs.

The prospect doesn't buy a sunroom to have a sunroom. She buys a sunroom to sit in it on a beautiful morning while enjoying her morning coffee while looking out at their apple trees and chatting to her college-aged son on the phone. If we only spend time telling prospects how great our product is, we miss the opportunity to relate the sunroom to the needs and desires and lifestyle of the prospects, and the things that are truly important in the customer's life.

9. Odors. Bad ones.

Cigarette smoke odor on our clothing, parmesan-chicken-with-garlic-mayo-on-ciabatta odor on our breath, body odor on our bodies, or overly aggressive perfume or cologne on our selves can make a sales interaction go south in a big hurry. These are offensive at any time, but these types of odors are even more troubling when they occur on the prospect's [literal] home turf.

10. No sale.

For many products and services sold in the home, our chances of buttoning up the sale AFTER we leave the home is slim. To maximize the sale, we have to know how to complete the sale while in the home. It's truly a skill, and one that every sales professional who sells in customers' homes must learn.

If you like this post (or don't) please click on "comments" below and share your comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, in the financial, real estate, and insurance markets, and other consumer-selling industries.

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Ouch! Sometimes it Hurts to Look for Customers' Pain

 
Some define selling as a process of identifying their prospects' and customers' "pain." Books and articles admonish salespeople to "find the customer's pain." This can be valuable, since relief from pain is most certainly a motivation for buying.

Pain takes many forms in our prospect's lives.

> Pain could be a dishwasher that runs six hours instead of one or two hours, thereby increasing energy costs and reducing opportunities to remove dishes from it.

> Pain could be the car that's difficult to start on humid days, thereby reducing reliability.

> Pain could be a closet rod that fell down in the middle of the night leaving the clothes in a large wrinkled pile on the closet for.

But where I think some are misguided is when salespeople think only about pain as a motivating factor for buying, as if it is the root cause for all purchases. But it isn't. Looking exclusively at pain as the reason for buying products and services can cause you to miss other reasons why people buy.

> I didn't buy 12 boxes of Girl Scout cookies from six different girls to relieve pain.

> I didn't download the new Zero 7 CD or go to the Minnesota Orchestra concert to relieve pain.

> I didn't buy my wife a necklace to relieve pain.

> I didn't buy my daughter a book at her school's book fair to relieve pain.

> I didn't buy a collection of municipal bonds to relieve pain.

> I didn't buy our latest piece of art to relieve pain.

> I didn't buy a Vineyard Vines tie to relieve pain.

It's great to understand pain is a motivating factor for some purchases in some situations. But don't stop there. Customers buy for more than just one reason. Focusing on only pain is like focusing only on the quality of the wine while dining. Don't miss out on the rest of the meal!

Missing other buying motivations can be painful!

If you like this post (or don't) please click on "comments" below and share your comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, in the financial, real estate, and insurance markets, and other consumer-selling industries.

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7 Indicators of High Pressure Selling

The vast majority of salespeople working today don't want to be high pressure sellers. In fact, some have a fear of using pressure to gain sales and avoid assertive, professional selling techniques because of their hyper-sensitivity to high pressure selling.

I also have a disdain for high pressure selling. But I know that professional salespeople need to be assertive, to be willing to put themselves out in the public's eye, to be able to take control, to drive their prospect's decisions, and to bring in the orders.

High pressure selling is something completely different. But what, exactly, is the high pressure selling that most of us dislike so much?

I think high pressure selling can be identified by the following seven indicators:

1. When the salesperson hasn't generated sufficient rapport with, or trust from, the prospect.

2. When the sales representative dominates the sales conversation and does not create customer engagement. 

3. When the salesperson lets the product dominate the conversation rather than the prospect's needs and desires, and their unique circumstances.

4. When the salesperson displays behavior that is disrespectful, rude, or offensive.

5. When the sales representative attempts to close the sale too early or in the wrong way.

6. When the salesperson crosses the line from being assertive (a valuable trait in selling) to being aggressive (attempting to dominate the prospect).

7. When the customer has incorrectly implied or communicated a high level of interest of commitment in the salesperson's product, and then feels taken advantage of when the salesperson acts congruently with that interest or commitment.

You'll see that six of the indicators listed above are the responsibility of the salesperson, and the last one is the responsibility of the prospect. Go ahead and hate aggressive selling. But don't let that keep you from selling.

Are there any sales behaviors missing from my list that you think is an indicator of high pressure or aggressive selling?

If you like this post (or don't) please click on "comments" below and share your comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, in the financial, real estate, and insurance markets, and other consumer-selling industries.

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What Are Your Sales Strengths?

As a salesperson, what are you good at?

Is it something broad, like "retail selling" or "telesales?" Or is it something specific, such as "Getting customers to see the investment potential in our ABC mutual fund," or "Adding lamps to the order whenever I sell a sofa." Whatever it is, celebrate your sales strengths.

What I sometimes see are salespeople who don't take full advantage of their existing sales strengths. In an effort to be more balanced, (or to respond to pressure from management), they seek to moderate their outcomes by focusing on areas of weakness, and in doing so, they lessen their success in their areas of strength.

I want to suggest that you start using your strengths like nobody on the face of the earth can do what you do. If you're great at selling lamps whenever a customer buys a sofa, why not try selling two lamps instead of just one, or three instead of two? You've already discovered you're good at selling lamps as an add-on sale, so take that ball and run with it.

Or maybe you can expand your strength into selling lamps along with beds, too. Whenever you have a bed customer, there should be two lamps on the delivery truck with that customer's name on them.

And if you're tops in your organization at getting prospects to see the potential in your "ABC" mutual fund, perhaps you can also have the same effect when you propose your the "DEF" fund to a slightly different customer with slightly different needs.

Some people are only vaguely aware of their strengths, or not aware of them at all. Start by clearly identifying your sales strengths. Ask your manager, your coworkers, your boyfriend, your customers...ask whoever would know what your strengths are. Don't settle for vague or general answers. Drill down to specifics.

As your understanding of your strengths grows, identify opportunities to use those strengths in an even more significant way. Out of this process can grow new opportunities for rising sales.

Next, look for ways to use your strengths in new, fresh, unexpected, or expanded ways. When you do that, you have even more opportunity for sales growth.

What are your sales strengths? Tell the world by clicking "comments" below...

If you like this post (or don't) please click on "comments" below and share your comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, in the financial, real estate, and insurance markets, and other consumer-selling industries.

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Selling is a Skill

I loved playing baseball as a kid. I'd take my book about pitching outside with me and pitch for endless hours to my younger brother (probably my earliest experiencing in selling was learning how to "sell" my brother on being catcher to my pitches even after he wanted to quit).

It didn't take me long to figure out that pitching was a skill. You had to throw the ball the right way to get the ball to go where you wanted it to go and to get it there taking the path you wanted it to take. Great baseball pitchers need to stay healthy, to be able to work when called upon, and to handle pressure effortlessly, but they also need the skill to get the ball to do what they want and need it to do.

I am a trained classical musician with two degrees in music. I played two instruments semi-professionally, and taught, and conducted and composed music. Performing music requires skill.

Just think about the number of hours that top music students in top music conservatories and universities across the world spend honing their craft. It's crazy. But anybody pursuing music at this level understands that performing music requires skill. It requires more than that, too, but it definitely requires skill.

Readers of this blog will know that I had surgery earlier this fall. My surgeon was very skilled - I know this not only by the quality of his work, but also by the checking I did before my procedure. But the only reason I needed surgery is because the surgeon that performed this surgery on me one year ago was unskilled. He had botched it. Surgeons need knowledge, but they require copious skill, too.

And so it is in the profession of selling. The mission of sales training is to improve the skills of professional sellers. Just as with pitchers, classical musicians, and surgeons, salespeople need to have their skills developed to a sufficiently high level to result in sufficiently high sales performance.

If you want to get better at selling, work hard. Treat people well. Be helpful. But make sure you have developed the skills you need to achieve what you want.

Read over 100 posts in this blog about sales skills.

If you like this post (or don't) please click on "comments" below and share your comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, in the financial, real estate, and insurance markets, and other consumer-selling industries.

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The 20% Rule: How To Distribute Your Selling Resources

Sales representatives have finite resources of time and energy in which to create revenue. If you want to excel, choose carefully where you spend your time and energy.

Most one-call close industries have a set of numbers like these:

- 20% of customers will buy no matter what

- 20% of prospects will not buy no matter what

Your company or your industry may be 10%, or 35%, or whatever, but I've seen these numbers enough times that I know they often exist.

So here's a vital question: On which group should the sales representative focus his or her efforts in order to become wildly successful in a one-call close environment?

The correct answer is on the 60% of remaining prospects. The 40% described above will take care of themselves. Assigning too much time or effort to these prospects will limit the amount of time and effort spent and on the vitally important 60% of prospects that are on the fence and could end up either as customers or as lost sales opportunities.

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.

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More Hang Time Means More Sales

One factor limiting sales success is the salespersons' insufficient time with the prospect, especially in one-call close sales scenarios.

Since we need to get the prospect to hang in there with us and not end the conversation, I call the time we spend with our prospects "hang time." Often, more hang time equals means more sales.

One reason sellers fail at handling objections from customers successfully is that they aren't able to extend the conversation long enough to adequately deal with issues in the objection. "I'm going to hold off," for example, begs for a response, but you only have the opportunity to provide a response if you're able to engineer enough hang time into the sales interaction.

What many salespeople do to try to extend hang time is babble about more features or repeat themselves from earlier in the sales interaction. But these are ineffective ways of extending time with the prospect. What is far more effective is to address each objection with a customized response to that particular objection.

Or, responding to "I'm going to hold off" with a simple question such as "Tell me what you're thinking" can help reengage the prospect to continue the dialog. Important information, such as the true customer objection, can then surface. Once this objection sees the light of day, it can be examined and discussed, giving the seller the opportunity to change the outcome of the sales interaction.

If you're challenged with overcoming objections, develop the ability to increase the hang time with your prospect.

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.

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5 Ways to Increase Customer Engagement With Better Goodbyes

I read a very interesting post this week by Rodney Johnson. I love the title: "The Power Goodbye." Read it.

In his article, Rodney discusses how society places more importance on beginnings (the "hellos") than on endings (the "goodbyes"). This is an interesting thought that got me thinking about how this concept  applies to prospects, customers, salespeople, and the sales process.

First, let me say I am a big believer in the power of effective openings during the sales process. The companies I work have salespeople who sell in customers' homes or in retail or in other B2C selling venues. They often have very limited time to establish a trust relationship, and while a B2B salesperson can rely upon prospecting activity to create a vibrant pipeline of prospects, many business-to-consumer salespeople can only rely on the leads supplied to them or the traffic in their store.

For instance, in a retail setting, you wait for your prospect to come through the door. When they do, you have a limited window of opportunity to engage that prospect in conversation. If you fail at opening up that conversation, the prospect will likely either leave the premises (perhaps to visit with your competitor!), or end up engaging with another sales representative at your store. Since the prospect traffic in a retail setting is a finite set, a salesperson must maximize their openings  with these visitors if they are to maximize their sales results.

But let's also look at, as Mr. Johnson calls them, the "goodbyes." 

Let's imagine your customer has just purchased a new barbecue grill, or an entertainment center, or a sunroom. How should the salesperson handle this engagement opportunity?

Here are five tactics to help you maximize engagement with your customer immediately after the sale:

1. CONGRATULATE.

It's very common to thank a customer for their order. One might even be able to argue that it's such a  common occurrence that it's lost its effectiveness. So, congratulate your prospect instead. "Betty and Bob, congratulations on your new health club membership!" has a nice ring to it. And when you follow it with a handshake and appropriate eye contact, you are supporting your prospects underlying needs and desires that motivated them to spend this money on this product or service.

2. SEND A THANK-YOU NOTE, BUT...

Thank you cards are nice. Send one after your customer buys 1 house-full of window treatments or a riding lawnmower or hardwood flooring from you.

But do something different, fun, or unexpected. Send an applicable article clipped from a newspaper or magazine with the thank-you. Take a picture of the customer next to his new recliner before he leaves your store and mail the photo the the customer along with the thank-you note. Send a lottery ticket. Have the entire staff of your store or company sign the card. Send an unconventional card - maybe something that doesn't even look like a traditional greeting card.

When customer engagement processes become unimaginative and routine, their effectiveness is reduced. But when we make them clever, entertaining, or different, we increase the odds of engagement. 

3. BRING A MANAGER INTO THE PICTURE.

When I bought my Sony laptop at Micro Center last year, the cashier called a manager over to her station to  personally thank me for my purchase. Did they have to do this? No, of course not. But did it have an impact on the customer. Yes!

If you work in a venue other than retail, the manager could phone the customer to thank the customer, or send a note or an email.

4. MAKE IT EASY FOR CUSTOMERS TO WEIGH IN ON THEIR EXPERIENCE.

The proper instrument may be a written comment card, a mailed comment card, an online survey, or a phone follow-up, but when you ask prospects about their experience, and it's clear to the customer that you really want their feedback, you increase engagement, trust, and respect.

5. FEATURE YOUR NEW CUSTOMER AND THEIR NEW PRODUCT.

A photo of your new customer standing next to their brand new boat (or, better yet, fishing on it) could be featured on a billboard, in an ad campaign, or in an email newsletter. Making human being customers the focus of your marketing activities can help engage customers because your company is more human-centric and less product-centric. Could insurance companies, for example, benefit from this? Yes! And maybe your company could, too.

Put more effort into your "goodbyes" and you'll increase your customer engagement.

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.

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The Customer Comments Book: A Big Plus in One Call Close Selling

Here's the scenario: You're selling closet systems in a customer's home (or any design oriented product). You decide you've got to complete the design and sell it on the first visit. 

Find time in your sales process to hand the prospect a 3 ring binder full of customer comment forms which have been completed by your other customers. An appropriate time tcoo do this might be while you're measuring the prospect's space, designing the prospect's new closet system, or while you're doing an inventory of the space (counting shoes, short-hanging clothing, long-hanging clothing, number of folded sweaters, etc.).

These customer comment forms should be given to all customers after the product is delivered or installed. Providing some sort of incentive will increase the percentage of customers who mail them back to your company.

The most effective customer comment forms are brief, are filled out by hand by your customers, and include your customer's name and address. Alternatively, these comment forms could be copies of online comments you've received through an online customer satisfaction survey system (but these are much less effective sales-wise than hand-written forms). If you use a laptop in your presentation, you could scan your comments and include them in a slide show on your machine.

Back when I was selling in customer's homes, I bought a high quality leather 3 ring binder for this purpose. It had a luxurious feel and look, and touching it provided a tactile sensation which was pleasing to my prospects and supported the professional image I was trying to create.

 At the appropriate time in your selling process, simply hand the book to your prospect and say, "Here's something I'd like you to see." Never ask if the prospect wants to look at it because most will say they don't. Not all prospects will be intrigued by these customer comments, but many will be. As they read comments that sing your praises, your value begins to increase in their eyes.

The impact of this customer comment book on your prospects, and therefore your sales results, can be phenomenal. Prospects love to read comments from other customers as long as they are believable. Every week, I would have a prospect who would know one or more of the customers I featured in my comments book ("Why look, Jean, here's one by the Haffners who go to our church!"). This creates instant credibility and trust.

When you're starting in the closet and home storage industry (or whatever industry you're in that sells in the home), you'll have few customer comment forms. But as time passes, if you or your company are diligent about receiving these forms, you will end up with a binder that's bursting at the seams, which is a good thing. The more customer comments your prospect can read, the better. 

Imagine the impact of two competitors fighting for the same customer's business. One shows up for their in home presentation with a book chock full of glowing customer reviews, while the other doesn't. With all other things being equal, who has the greater opportunity to close the sale?

These customer comment books can be an extraordinary asset for those who sell HVAC, insurance, home improvements, design, or just about anything in a prospect's home.

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.

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How To Handle Objections: The 3A Formula

Objections are part of selling. No matter how hard we try to prevent them, objections will appear out of nowhere, and it will always be that way.

First, for our purposes here, let's define the term "objection," because I think there are several variations on the term that can potentially cause some confusion in discussions about overcoming objections during the sales process.

Objection (definition): "After an attempt to close a sale, an objection is a reason expressed by a prospect why the prospect will not or can not buy the product or service being discussed."

For handling this type of objection, I teach the 3A system:

Skip Anderson's 3A Formula for Handling Objections:

1. ACKNOWLEDGE the objection

2. ADDRESS the objection.

3. ASK for the sale again.

Acknowledging the objection is some statement of understanding or even support for the prospect or their sharing of the objection. Let's imagine a prospect has just stated "I need to talk to my husband about it." Here are a few examples of acknowledgment statements:

- Thank you Mary for sharing that information with me.

- I understand!

- I'm a husband myself, so I can appreciate what you're telling me. 

Most salespeople skip this acknowledgment step, and get right to confronting the objection head-on. The problem with this is that it often comes off as being too confrontational.

The second step is "address the objection." This is when you provide further information, clarify the objection, isolate the objection, revisit previous conversation, remind the prospect of what they told you earlier, or all of the above. Let's imagine the prospect's objection is "I just don't think the colors in this rug will work in my home." Examples of addressing this objection could be:

- Mary, earlier you told me you loved this rug and the colors would match your colors in your living room. Did I hear you correctly? And so on.

- Based upon the paint chips you brought in last time you were in, we both agreed this rug looked great with those colors. What has changed since then?" And so on.

- Mary, why do you say that? And so on.

This step can be a lengthy one, and sometimes can result in rewinding the sales process back to the needs and desires assessment and starting it over again. If this happens, either the prospect wasn't being forthright, or something changed that you weren't aware of, or you missed something.

The third step is to ask for the sale again. Examples:

- Mary, you've spent hours and hours looking for a rug for your home. Why don't you get this one so you can quit worrying about it and start enjoying it?

- Should we schedule delivery?

- You want to own this rug, don't you?

The triple-A formula will help a salesperson get through many tough objection situations whether the objection is a legitimate one or a false objection. Remember: Acknowledge - Address - Ask!

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.

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Selling to Consumers: It's Mostly About Relationships

When we think of "relationships" we usually think of those that matter most to us: partners, children, parents, friends, and the like. But those aren't just relationships, those are strong, meaningful relationships. There are other relationships, too. Those other relationships are the ones we have when we end up chatting with someone at the neighborhood coffee shop or meeting someone new at the bar while having a cold one.

And what about the relationship with the front desk clerk at the hotel we check into? It only lasts a few minutes, but isn't that a relationship? Or the parent we meet at the playground while our kids are playing. Or the person that talks to us in a retail store...isn't that a relationship? They're not deep, long-term relationships, but they are relationships, right?

Enter Doyle Slayton

My good friend (and rising star sales guru) Doyle Slayton through up quite a post on his blog Wednesday. It's gotten a lot of people thinking and discussing his topic, which is something that I think is very important for all of us in the sales profession (when I last checked, he had dozens of comments on this blog post). His post, "It's nothing personal, it's just business," takes a contrarian point-of-view to the the commonly held belief that selling is all about relationships.

While I understand what Doyle is getting at, and I definitely agree that sales results are king (everything else is just a means to that end), I somewhat disagree with Doyle's point of view, probably because Doyle's sales background and my sales background are in different types of selling.

My post today is about poking holes in Doyle's post (I warned you, Doyle!). The following are several excerpts from Doyle's article (I encourage you to read the whole thing so you can put everything into proper context). I've added some of my B2C-oriented commentary below. I hope you find the "debate" interesting at least, and thought-provoking at best:

“The relationship begins after the sale, not before.” 

Here's my bias, and why I've chosen to offer a differing point-of-view to Doyle's post:

Most of my sales experience, like many B2C and retail salespeople, has involved sales interactions where you must quickly establish rapport and trust (the basis of any relationship, in my opinion), so you can make a sale while the sales opportunity exists. If you sell windows, for instance, you're going to have a 90 minute (more or less) in-home consultation in order to complete the sale. If you close that opportunity often, you'll be a sales superstar. If you never do it, you'll just be one of the long list of salespeople who tried this job but failed at it.

For a salesperson to sell windows in an in-home sales appointment, one must absolutely, without question, create a relationship with the prospect as a means to achieving the sale. This relationship will be different than the relationship with your good friend, different from the one with your neighbor, your love interest, or your college buddies, but it will be a relationship.

Building a relationship isn't something you do TO someone, it's something you do WITH someone. And to be successful in these types of selling scenarios, the relationship has to be there, because you likely won't get a second chance to sell if you come up empty on the first call. The prospect will be on to his next appointment with your competitor, and if your competitor is able, he'll button up the business while you're left on the sidelines watching from afar.

The same thing holds true in selling jewelry, furniture, fine clothing, or cosmetics at retail. Or selling basement finishing, custom closets, landscaping, or home remodeling in the home. We may never see the customer again (therefore, a relationship after the sale is a moot point), but the relationship almost always has to be there if we're going to win the business.

Most people who sell to consumers don't act as account managers (insurance and financial products are two exceptions). Once the transaction is complete, the relationship, if it exists at all, is of minimal importance. "The relationship begins after the sale?" Nope. I don't think so. Not in the B2C world.

"If there are no results, there is no relationship. Period!"

I disagree with this statement for reasons I've already stated. In my world (consumer selling), there is a relationship, and almost always that relationship exists from the point of contact to the close of the sale, and rarely lasts longer than that.

"If there are no results, there is no relationship" strikes me as being a "which came first, the chicken or the egg" dilemma. Having said that, in B2C selling, the relationship almost always comes first.

Francesca at the gourmet store probably has one chance to sell you a set of All-Clad stainless steel cookware for a thousand dollars or more. If you don't buy it from her, you'll likely go to another store, or order it online, or decide that something else has a higher priority in your life at this moment than cookware. Many consumer purchases take place in a very limited window of opportunity.

I offer this spin on Doyle's statement: "If you can't quickly create a relationship with your prospect, you probably don't have a sale."

"Do you really think the majority of your prospects are interested in building a relationship? We might be pretty good people, but I don’t think any of us are that cool."

If you ask your prospects if they're interested in building a relationship, they'll say no. I agree with Doyle here. But I can also say that consumer prospects prefer to have a positive and productive interaction with their appliance salesperson or their interior designer at the end of the day. As salespeople, we shoot ourselves in the foot when we don't create a positive relationship, albeit a usually short-lived one, with our prospects.

Our prospects probably don't want us to ask for the sale, either. But we still do it. We have to to excel.

"Ok, point made. Let’s transition to look at our current client base."

Many of us in consumer selling don't have much of a "current client base."

While the B2B salesperson has the luxury of getting ongoing orders for steel or paper products or industrial finishes, or IT services, we B2C folks hunker down and look for new selling opportunities. You can make a nice sale selling window treatments to your prospect today, but aside from selling them window coverings at their second home or for their new home when they move in seven years, you're not going to get much repeat business from your customer (again, there are some exceptions, like insurance and financial services).

In my opinion, it's must more important to maximize your relationships with all your prospects, whether those relationships last five minutes, half-an-hour, or several hours (or if you're lucky enough to leverage a longer-term relationship into ongoing revenue). If you want to sell more, get better at creating relationships quickly.

That reminds me: Years ago I created a sales training program for a national chain of furniture stores called "Have a Relationship with a Customer." The point of the training was to look at the sales interaction as a relationship, not just two ships passing in the night.

Thanks, Doyle, for your thought-provoking post. Let the discussion continue!

[One of my favorite sales books is Relationship Selling, the 8 competencies of top sales producers by Jim Cathcart. Although this book has a bit of a business-to-business bias, it's filled with great insight and wise recommendations.]

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.

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The Attraction Effect, Top Sales Bloggers & The Role of Selling

Today, I have three interesting business tidbits for you:

1. A Peek into the Brain of Shoppers

What happens when buyers' brains when they consider difficult purchasing decisions? Researchers Akshay Rao from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, and William Hedgcock from the University of Iowa, have published a very interesting study in the Journal of Marketing Research.

Using MRI scans, the researchers have discovered what they call "The Attraction Effect." If you're considering purchasing a sweater, let's imagine that you have your purchase narrowed down to two possibilities. You like both sweaters, but are having trouble deciding between the two. When a third option is introduced into the mix, and when this third option is a less appealing one, the research study's subjects found the decision was easier than when two sweaters were being considered. And the MRI showed the subjects were experiencing more pleasure when the third option was present.

What can sellers take away from this? Give your customers a third option. I've been teaching the "three option" technique for years. If you sell life insurance, give your prospects a quote on three different policies at three different price-points rather than just providing two.

Read The Attraction Effect.

2. Top Sales Bloggers

Using data from several sources, Business Technology and Sales 411 (www.BTS411.com) has just published their list of the top 15 sales bloggers who are also power twitter users. There are some great bloggers on the list (Ian Brodie, Will Fultz, Art Sobczak, and Shane Gibson for example). I'm honored to have earned the #11 spot on the list for this Selling to Consumers Sales Blog. See the complete list of the top sales bloggers.

3. What is the Difference Between Marketing and Selling?

• Respected marketing guru Seth Godin says the role of selling is to overcome the customer's natural resistance to buying. I agree. Read sales is overcoming resistance.

If you like this post (or don't!), please consider leaving a comment. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter to read more sales tips and commentary about selling and sales.

Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is mad about helping companies and individuals sell more. 

A Story About Failure

I've been dealing with some health  issues the last few years (don't worry, loyal readers, all is well). I've had to have my blood drawn much more often than usual.

Here's the thing:

In my multi-decade existence, I have never had a problem with phlebotomists finding a vein in my arm to do their deed when required...until a couple years ago. There is one phlebotomist at my doc's office who cannot find a vein in my arm. Ever.

Here is how it goes with this particular phlebotomist:

She asks me which arm I prefer, and I say, "Right, please;" She digs around in my forearm with her prodding needle trying to thrust that sharp thing into my vein; Unsuccessful, she begins to sigh and apologize profusely while increasing the intensity of her frown; She continues to excavate deep inside my flesh with that needle, destroying all living tissue in its path; Then she moves to my left forearm (continuing to apologize and shake her head left and right - ominously - while she purses her lips) and repeats the poking, fishing, prodding, and frowning; She finally tells me she needs to retrieve my blood from my hand, where she finally succeeds; Ten minutes later, me and my black-and-blue arms leave the medical office - bandages securely covering all wounds.

But here's the thing: When I happen to get assigned to a different phlebotomist (whether at that doctor's office, or any another medical office - as was the case this morning), I am able to quickly provide my blood sample with almost no discomfort, and then am able to exit quickly to see my next prospect or to prepare for my next presentation.

How can this be? What is the difference between the dastardly phelebotomist and all the others who have gotten to know my veins?

Answer: The evil one doesn't have enough skill to succeed. Skills make all the difference in phlebotomy.

And skills also make all the difference in sales. If you want to sell more, increase your skill level.

How do skills influence sales outcomes? Consider...

...the guarded prospect who walks the boat showroom, but finally opens up to the salesperson because she is very good at dealing with guarded prospects (as compared to the salesperson left with nothing more than the tired line, "If you have any questions, I'm Bob.");

...the insurance agent whose skill gets his friends and family to share referrals and their phone numbers with him (as compared to the agent who is unable to get referrals over and over again);

...the spa salesperson who has learned how to handle bickering couples and help them navigate through the danger zone to become new spa owners (as compared to the sales rep who gets flustered and ends up picking sides and alienates one of the partners);

...the basement finishing salesperson who is able to get past "we're going to need to think about it" and complete the sale in one call (versus the salesperson who sells almost nothing because once he leaves, his competitor comes in behind him and creates a new customer).

Selling is a skill. If you want to make more money, develop your skills. If you want to achieve more, get your selling skills to work for you.

Maybe the wretched phlebotomist would do better in sales.

If you like this post (or don't!), please consider leaving a comment, or subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is nuts about helping companies and individuals sell more. 

Selling Intangibles to the Consumer: Utilizing a Tangible Substitute During Your Presentation

Sales of intangibles can be challenging. Working with prospects on tangible products allows the senses of touch, sight, hearing, taste, or smell to play a role in the prospect's decision. To improve the success at selling Intangibles (for example, insurance, services, design, educational programs, etc.), sometimes salespeople can benefit by compensating for the lack of physical properties during a sales interaction.

One of the most beneficial strategies for salespeople who sell intangibles is to bring something tangible into the sales interaction. This item, whatever it is, can act as a stand-in for the product or service you sell to satisfy the customer's preference for interaction with something that has physical attributes. Many buyers need this stand-in to help their senses become involved in the buying decision.

For example, if you are presenting a particular investment instrument to a prospect who is currently not investing, prepare two envelopes with your prospect's name and address on the front, and with your company's return address also. In one envelope, enclose a physical "sample" investment account summary. Date this statement for today's date, but for twenty years from now. Put the prospect's name in the name/address section of this "statement" to customize it, and make it look like a real account document (like something they might actually get in the mail). Your statement should show an account balance that is the result of the investment instrument you're presenting to your prospect. Make sure you don't oversell the investment opportunity on this statement; Use conservative rates of return when creating this sample (and include sufficient disclaimers so it's clear that this is just a sample).

In the second envelope, enclose a second account summary for the same prospect, but show the account balance as "0" as if they did not spend the next twenty years investing in this vehicle.

Now paint a picture for the prospect and encourage them to participate as you ask them to imagine where they'll be living in twenty years. Ask them to describe it in detail. Ask how old their kids will be.  Ask them to predict if they will have any grandchildren, and if so, how many. Ask them to imagine going to their mailbox to retrieve the mail and then opening an account summary from your company.

Ask the prospect to open these envelopes and pull out the enclosures. Let the prospect touch these papers, and get them to walk through a twenty-year-from-now scenario with you.  Hand the prospect the envelope with the zero balance first. This will show them what will happen if they don't invest. Then have them open the second statement (the one that shows an estimated balance based upon regular monthly payments for twenty years). 

Ask them to talk about how they would feel if the first envelope was the real one they will open in twenty years. Ask them to reflect on how they felt opening up the other one. Get the tangible letters to represent your intangible investment product.

This is only one example in one industry of how a physical thing can become a stand-in for an intangible product. In this case, it involves the customers' senses of sight and touch. But other tangible solutions might use the sense of hearing, or taste.

If you sell an intangible, what is an example of how you could creatively use a physical something to stand-in for your product and give your prospect an opportunity to physically interact with an object that represents what you sell?

Please share your ideas!

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Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is nuts about helping companies and individuals sell more. 

Selling Financial Products and Services

With all the uncertainty in the economy and financial markets, this is the perfect time for financial services people to redesign their sales approach. Even clients who traditionally have had a high tolerance for risk have a new mindset these days.

Today, financial salespeople need to get prospects to verbalize their fears more than ever before. The worst possible strategy is to pretend concerns and fears do not exist. What can be verbalized can be examined and explored; what remains hidden from view in the professional/client relationship can cause the business relationship to go south.

Explore worst case scenarios. Ask tough questions. Encourage tough questions from your clients. Get everything out on the table. Encourage and welcome objections.

Consumer confidence is low; but that doesn't mean you can't create strong confidence in your knowledge and expertise.

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Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company specializing in sales training in retail, in-home selling, and services. Subscribe to the free Sales Tips newsletter.

Take Your Time

Many salespeople rush through their sales interactions. Whether retail selling, selling on the phone, or selling in customers' homes, salespeople would be well served to take plenty of time (not too much time, but plenty of time) with their prospects.

Building trust, identifying needs, understanding the prospect...they all take time. Becoming a sales superstar requires sufficient time with your prospect.

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

Selling in the Home: Bring on the Treats

Here's a sales tip from my work in home improvement sales training:

If you sell in your customers' homes, try keeping a little package of dog treats and cat treats with you in your bag. When you run across a prospect who is clearly a pet lover, ask if you can give their pet(s) a treat.

It's fun to do (especially for someone like me who loves animals), and your pet-loving customer will love you for it. The cats and dogs won't complain either.

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

Have a Relationship

You sell garage additions in your customer's homes. You visit your prospects, get to know them, eventually work up a price, and close the deal. Is your hour-long appointment long enough to be considered a "relationship?"

You sell jewelry, selling primarily engagement and wedding rings. Your prospects spend a few minutes or a couple hours in your store talking with you about their needs and your products. Is this long enough to be considered a "relationship?"

You have a prospect who wants to roll-over his 401(k) into an IRA after leaving his job and becoming self-employed. You talk on the phone for 45 minutes. Does this prospect constitute a "relationship?"

Relationships are important in selling, whether they're ongoing year-after-year relationships, or they're brief encounters like the examples above. Even brief relationships can be strengthened if you do three things:

1. Focus on the prospect. Relationships require a human element.

2. Look for opportunities for relationships, not merely transactions. Sometimes, prospects are open to relationships with you. Keep your eyes open!

3. Look for opportunities to have ongoing contact. Even if you sell shoes at retail, there are opportunities to create long-term impact in a customer's life. Doesn't every customer need a long-term "shoe expert," just like they need an accountant or attorney? Become their shoe expert!

Have relationships with your customer, even if your selling interactions are brief ones.

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

"I'm a People Person" part 2

"I'm a people person!"

If you're going to say you're a people person, then notice things about your prospects and react accordingly.

- If you're in a retail store and your prospect comes in with her toddler to look at dishwashers, say "hi" to the toddler, find out his name, and give him some crayons and a coloring book or a stuffed animal to play with. Don't just say you're a people person, truly be one, and give your prospect the attention she deserves.

- If you're selling in a customer's home and the prospect announced, "We just moved in yesterday," don't go right to the closets you're there to design. Talk about the customer's new home (if you're a homeowner, do you remember how excited you were the day after you moved into your home?). Ask questions such as, "How did the closing go?" or "What's your favorite feature of your new home?" or "How did you find this home?" Don't just say you're a people person, truly be one, and give your prospect the attention he craves.

- If you've a financial planner and you have a couple in your office who mentions their trip to Greece last year, stop what you're doing and ask about their trip. "What did you like most about Greece?" "Was this your first time in Greece?" "I've always wanted to go to Greece; how would you recommend I plan a trip to Greece?" Don't just say you're a people person, truly be one, and give your prospects the attention they want.

Don't just pitch your product. Treat your human prospects humanly. That's the way to be a "people person."

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.