Sales Strategy Workshop Podcast: Sales Training | Michael Carter

In today’s podcast we look at the last four stages of the sales process.  How you manage your sales presentation can make a tremendous difference in your ability to meet customer expectations, build your credibility, and consistently meet your sales ob...

Want to insure the presentation you give, get's the results you expect?  Follow a sales process that insures you cover your bases and helps you meet your objectives. In this podcast, we cover the section, most people talk about when they ask about the sales process.  What happens when you are with the prospect?  How you execute this section of the sales process is extremely important, but if you haven't put in the work in the two previous sections, it will effect your results.  So, before you get in front of the prospect, make sure you’re ready. The Sales Process Helps You Prepare For Buyer Resistance Lot’s of people just go on sales calls unprepared with a let's see what happens attitude.  Your presentation sales process is the frame work to help you meet your sales call objective.  You need to know what you're going to do, why, and when to do it.  You have a big job.  You need to gain the prospects trust, build your credibility, and show them why you are the one to help them. Buyers are going to resist you.  It's their job to be skeptical and your job to turn that around.  When you walk in the door, you know what they are ready to say: I need to think about it. We need to get some additional quotes. We don’t need it right now. We can’t make a decision. I need to talk it over with. We can’t afford it. They will be thinking, Do I trust this salesperson? Your Sales Process Paves The Way The sales process helps you prepare and divert objections.  It also positions you as a valuable resource when done right.  We’re going to use an 8 stage sales process.  Are all sales processes 8 stages?  No.  Your presentation process can have any number of stages you want.  It can be 4 stages or 20.  The purpose of designating stages is to make sure you cover the bases.  Here are the 8 steps we'll use in this podcast: Arrival Warm Up Analyze needs Develop the solution Presentation/Demonstration The Pre-Close and Proposal Delivery Close The Sale The post close Today we will look at the first 4 stages and cover the final 4 in the next podcast.  As you listen to this, think about the why of each stage on the sales process.  There are a lot ideas circulating around about how many stages a presentation should have, but don’t get cought up in the number of stages.  Get caught up in why that stage is their, it’s purpose, and why you need to make sure you complete it before you move on. Enjoy the podcast. If you get the chance, check it out.  You can also fine the Sales Management Workshop podcast in the Apple iTunes Store, and it's free.   For more information on Michael Carter's Sales Training Programs follow this link.

In this podcast we look at part two of the sales process.  A good sales process is important because sales is both an art and a science.  The science is in the process.  The art is in how you execute that process.  How do you gain the prospects confidence?  How do you know when it’s time to close?  How do you know what they need to make the buying decision?Will they see you as the person to do business with?  Do they have faith in your company to help them reach their objectives? The key to getting answers to all these questions and more is in how well you execute your sales process. Sales Process Overview, Pre-presentation Sales Activity The pre-presentations sales activity section of your sales process is for developing the strategies and tactics for you’ll perform before you meet with the prospect.  They will fall into two main categories. Your strategy for contacting and setting the appointment. Pre-call planning before every sales call. Appointment Setting, The Telephone Before you pick up the phone, know what you are going to say.  Be prepared for whatever direction the conversation takes.  To do that I would highly suggest you develop a script.  I’ll take it a step further and say you develop several scripts.  This isn't a script that you are going to read to the prospect.  They’re scripts you’ll use to develop your message. Here’s the process for developing your scripts.  Each script will have three parts: Introduction The message The call to action Emails Your sales process may require a minimum of three emails.  What you want to do is create an email template that you can use.  Now when I say template, your template should have space to personalize the message to the recipient.  Those three emails could consist of: Two emails after the first contact.  One for when you set the appointment.  One if you were unable to set the appointment. One email before the appointment date to confirm the appointment and provide additional information that could be helpful in the sales process. Here are things to keep in mind when writing sales emails. Keep it short.  Get to the point.  Most of us read our emails on our smart phones so the subject line and the first two sentences are very important. Try using the subject line as a summary and include your name, and or your companies name. Always limit the number of topics in an email to one. Check your spelling and grammar. As I said before, develop a template. I also found a couple of articles online that you might want to check out related to business emails. From Small Business Trends .com "10 Old New Rules for Business Emails" From Freelance Switch, “Writing Email Copy That Turns Into Sales” And from About .com Sales “Quick Tip: Email Subject Lines”   Pre Call Planning One area of the sales process I feel is the most neglected, is pre-call planning.  Pre-call planning provides you with three benefits: It provides you with a repeatable process for planning each sales call. It Improves the outcome of the sales call. It allows you to better prepare for the sales call. I hope you enjoy this podcast and that you come back for more.   Check Our Sales Management Workshop Podcast Check out Sales Management Workshop.  A podcast and blog devoted to sales management.  On the Sales Management Workshop podcast, we focus on Sales Planning, Territory development, Coaching, Hiring, Training and more If you get the chance, check it out.  You can also fine the Sales Management Workshop podcast in the Apple iTunes Store, and it's free.   For more information on Michael Carter's Sales Training Programs follow this link.

Your Sales Process Your sales process is key to your sales success.  Successful salespeople don’t just wing it, they start with a sales process and it begins with prospecting.  Prospecting is the first step in your saless process and your sales success.  Do it well and selling gets easy.  Do it poorly, and you could go broke.  In this podcast we provide you with an overview of the first part of your sales process.  Prospecting, to help you achieve consistent repeatable results. Why a Sales Process? Because you need a map to follow.  A road map that bring your prospects to a buying decision.  That map is in the form of your sales process.  To get you started we divide the sales process into four sections: Section One - Prospecting Section Two - pre-presentation sales activities Section Three - presentation sales activities Section Four - post presentation sales activities This podcast looks at the first section of the sales process.  Prospecting.  The goal is to help you get in front of the right prospects.  In this sample prospecting sales process we use four (4) stages: Target Identification. Lead Development. Prospecting Methodology. Process Execution. As a consultant I work with companies in the development of their sales process and this is an area in which we spend a lot of time.  If you don't have the right targets, your presentation and closing skills are of very little value. In the following podcast we will examine the other three sections of the sales process.  I hope you find the information helpful, and I welcome your comments and questions.   Check Our Sales Management Workshop Podcast Check out Sales Management Workshop.  A podcast and blog devoted to sales management.  On the Sales Management Workshop podcast, we focus on Sales Planning, Territory development, Coaching, Hiring, Training and more If you get the chance, check it out.  You can also fine the Sales Management Workshop podcast in the Apple iTunes Store, and it's free. For more information on Michael Carter's Sales Training Programs follow this link.

Asking Sales Questions Is The Key In sales, asking the right sales questions can make all the difference in the world.  Your ability to provide your customers with the right solution to their problems is key to sales success.  To find that solution, you need to know how to ask the right questions.   Ask the right questions, and they’ll tell you exactly what you need to do to make the sale. A long time ago I heard something that has stock with me to this day.  That was that two most important parts of the sales process are your ability to: Ask the right questions. The ability to listen. Yet when I observe struggling salespeople, the ones not reaching their full sales potential.  I find three thing that are missing?  Their ability to ask the right questions, ask them at the right time, and their ability to shut up and listen to what the prospect has to say. A successful sales call should be about 30% asking questions and talking and roughly 70% listening.  Another way that I have heard it described is that you have two ears and one mouth.  That means you listen twice as much as you speak. Why is it important to learn how to structure your sales questions: You use sales questions to gain or maintain control during the sales call.  If you use sales questions properly, they have to follow where you want them to go.  The proper use of questions also helps you to isolate areas of interest. By asking questions, you will find out what the prospect is interested in.  If you know what they are interested in or need.  You can then provide the solution they are looking for and better position them to buy. You use questions in sales to help acknowledge a fact.  When you state a fact in the form of a question,  and the response is positive, you have agreement. Use sales questions to receive minor agreements.  Selling is the sum total of a series of yeses, that lead to the final decision to own or use your service.  A minor agreement will also define the area(s) in which they have the most interest.  Not everyone buys your products or services for the same reasons.  By asking questions, you will find out why they will want what you have to offer. Use sales questions to arouse and control emotions.  Emotions are the thinking that you must arouse in the prospect.  If they can’t get excited about what you have to offer, they will not buy.  They have to feel that they must own the product. Use sales questions to isolate objections.  You must isolate their objections to understand the real stumbling blocks to the sale.  A skilled salesperson knows the prospect will have objections to buying their product or service.  But the also know that most objections are just a reaction and not real.  You need to find the objections that are important to the buying decision and focus on what is most important to the prospect.  To do that, you have to use sales questions. You don't answer objections by telling.  You answer them by asking.  The key to handling objections is best done when you ask the right questions that  allow the prospect to positively answers their own objection. Recommended Reading  The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource” by Jeffrey Gitomer.  Dale Carnegie in his Sales Advantage Program said this is one of the top ten books every salesperson should read.  This is the revised addition.  As I look on my book shelf, I have the first addition of this book which was published in 2003.  This is one of those books that comes along not too often.  Like how to master the art of selling by Tom Hopkins, this covers all the bases.  If you only have two books on sales, this should be one of them.  Appointment setting, using questions, handling objections and of course closing. I highly recomend this on.  Buy it now on Amazon. The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource, Revised Edition     Check Our Sales Management Workshop Podcast Check out Sales Management Workshop.

Do You Understand How People Buy? In this sales training podcast, we look at how people make the buying decision.  If you expect someone to buy from you.  You better understand their motives. Knowing why people will make a decision to invest with you. is important if you expect to make the sale. Welcome to sales strategy Workshop, episode number 2, "Sales Training To Help You Understand Why People Buy." In this podcast we start by looking at the two major questions every buyer has: Is this the person that I can count on to lead me to the right decision Is this the company I can count on to help me? You ability to provide the information that answer these two questions is key.  It can mean the difference between making the sale or not. The Two Types of Buyers In sales, their are only two types of buyers.  I’m not talking about their personalities.  I’m talking about why they have to buy. People buying for a business People buying as Consumers for them or their family We look at what each of these two types of buyers have in common.  Then we talk about the key components of your sales presentation that address their concerns.   Check Our Sales Management Workshop Podcast Check out Sales Management Workshop.  A podcast and blog  devoted to sales management.  On the Sales Management Workshop podcast, we focuse on Sales Planning, Territory development, Coaching, Hiring, Training and more If you get the chance, check it out.  You can also fine the Sales Management Workshop podcast in the Apple iTunes Store, and it's free.   For more information on Michael Carter's Sales Training Programs follow this link. I hope you come back to listen to the cast.  In the mean time sign up for the newsletter so you don't miss a thing.

Sales Strategy to Help You Win Sales training to help develop your skills, close more deals, and achieve your sales goals.  That’s what the Sales Strategy Workshop podcast is all about.  Welcome to Sales Strategy Workshop - Sales Training episode number 1.   Sales Strategy Workshop is About: Sales, a profession with the goal of providing solutions to address the needs, wants, and desires of both businesses and individuals. Strategy, the plan, the actions, and the tactics you design to achieve your sales goal.  That’s what Sales strategy workshop is all about.  We give you the basics.  We’re here to help you develop your plan, master your actions, and the tactics you’llneed to become as effective as possible in your sales career.   Why Sales Strategy? You can have the greatest product in the world, but if you as a salesperson, can’t demonstrate how your products or services can't benefit your customers you are lost.  You must provide a solution to their problems, not just products. If you can't, you're lost. With our question, sales is one of the oldest professions in the world.  It’s the efforts of salespeople that have built nations, set the foundation for economic growth, and created extraordinary wealth. Buyers are more sophisticated and knowledgeable then ever before.  If you think that sales success is based on your ability to talk someone into doing something that isn't in their best interest.  You’re dead wrong.  That idea works well for con men, not for professional salespeople.  Here are two simple rules to follow: 1. Rule Number One, You Must Believe To be successful in sales and to develop a strong sales strategy, you must believe in your company, it's products, and it's services.  Don’t waist your time, talent, and energy representing something you don’t believe in, just to get a check.  If you feel you are representing a company, a product, or a service that doesn't benefit the buyer.  Find something else to sell.  Find a company and products and services that you can believe in.  If you are looking to be successful, don’t kill your soul by doing something you don’t believe in. 2. Rule Number Two You Must Continue to Grow Don’t take the profession of sales for granted.  It’s a profession that takes dedication, time, and study to master.  Only by developing the skills, strategies, and tactics you need to master the profession will you reach your objectives. To quote Tom Hopkins, one of the finest sales trainers in the world.  “Selling is the highest paid hard work and the lowest paid easy work there is.”  Recognize that it’s hard work and start developing your mind to prepare for the challenge and get the results that will put you on top.  I know some of you entered the profession of sales because you saw it as an opportunity to make an exceptional income.  For some of you it just happened. In this podcast we focus on strategies and tactics that can help you find more prospects, perfect your presentation skills, connect with your customers and produce more sales.   Recomended Reading This week I want you to look at a book by on of the best sales trainers in America, Tom Hopkins.  How to Master the Art of Selling.  I live by the information in this book.  When I first started selling years ago.  This was the first book on sales that I read cover to cover.  The original title was "How To Master The Art of Selling Anything.  This book is packed with information you can use now.  Follow the affiliate link or go to your local book store.  This should be a part of every salesperson's library.  Sales training one your book shelf for whenever you need it.   Check Our Sales Management Workshop Podcast Check out Sales Management Workshop.  A podcast and blog devoted to sales management.  On the Sales Management Workshop podcast, we focuse on Sales Planning, Territory development, Coaching, Hiring, Training and more If you get the chance, check it out.