A to Z Guide to Selling More: W is for Whoosh

I used to belong to a women's fitness club. One afternoon, I stopped by to work out. When I stepped onto the circuit, there were five other women on the machines, crunching, lifting, pushing and pulling, with grim determination. There was no friendly conversation or feeling of camaraderie in the room.

I started my routine. My heart wasn’t really in it. Instead of concentrating on performing well, I sunk into one of those "I really don't want to be here" mindsets. Trudging from machine to machine with a poor attitude, every minute seemed to stretch into an hour and I couldn’t wait to finish and leave.

Then, the front door swung opened. A petite woman with shoulder length brown hair walked in. Shoulders back, head held high, there was a confident spring in her step. She flowed into the room, a whoosh of positive energy.

I was on the machine closest to the door. She looked directly at me. Our eyes met, she smiled broadly and said, "How are you doing today?"

I straightened automatically and smiled back. "I'm good.”

Flowing through the room, she greeted the other women. Everyone responded and all of us continued smiling and talking. The atmosphere and attitudes shifted 180 degrees. I started enjoying my work-out and all I had to do was look around to see others felt the same way.

People have power. In every situation, we make things better or worse by the attitude we bring into the room.

Do you want a competitive advantage when you’re selling? Then, be the sales professional who brings the whoosh of positive energy into the room. Make prospects and customers feel good about time spent with you, and I promise they’ll buy more as a result.

A to Z Guide to Selling More: V is for Value

Friend and business owner, Hoyt Tuggle once said to me, “No one pays more for a product or service than they think it is worth.” That is the law of value, and here are a few of the selling corollaries that accompany it.

• When a buyer says, “Your price is too high,” they are also saying value is too low. To get your price, you will have to change their perception of value.
• Buyers don’t always buy the best available product or service, but they always buy the best value. The best value balances benefits against price. Some benefits are necessary. Others are nice to have. The buyer will forego nice but unnecessary benefits when the additional cost is too high.
• Value is constructed from benefits. Benefits fall into two basic categories: functional benefits and emotional benefits. Functional benefits are tied to logical reasons to make a purchase. Emotional benefits relate to the buyer’s feelings. By asking questions, you determine what benefits the buyer wants and how much they are willing to pay for them.

KeFactors Friday: Salesperson/Project Manager (PM) as Relationship-Builder

When selling a complex job, most information is shared with the people who must execute at the start and finish of each job—at the start, because the job has to be done; and at the end, because the job’s run into problems and now everyone’s backtracking to find out what happened. (But getting the most info at the start of the job doesn’t mean you’re getting the best info).

Over time, this sense of working in a dark vacuum makes individuals tired and wary, and more prone to being task-oriented. Departmentally, this produces the silo effect, where everyone “minds their own business” and don’t freely and easily communicate across departments on anticipating quality concerns (“if it’s going to hit the fan, let it hit in someone else’s area”).

But the success of any company lies in how well each employee understands how their function contributes to their client’s goals. A good PM will convey that, not only at the start of each job, but throughout the process, because those discussions invite people to contribute problem-solving ideas. And this generates excitement and ownership.

• The PM must be a people person — he has to like working with people. At some level, the individual has to understand that humans are flawed, and human communications is an imperfect process, so the PM anticipates and addresses those gaps before they become has a hair-trigger temper. A sense of humor helps.

• She needs to have strong liaison skills. This would include skillful, patient listening even when everything’s hit the fan. Also, trust is a big deal to a good PM, because she knows an unreasonable, one-off buyer of talents or services will not have lasting work relationships. Her career contains longterm work relationships, and the trust she inspires will be one of her employer’s intangible assets.

• He has a Rolodex of preferred talents and services but is not tied exclusively to any. Whenever possible, he checks out new talents and services to keep that Rolodex well-supplied. He maintains currency of relationships with all vendors involved on the project, and shares accountability with accounts payable to make sure those vendors are paid promptly.

• She keeps a calm, proactive head when all others are deeply stressed or acting out. She’s not a whiner, but focuses on finding solutions and taking action.

• He is diligent at tracking and following up, and understands the needs of different people within the plant—ie, everyone can feel more ownership of the client’s project, and more comfortable with what’s expected of them, if the PM is willing to talk through production issues and questions with them as the job is evolving, not merely at the beginning or the end of each job.

A to Z Guide to Selling More: U is for Useful

One way to stay top of mind is by providing useful information to customers and prospects. Magazine articles, books, web links, White papers and case studies provide information to make buyers look good to their boss and reach their goals.

Providing useful information positions you as:

• A smart professional who stays up-to-date in the market.
• A sales resource the customer can call upon.
• Someone who genuinely cares about the customer's success.

A to Z Guide to Selling More: T is for Time

Time is the ultimate level playing field. We all get the same number of hours in the day. To manage time well, you must:

• Set priorities.
• Determine tasks.
• Know how long tasks will take.

To help manage my time, I use a “To Do” list. At the top it says, "THINK. PRIORITIZE. ACT.

I rewrite the list every morning. Doris Barnett, a San Francisco wholesale insurance broker, shared that tip with me. She said re-writing the list helped her think through everything she needed to get done in a day. Doris is super- smart and organized, and her tip has helped me be more efficient.

I often color-code my top three priorities with a highlighter so they stand out. And, I jot down the amount of time it will take to accomplish the task.

My list includes two other sections. In one, a list calls to return. In the other, I keep track of notes related to ongoing action items.

As the day goes along, I add and cross off items. If I have more than one sheet, I periodically scan all lists to make sure I’m prioritizing correctly to find the right mix of servicing and selling.

If you would like to download a copy of my “To Do” list go to www.LindaBishopOnline.com.

KeFactors Friday: Qualities of a Good Project Manager (PM)

For many salespeople, the selling cycle doesn't stop once the purchase order is issued.
Salespeople must then shepherd the project forward to completion. Projects that go well strengthen relationships with customers and lead to future sales. Projects that bump along from start to finish cause the customer to question your expertise and their decision to buy. To please the client, what does it take?

• Know how to set expectations, understand quality standards and know how quality is quality is achieved. (This also means you understand “quality does not equal perfection”).

• You must be knowledgeable about the skills and capabilities of others in the production process so that work is appropriately delegated (square pegs to square holes).You understand that he’s working with professionals (not children or criminals) and that production process parts are interdependent.

• Be fearless about asking questions, and persist in hammering out process and alternative process details, especially when tensions are running high, and people are impatient to leave the discussion, or to gloss over details, in their effort to escape unpleasantness.

• Be prepared to handle contingencies — “if this happens, then we’ll do that” — always holding Plan B (C, D, or E) in readiness.

• Clients love organized and efficient salespeople who pride themselves on maintaining those skills and habits. By nature of the job, a salesperson/project manager has to be more organized than anyone else because he/she maintains overview on all jobs, and thus all details—especially those emphasized by the client.

• Strong project management depends upon excellent analytical skills—skilled at deconstructing project concepts to block out production needs, good with details, vigilant with evolving expenses, and understands that every detail has an attached cost within your company.

A to Z Guide to Selling More: S is for Specific

Specific information helps you sell. That's because details add to credibility and enhance the buyer's understanding of your product or service.

Generic statements come across as sales fluff. Avoid statements like:

• Our prices are competitive.
• Our quality is the best.
• Our service is extraordinary.

Define competitive. Describe why you are the best. Tell me a story to illustrate what extraordinary service means to your customers. Be specific and you will sell more.