Do They Need It, Want It, And Are Willing To Get It

MitchM

Like everyone here I've studied thousands of pages of print/audio/video resources to learn how to sell. In the process of the study like most people I began practicing what I was learning.

Systems systems systems abound as everyone knows and the number of sales coaches, mentors, teachers, trainers, gurus, motivators, and sellers-of-selling stuff has become a huge industry.

What I've found is people end up using one system or combination of systems that makes sales. Regardless of the system a person uses sellers find out if people need, want, and are willing to buy what they sell.

Much of the discussion her is around methodology, theory, and personal experience - the how-to-do-its that include prospecting, presenting, and closing. That's where people disagree as to the best way to sell, the most productive way to sell.

Mike

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Ace Coldiron

Mike, in your opinion why is that?

MitchM

Huge market for it, Ace. Right? People are struggling to make a sale, don't feel the training they want is enough, and they are looking for help.

What am I missing, Ace?

MitchM

Slick

There is more to selling than "Do They Need It, Want It, And Are Willing To Get It" and it doesn't take most salespeople long to find that out and start looking for answers.

MitchM

You're right about that. That's exactly what I alluded to, Slick.

Mike

Jim Klein

I believe that's one of the biggest problems with sales people. They think that's all there is to sales. They forget about the other steps or glaze over them because they don't think there important. Then they go searching for some 'magical' technique that will help them make more sales.

When in fact it comes down to mastering the entire sales process, putting the clients needs ahead of your own and building long term relationships that will pay you year after year.

The sale begins long before the first call is ever made and if you are or ever aspire to be one of the top sales people, never ends.

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Jim Klein - The "Sales Advisor" Helping salespeople worldwide achieve mastery, come "from the heart" and positively impact lives with perfect solutions.
http://www.fromtheheartsalestraining.com

MitchM

"I believe that's one of the biggest problems with sales people. They think that's all there is to sales. They forget about the other steps or glaze over them because they don't think there important. Then they go searching for some 'magical' technique that will help them make more sales.

When in fact it comes down to mastering the entire sales process, putting the clients needs ahead of your own and building long term relationships that will pay you year after year.

The sale begins long before the first call is ever made and if you are or ever aspire to be one of the top sales people, never ends." -- JK

Great insight! All true!

MitchM

Gold Calling

Ace asked Mitch why he thought the above was happening. Mitch stated demand ... in my opinion, there is another reason.

The Internet is both a solution and part of the problem. Why? Because it is almost free. The cost of starting a business is so low that people get into this business, mostly part time, and spread information that they could not afford to spread if they had to make a serious investment or had to do it full time (giving up their income).

This is the main issue I have pursued on this forum, from various angles. Explaining that not much new has been developed in understanding prospects and making other points, in order to drive home the very prominent negatives of a system of education that is free (except for the time taken to post/upload information).

Look at all the blogs, so many of them are poorly written and even those that are well written are based on opinions that are not proven and researched.

If the Internet did not exist, negative books on sales or various sales practices and NEW AGE selling, like Sales 2.0, would not get traction.

Is there a need? Yes. There are very few good sales professionals relatively speaking (as a percentage of the whole). And, and this part may suprise you, the coaching business is a low pay industry, meaning that the very best are not going to make good money coaching, not as good as they are able in sellig or group training, therefore why do it in a big way?

I love mentoring, that does not mean I want to spend much time doing it. Except of course when it comes to recruitng people to make mme money long term, as is the case in Mitch's business (MLM or Network Marekting).

As for this thread, willingness is a function of satisfaction in the prospect's mind that the product or service provides excellent value to the prospect UNLESS that prospect suffers form a condition that precludes the sale - like not enough money (this is more in the case of B2C selling), or; a significant others that does not want to spend the money (or buy that house, etc), or; a mandate to deal with one provider (Like Xerox in the old days).

I have a condition imposed on mye right now in my personal life. If I do not upgrade our kitchen, spening any mor emoney on canoe and campaing gear or diving equipment prior to the renovation, I am going to either be divorced or get my ball-y-wogs chopped of in the middle of the night. Meaning, all larger purchases are off until we complete the $35,000 investment, which is planned after Christmas.

So, if you had a meeting with me right now, had serious value to offer in my private life, unless that was in terms of a kitchen renovation, the answer is NO (at least "not now").

The quetion that deals with any unwillingness you encounter when you have made sure to deal with all concerns along the way is very revealing (and usually not delivered quite this bluntly); "Why not?"

Why not will either uncover an objection or need you had not been aware of yet, which you can deal with, or a condition that stops you from doing business. And there is only one real type of prospect where you have really no chance of having known what the concern was prior to closing - the low reactor or extremely indifferent prospects.

Having stated that, there are times where you think you have done enough to find out you have not. After all, we are not mind readers, if we are not told what they need, then we cannot (and should not) guess.

Needs have to be stated by the prospect. Even if that is only you confirming the need with a closed probe that the prospects answers affirmatively ...

I love selling, I really do. There is nothing like getting inside the head of another human being and finding out what they need. It is a rush ... adn workign through misunderstandings, so the prospect can make a decision, these things are very satifying indeed.

Ace Coldiron

Nice post, Steve, Tell me why you have spoken against Selling 2.0. I just picked up a copy out of curiosity.

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Gold Calling

I would prefer not to go into a complete list of reasons as to why Sales 2.0, which is new age selling information, is not exactly acceptable to seasoned sales professionals like yourself.

I will say this;

It was begun by one of the search engines.

Now, as you well know Ace, most sales people cannot sell any where close to real producers. In fact, most really should not call themselves professionals within our great profession at all.

And, if the above is true, why would we listen to information that comes from non sales professionals about selling?

If I have been able to put up a fair argument on the phone with the executives of Huthwaite (SPIN), who have done real research into professional salesmanship, then - as you no doubt can imagine - I can poke serious wholes into their dogma.

Much of the premise of Sales 2.0 is the buyer knows more today - it is a change/adapt or die mantra. And it belies a 79 year old who still gets terrific results from doing exactly what he did 40 years ago!

I can and would go on except I wish to put most of this effort into a BLOG article. Since I have been committing a great deal
of time here, writing long posts, it would get me more benefit in a blog (I read yours by the way!).

Look at their recent posts;

(1) "As the Market Drops, Don't be a Closer"

The premise being as sales professionals that we put too much pressure on our clients when we are under pressure ourselves. As if, as a great closer and complete professional, I have not learned how to sell in hard times.

Worst advice I have possibly ever heard about selling.

(2) ...

"Calling Don Diggerman was always painful. Much as I wanted to do business with his company, I dreaded talking to him. I'd sit at my desk, staring at the phone, trying to figure out how I could avoid dealing with that man.

But it was just wishful thinking. The decision rested on Don's shoulders and unless I won him over, one of my competitors would get the order.

When I couldn't delay any longer, I'd close my eyes, take a long deep breath, and then slowly exhale."

This is a professional sales website. As an editor, if you turned in an article that started with the above three paragraphs I would laugh you out of my office or worse ("You're fired!".

Do you see what I am saying?

I don't love cold calling, even though my company is all about it. But I would not try to encourage others by talking about having to "close my eyes" then taking "a long breath" before calling one prospect!

(3) Cold Calling Academy: Shift from Gatekeeper to Concierge

This is actually positive, the only one on the whole first page at their site right now!

Someone came up with a term, after the term Web 2.0 got traction, then the thing stuck, as it was a bunch of really bog corporations behind it, like Google, and those people writing for this website sales2.com are sudenly those that we would folow into battle?

I am sorry, but the very premise is outrageous, as seen in this quote (from solutionselling.com);

"The boundaries of what is “Web 2.0″, and what is not, are fuzzy at best. Suffice it to say that there are a growing number of new Internet capabilities that change how people can interact and work together. We recognized the value of this trend, and have incorporated Web 2.0 capabilities in sales performance improvement projects, where appropriate."

"Fuzzy at best" is what this writer said.

In other words, are we not talkign mostly about advertising and direct marketing and not sales at all? And, are there not many types of services and products - not just new and unique - that people do not loook for online? Yes and yes.

Here is what they define it as .....
We think that “Sales 2.0″ applications will improve:

• How sales organizations share information, so that they can develop better situational fluency
• How salespeople use information in other sales-related systems, such as CRM
• How sales managers communicate with, supervise and coach their sales team, whether they be direct sales employees or indirect sales channel partners or a combination
• How marketing aligns with and supports the sales organization
• How finance, administration, executive management, and customer support interact with the sales team
• How sales professionals interact with customers — using collaboration to improve the quality of the sales-customer interface

Nothing to do with selling, see what I mean?

Yes, indeed, if you do not change you will die ... umm, change what?


What is it I am supposed to do? Use a web based contact manager/CRM like Salesforce.com? Run pay-per-click ads? Blog?

I have been doing all of that since I wrote the ground breaking article "How to control the Internet" in 2002 (sorry, I was not wise enough to leave it online!).

Well, usually - and I say usually - when I study sales dogma something benefitical comes out of it. It makes me think of some technique - some small thing is picked up. With this, there is no redeeming quality I am yet to find and it is mor ethan a little annoying.

If you can prove me wrong I am all ears.

From my position, Google, Yahoo and Salesforce.com all want you to pay attention. So do the modem manufacturers because it is all about consuming bandwith.


One of the companies, Genius.com, they are all about you workign better with another rep, who opens your email and who went to your website. Yah? What about my ability to generate clients? I am damn good at it, so why do I have to worry about a client opening my email???


Dougie is rollign in his grave. Hope this helps ...