4 Steps To Everyone’s Favorite Answer in Sales: S is For Solutions

March 4, 2010 on 8:00 am | In American Idol, Getting to "Yes" | 1 Comment

Alright: it’s time to get creative!  So far in the NEADS analysis, you’ve been gatering information: asking questions about the prospect’s current solution and observing their behavior to get a feel for their decision-making modality.  With all this information at your disposal (hopefully you’ve taken a lot of notes!), it’s time to enter the final phase of the NEADS process: the S, which stands for Solution.

WARNING: this does not mean it’s now time to pitch your pre-packaged, canned, one-size-fits-all, “pretty-good” solution.  No, my friend; remember, you’re trying to get a “Yes”, and one sure-fire way to miss that mark is to hit your prospect with a canned pitch!

I’m constantly amazed at the salespeople I encounter who don’t get this.  They listen politely while you talk about what you’re looking for, nodding their heads as if they understand and agree, then tell you why what you’re looking for isn’t really what you want, but they’d like to show you their featured product which is so much better for your situation.  No thanks.  When I encounter a salesperson like that, I say “Good day to you!” and go in search of a HERO instead.

What causes a salesperson to behave like this?  Mental laziness!  They’ve taken the time to learn just enough about their product to be able to regurgitate the company’s sales brochure.  They aren’t really listening when they’re nodding their pointy-little heads, either; they’re thinking of what they’re going to say to “overcome your objections” and waiting for an opportunity to butt-in and start pitching you.  It’s maddening!

Continue reading 4 Steps To Everyone’s Favorite Answer in Sales: S is For Solutions…

A Couple of Updates

March 2, 2010 on 9:23 pm | In American Idol, General Interest | No Comments

First off, I’d just like to acknowledge that my American Idol predictions last week (here and here) were a bit off.  No worries, though…a 25% closing ration isn’t bad!  Tune in tomorrow for my thoughts on AI this week, including more predictions about who’s going home.

Second, I’d like to let everyone know that I’ve added a couple of items to the “Free Downloads” page, courtesy of my friends Skip Anderson (B2C sales genius!) and Jim Keenan (B2B sales dy-no-mite!).  Also, a shout-out to Joel D Canfield for his help in getting the page to behave.  Thanks for your contributions, guys, and readers, look for more great tools to come!

Last, but certainly not least, a big thanks to all you who are reading this blog on a regular basis.  You guys make my day!

Cheers,

Continue reading A Couple of Updates…

Simon Says: If It’s Uncomfortable for You, It’s Uncomfortable for Them

February 24, 2010 on 11:21 pm | In American Idol, mindset | 3 Comments

OK.  I’m a little disappointed.  So far, American Idol Season 9 is off to a weak start.  I’m not sure what’s happening, but there really haven’t been any stand-out performances so far.  I hope it get’s better; I’m really starting to miss Adam.

One thing did stand out though: Simon told one of the contestants (who looked like he was terrified throughout his entire performance), “If it’s uncomfortable for you, it’s uncomfortable for the people who are watching you.”  And that’s tonight’s American Idol business lesson: your mood is catchy.

Like it or not, the people around you are tuned in to your mood.  This is especially true in a sales situation.  If you’re nervous or desperate or distracted, you’re going to make your prospect uncomfortable.  And people who are uncomfortable don’t buy.  So what can you do?

First, determine what’s making you uncomfortable; then figure out how to overcome it.  Is it a lack of preparation?  That’s easy to fix: prepare better.  Is it a lack of experience?  That’s okay: it’ll get better with time if you don’t give up.  Is it because you’re afraid they’re going to say “No”?  Get over the fear of “No” by having more people say it to you.

Continue reading Simon Says: If It’s Uncomfortable for You, It’s Uncomfortable for Them…

They Never Seem To Learn – Do You?

February 23, 2010 on 11:28 pm | In American Idol, customer engagement | 3 Comments

We interrupt this blog’s 5-part series about getting to “No” to bring you this special “American Idol” update:

American Idol kicked off their “Top 24″ phase tonight, and watching the ladies perform tonight got me thinking.

This is supposed to be when the contestants bust out their “A” games and show the audience what they’re made of.  It didn’t happen tonight.  Instead, I saw 12 girls make the same mistake made every year: instead of engaging with their audience, they picked songs they thought would make them look good.  Do you smell a business lesson coming?

At this point in the competition, the audience hasn’t had much of a chance to form an opinion about the contestants. There’s no history, no relationship.  We don’t know them yet.  This is really our first impression; we’ve yet to hear a full performance, only snippets played between clips of their family or kids or dogs or whatever “human” element the producers thought would make for good TV.

Continue reading They Never Seem To Learn – Do You?…

3 Business Lessons, Courtesy of American Idol

January 28, 2010 on 8:37 am | In American Idol, entrepreneur, entrepreneurialism | 13 Comments

OK.  I admit it.  I’m a huge fan of American Idol.  I haven’t missed an episode since Season 3, and it’s not likely I’ll lose interest anytime soon. I don’t care what anyone says: it’s just great entertainment.  And since it’s (finally!) Idol season, I thought I’d share three business lessons I’ve learned from AI over the years.

#1: Know who you are

One of the things we’ve heard over and over from the judges is “you need to figure out who you really are”.  In other words, the contestants need to be able to take someone else’s music and sing it like it was their own, to give it their own unique brand.  And there’s business lesson #1.

I don’t know what business you’re in, but I’d be willing to bet that the product or service you sell is available somewhere else at a lower price.  That’s OK; a lot of bands make a great living playing covers.  But every now and then, along comes a singer or a band who can make a cover sound like an original.

Continue reading 3 Business Lessons, Courtesy of American Idol…

Powered by WordPress with Pool theme design by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds. Valid XHTML and CSS. ^Top^