What separates top B2B sales performers from the rest of the crowd?

Answer: A lot. But one of the strengths top inside sales performers posses is the ability to turn a weakness of theirs into an asset whereas average salespeople tend to ignore that they even have any weakness in their sales game at all.

Every one of us, no matter how successful, no matter how long we’ve been in the game, have areas that if improved upon, would boost our revenue stream.

The problem is most salespeople fail to recognize the opportunity that comes with improving a problem area.

The better we are in every category that constitutes “sales” allows for the increased likelihood of us reaching that next level.

And there’s always “another level up”!

But in order to do that, one must not be afraid to admit they have weak spots and then they need to pinpoint what those areas are.

To help you with that, here’s where to start…

Identify all the sales categories that are important.

Example:

• Prospecting (cold calling etc)
• Qualifying
• Presenting
• Objection Handling / Closing
• Time Management
• Goal Setting
• Social Selling

Each one of these categories requires a special skill set. And there's always room for improvement. Top salespeople know this.

Three keys for reaching that next level:

1. View weakness as an opportunity;
2. Identify a specific area in need of improvement;
3. Attack it.

Make it a regular habit of identifying areas that need attention and develop a game plan for improving it and watch your income start to rise.

It's that simple.

Michael Pedone
CSS: Chief Sales Scientist
SalesBuzz.com (A 2011 Sales Training Company Watch List Award Winner!)

8-Week B2B Sales Improvement Program

Learn How To:

1. Eliminate "No, Thanks", "Not Interested" & "We're All Set" Responses from Cold and Warm Calls
2. Neutralize Gatekeepers & Get Voicemails Returned
3. Ask Engaging Questions Instead of Probing
4. How to Really Qualify (I'll show you a better way)
5. Give Stellar Presentations & Handle Objections
6. Close Follow-up Calls and Get Targeted Referrals
7. How to Set & Achieve Your Toughest Sales Goals
8. Improve Your Time Management Skills

Duration: 1 hour per week for 8 weeks
Where: Online @ your desk, conference room or home
Presenters: Michael Pedone

Get Next Available Workshop Dates / Times / Registration Information Now!

Sales Question:

“How do you take the theory of “People Buy from People they Like” and turn it into more sales?”

Short Answer Is:

Tell your story, to the right prospect at the right time.

Longer explanation:

Most salespeople try and get prospects to “like” them and it often comes out as being insincere. And if prospects perceive you as insincere, they aren’t going to trust you. And if they don’t trust you, they aren’t going to buy from you.

If you want a prospect to “like” you, they’ll have to get to know you. In sales, especially B2B phone sales - that can appear to be very challenging.

However, there is a simple solution that will help you connect with your prospects, earn their trust and get the sale but you have to understand the real importance of the meaning “like” to a prospect.

First of all, salespeople in general should be “likable”. If you’re not a likable person, you may want to consider a position that requires little interaction with humans.

Secondly, prospects buy from those who understand their problems / pains / fears and can relate to them and can offer solutions that aren’t accessible on their own. Meaning, the prospect can’t “solve” the problem to their satisfaction by themselves. They’ve tried and now realize that it is more profitable to pay someone else to help them get what they want.

So instead of trying manipulative tactics to get prospects to “like” you, be yourself and posses a laser type vision & attitude on seeking to understand your prospects problems and once you confirm their “problems” match up with your solutions, share your story.

Share with your prospect why you got in the business of what you do, or why you chose to work where you work, or to offer the solutions that you do.

The real story is often better than any “sales pitch” the marketing department can come up with.

Here’s an example:

• Problem: Sales team isn’t making quota
• Pain: Sales manager (and team) is missing out on bonuses / commissions
• Fear: May get fired / not make mortgage payment / get demoted etc

Once I understand my targeted prospects real world situation, I’m able to share that I too understand what it’s like to not make quota, be concerned about my job security as well as the fear of not being able to provide a certain life style that I desire for my family. I’ve been a straight commissioned salesperson for most of my adult working life and remember what its like to have that phone feel like a 25lbs weight and you just don’t want to pick it up anymore.

And I too was once faced with a choice:

1. Quit and find another line of work (I have no college education so that basically meant manual labor) or…
2. Fight through this and learn from others who were already at the top of their game and then do what they do.

I choose the latter and added a few tweaks to the techniques that I learned along the way and now I simply share in a step-by-step one hour a week online workshop those key elements that helped me go from an underperforming / average salesperson to a top producer that no longer needed to worry about making a paycheck.

But What If the Prospect Doesn’t Relate to Your Story?

Your story should translate and connect to your targeted audience. If it doesn’t at all, then I’m afraid you’re just another salesperson pushing a product or service. Get to know your best clients and why they buy from you. Understand the reasons behind the reason of why they bought your products or services and then the next time you have a qualified prospect and you are about to share “your story” with them, you can start off by saying:

You know, when I first started working here, I just needed a paycheck…. But then I got to know the reasons behind the reasons of why our current clients buy from us and this is what they said... (And then you can share why you continue to work their etc, as an example)

Does It Work 100% of the Time?

Every “prospect” isn’t qualified for what you offer and nothing works 100% but the real question is this: Would it produce better results than what you are doing now?

I’m willing to bet the answer would be YES.

Thanks for reading and sharing.

Michael Pedone
CSS: Chief Sales Scientist
SalesBuzz.com (A 2011 Sales Training Company Watch List Award Winner!)

8-Week B2B Sales Improvement Program

Learn How To:

1. Eliminate "No, Thanks", "Not Interested" & "We're All Set" Responses from Cold and Warm Calls
2. Neutralize Gatekeepers & Get Voicemails Returned
3. Ask Engaging Questions Instead of Probing
4. How to Really Qualify (I'll show you a better way)
5. Give Better Presentations & Handle Objections w/Confidence
6. Close Follow-up Calls and Get Targeted Referrals
7. How to Set & Achieve Your Toughest Sales Goals
8. Improve Your Time Management Skills

Duration: 1 hour per week for 8 weeks
Where: Online @ your desk, conference room or home
Presenters: Michael Pedone

Get Next Available Workshop Dates / Times / Registration Information Now!

Sales Question:

“What do you do when you call a prospect back and you can tell by the tone of their voice that they don’t want to talk to you, even though you had a good call with them previously?”

Sales Answer:

So just to clarify…

You’ve spoken with the prospect before, the previous call(s) seemed to go well and you had a follow up call scheduled to advance the sale and when you make that call and the prospect answers their phone they sound up beat but once you do your introduction you hear a change in their tone… Kind of like an “Oh, it’s you…damn…” type of response?

The Recognition

First, congratulations on consciously recognizing the change in tone… too often (and I used to make this mistake myself) sales reps will ignore the shift in tone and pretend it didn’t happen. And doing so puts us in a bad spot because there’s “heaviness” at the plate and “resistance” is up next to bat.

There’s a difference between recognizing a “tone shift” but making the decision to ignore it and recognizing it but fooling ourselves into pretending it didn’t happen.

One means you see the situation as is and you are moving forward anyway, and the other is operating out of fear that you are going to lose a sale.

At least if you consciously decide to ignore it, you aren’t operating out of “scared” mode.

The Alternative

What I’ve found however to be the best option is to address it – all be it in a somewhat humorous way… It’s important to let your natural personality come out when addressing it. I’m a pretty direct person (many of you may have seen some of my posts / responses on several LinkedIn Group Discussion to know this is true) so dealing with it head-on works best for me.

Here’s a Real World Example:

Prospect: This is (Prospects Name), how may I help you? (Up beat tone)

Me: Hey (Prospects Name), it’s Michael Pedone with SalesBuzz.com…

Prospect: Oh, hey (Ugh tone)

Me: You know, you don’t really sound thrilled to hear from me…

Prospect: Oh (usually chuckles or back peddles a little) no-no, it’s just that…

And now they "pop" with a real objection that is causing a problem in the sale that I need to know about anyway.

If I ignored the “down-shift” however and tried to advance the sales call, I would most likely have gotten a blow-off / stall that would have delayed the sale, making the cycle longer than it needed to be or might not of ever have gotten the sale to begin with because they decided internally that whatever “problem” they were having in moving forward, wasn’t solvable. Yet if it was something I knew about, I may have had a solution.

Breaking the Ice

By breaking the ice, it kick starts the conversation / dialogue that we needed in order to find out what changed since the last time we spoke and what needs to happen next in order for us to reach the ultimate win / win.

The key is to be natural while addressing it head on.

Final Tip

Just make sure you SHUT-UP after you address it… give your prospect the chance to blurp out their reason. For all we know, the reason for their tone shift may be subconscious and they needed a “jolt” in order to recognize why they are feeling the way they do. And both parties need to have that out in the open in order to neutralize it.

Otherwise, you will be back at square one because he/she didn’t get out of them what’s causing their angst.

Sincerely,

Michael Pedone
CSS: Chief Sales Scientist
SalesBuzz.com (A 2011 Sales Training Company Watch List Award Winner!)
(888) 264-0562 Ext. 1

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Sales Question:

“I've have over 7 years of sales experience (not all with the same company) but have yet to reach that "Top Sales Rep" status based on my numbers… What do I need to do?"

Sales Answer:

Everyone "wants" to be considered one of the best but only a few are willing to do what it takes to get there. If you're one of the few with a deep desire to be in that top 10% category here's a five step plan that can help separate yourself from the rest of the pack.

5-Step Plan to Help Good Salespeople Become Great

1. Love What You Sell / Believe in What You Do

This does not mean “trick” or “fool” yourself into loving what you sell / do. It means take a real hard look at yourself and be honest… is what you are doing / selling right now where you are supposed to be?

If the answer is “No” then the odds of you reaching the top are slim. And even if you do, so what? You still won’t be happy.

A house divided against itself cannot stand. Loving what you do and peak performance / results go hand-in-hand.

Sometimes the first step to becoming a top salesperson is having the wisdom to admit you’re in the wrong place and the courage to make a change.

2. Accountability

Hold yourself accountable for your success.

Take responsibility for when things don’t work out and praise others for when they do. Just because the economy is bad doesn’t mean you can’t make more money than you ever have before. Who says you can’t have your best year ever?

Too many potentially great salespeople sabotage their chances by placing limits on themselves and blaming outside forces.

Currently, the “economy” is the reason for poor results. When the economy is back on its feet, it will be that the “leads are bad” or “our competitors have a better product / service / pricing” etc.

Realize that you alone are responsible for your own success and there is enough business to go around for you and your competition.

3. Find a Mentor

Now that you’re in the right spot (or confirmed you were in the right place to begin with) and have committed to holding yourself accountable and responsible for your own success (or failures), the next step is to find a mentor who is willing to take you under his/her wing.

Mentors, in my opinion are different from coaches / consultants etc and the best mentors I ever had didn't cost me a dime.

They were usually top salespeople at the company I was working for at the time, or a VP of Sales or even the CEO. I would seek out those who had already achieved what I was after and asked for their advice. Don't be afraid to ask for help... Successful people like to share their knowledge with those who want to be successful. What they don’t want to do is waste their time with those who only “say” they want to be successful.

4. Do What Others Won’t

Get to work early, listen to motivational tapes on the way to work, role-play in the morning, read sales books, jump at the chance to go to sales seminars and/or attend sales webinars that your company is willing to pay for - and be willing to pay for them out of your own pocket if they won’t.

There’s a reason why the top salesperson category is a small group… the majority isn’t willing to do what the few are willing to do.

If you are going to run the race, run through the tape rather than give up 90% of the way.

5. Become a Mentor

Share what you’ve learned. Not only does it keep the cycle going for the next generation but it also helps you stay sharp.

Sincerely,

Michael Pedone
Chief Sales Scientist
SalesBuzz.com
(888) 264-0562 Ext. 1