Sales Tips From A to Z

Here are 31 of our favorite sales tips: from A to Z     (Print this article)

Accountability ~ Measure you results against plan. It’s May 15th, half way thru Q2 2012. Are you 50% of your Q2 plan? How is actual compared to 2012 plan? Par is 35%.

3 B’s of selling ~ Be Bright; Be Brief; & Be Gone.

Be Your Best ~ the 4th B of selling. Decision makers want to do business with the best. Be early. Be prepared. Set your objectives, hustle and give your professional best.

Closing ~ Do you know your biggest competitor? It’s not a company or person… it’s status quo. The prospect didn’t do anything. If your prospects stay with the status quo too often, it’s because you haven’t helped them understand the value of changing. You need to ask quality questions, listen, provide options, and recommend the solution that will improve results.

Customer Service ~ Do you have delighted customers? Are your largest customers happy with you? When was the last time you met with them or sent them a thank you note? Did a big customer recently leave? Or do you even know when they last ordered?

Distractions ~ A recent study concluded we waste at least 1.5 hours a day. With a little discipline, distractions can be managed.

Enthusiasm sells ~ It convinces a prospect you love what you do. Enthusiasm is a choice. Everyone likes to do business with a winner. Enthusiasm is contagious. Go sell something. Be enthusiastic. Close more sales.

Follow up can turn a no into a yes. Follow up creates trust. Prospects initially say no because they may be afraid to make a bad decision. Follow up demonstrates you are serious and can be trusted.
Relentless follow up. Heat Up Your Sales.

Goals need to be written down or they are just dreams. Make them SMART goals. Inform everybody on the team what the goals are so all can work together. Post your goals in a high visibility place where you and your team can always see them: near the coffee pot, above your desk, in the conference room and in the car.

High Payoff Activities ~ Two ways to grow the business: 1) Obtain new accounts; and, 2) Get current accounts to buy more stuff. Save e-mail, twitter, Facebook, linked in, reading, personal development, and other non-selling activities for after dinner. Definitely save this newsletter for reading again and again! Focus on High Payoff Activities. Ask yourself, “Is this the best use of my time?”

Humor ~ Did you hear the one about… Tell a joke once in a while. One that makes you laugh out loud. Sometimes business can be stressful and overwhelming. Have a thought, or story or joke available that puts a smile on your face to keep things in perspective.

I ~ There is no “I” in Team. Together Everyone Achieves More.

Jesus ~ Hope is not a good sales strategy; but it is good to be hopeful. We pray all the time; for the children, for the troops, for the prospects, clients, competitors, and mean people. Found this prayer before starting work back in 2008.

KISS ~ Keep It Simple, Silly

Listen ~ The best sales specialists ask quality questions and listen. They listen with both ears; it’s no coincidence God made us with two ears and only one mouth. Ask questions and listen until you find the problems; the obstacles to growth. Then provide the cooked-to-order solution to solve your client’s problem. When you listen you will understand his business, his problem, and his goals.
(Did you know ‘silent’ has the same letters as ‘listen’?)

Motivation ~ Share achievements of your team to higher-level management in a visible and positive way. Spread the good news in the company newsletter and the local newspapers. Show pride in, and support for, your people. Nice job!

Networking is not easy. That’s why ‘work’ is part of the word. Spend 90% of your networking time with people you haven’t met. At a recent chamber event, there was a table of eight from the same bank! How many new contacts did they make?

Objections ~ Write down the three objections you anticipate even before you meet your customer. Your responses will be professional and create a positive mindset. Since objections are buying signals, you are just a few questions away from closing the sale. Good Luck!

Presentation ~ Another High Payoff Activity. Your presentation must be so compelling, the buyer is jumping out of her seat to start working with you. This requires meticulous preparation. Know yourself, your product or service, your company, the competition, the customer, her customers and competition better than anyone else. And remember the prospects need you more than you need them. They are the ones with the needs. You are the one with the solutions. YOU have the BEST solutions to their problems.

QR Code ~ These codes are cool. Remember, the code is being scanned by a smart phone. Don’t use the code as a link to your website if your website is not mobile ready. Doh!  We use the code to provide our contact info. Quick Read. Ding. Done. Sync. Contact manager loaded. Nice.  Scan This.

Referrals ~ Do you ask for and get referrals? Do you give referrals? The best way to get referrals is to give them. Join a referral group or two. Have a goal of giving 10 referrals each quarter. Give a couple recommendations on LinkedIn and write a couple 5-Star reviews on Google Places. After just five years you’ll have given over 200 referrals and your business will be smokin’! Always send a thank you note for every referral, and keep your contact posted of progress.

Sales Process ~ If your sales are undercooked, it may be you are missing one of the six steps in the sales process. Check out this article, it’s what Sales Kitchen focuses on when we work with you to Heat Up Your Sales. Do you have all the steps?

Thank You! ~ People like to feel appreciated. Thank you for your business. Thank you for the referral; the present; the card; and the kind words. Thank you for staying late; arriving early; skipping lunch; and the good work that you do. Thank you very much!

Trust ~ Bake trust into your sales solutions. Ingredients include ‘client focus’ and ‘collaboration.’ Understand your customer’s goals. Help them achieve those goals. Show them you want to work together to reach the best solution. It’s all about Know, Like and Trust. And the greatest of these is trust.

Unique ~ Customers are looking for innovative and creative ways to exceed their goals. Demonstrating how you are unique; how you differentiate yourself from the dozens of competitors ~ as well as provide a value ~ will put you in an advantageous position to earn their trust and their business.

Value ~ Providing value even before you close the sale sets you apart. When a prospect gets excited about your work before the sale, think how good the relationship will be when you do start working together.

Workshops ~ Focus on the things you do best and continue to get better. Attend Lunch & Learn workshops. Listen to books-on-tape during drive-time. You have customers because you’re the best. Continue to improve and you’ll have even more customers.

WOW ~ Make sure your sales presentation gets a “WOW” from everyone present. Meticulous preparation. Use facts. Anticipate questions and objections. Smile and be enthusiastic. Always be prepared. Ask yourself, “In what ways can I exceed my customer’s expectations and bring them to an all caps WOW?”

X ~ Experience has shown that the other people in your company won’t buy from you. Stop wasting time talking to them, pick up the phone and schedule appointments, another high payoff activity.

You tube ~ Do you have a video describing your product or service. Chances are all your competition does… Create a different video for six or seven things you do better than the competition. Keep ’em at 2 minutes or less; and include a new phone number so you can track where leads are coming from. Here’s the first of many Sales Kitchen videos.

ZZZZZZ ~ Are you getting enough rest. How many times have we heard: Focus on high payoff activities… Well let’s not be too focused that we forget to get enough rest. Falling asleep in the prospects waiting room is bad form. Take care of number one, and you will be a pleasure to work with; an asset to any organization. Now go sell something.

Thank you for taking the time to read through these sales tips. I’m hopeful you found it to be a high payoff activity.

What’s YOUR favorite sales tip to share?