Archive for: January 2008

Once your candidate has passed the initial screen for ‘likeability’ and fundamental sales skills, it’s time to get really tough. The recruiting phase is when you need to scrutinize your candidates with vigor. This article addresses phase 2, the “Telephone Interview”, of the four phases of hiring peak performing sales reps:

Preliminary Phone Screen
Telephone Interview
Personality Profiling
Face-to-Face Group Interviews with Your Peer/Superior Advisor Group

Primary Objectives of theTelephone Interview

There’s a lot of talk about “closing” in sales, and yesterday I read an article that compelled me to write this post. The article, simply entitled Closing Techniques, really put the “slam” on the concept of “closing”.

The article I read stated that “closing techniques are an outmoded form of psychological manipulation…”

Several people have asked me recently, “How do I prevent a competitor from undercutting me, or otherwise influencing my customer to go with the competition?”

The scenario typically goes something like this:
“I just had a great visit with a prospect, and he really seems excited about the project we discussed.  I think he’s going to go with it, but what if  a competitor convinces him that their solution is better?”
My question to them is, “Which of the following 6 key strategies have you implemented to competitor proof yourself?”

Not too long ago, I was inspired by my friend and great sales mentor, Dr. Bob DeGroot - founder of the leading online sales training organization, Sales Training International - to read the outstanding book Law of Attraction.  Then, a couple of days ago I was reading a blog post by John Dornoff on the importance of building rapport in sales.  I thought I’d share my perspective on the connection between the two in this post.

I’ve been pretty successful at B2B sales, sales leadership, and/or sales coaching for more than 20 years, and I advocate John’s points vehemently.

My background and education are in engineering, and I’ve always been able to communicate the technical benefits as well as the value of my products and services to customers…

BUT…That’s NOT what keeps my customers coming back for more…

What keeps my customers loyal to me…

How I competitor proof my services…

How do I get C-Level buyers to return my phone calls?
Be Likable.
“How,” you ask, “am I supposed to do that, when I’ve never even met the prospect, and I’m leaving a voicemail?”

Follow these 6 Steps to get your prospects attention when you leave initial voicemails:

“We don’t need your service.”

This objection means one of two things. Either:

“I have no problems related to your services right now,” or
“I am too busy with something else to talk to you,” or
BOTH, which is probably the case.

While customer profiling and targeting are keys to developing new accounts, sales prospecting is still a numbers and timing game. The fact is, you won’t get anywhere with anyone who has no need, whether actual or perceived. There are many ways to overcome this sales objection, and I recommend a good balance of grace and perseverance.