Here’s how 28 Days to Better Selling Works:

1)    A daily task that you can easily implement to improve your sales and business
2)    A succinct daily lesson to help you make the improvement

By the end of the 28 days you will have looked at 28 ways to fine tune and improve your sales process and business.  The daily lessons will be in written, video or audio format and will take less than 10 minutes each to review.

Day1  The ABC’s of Targeting

Day 2 Targeting the Right Referral Sources

Day 3 Prospecting in Person

Day 4 Networking Strategy

Day 5 LinkedIn Prospecting

Day 6 Investigative Prospecting

Day 7 Lead Nurturing

Day 8 Don’t Be A Boring Salesperson

Day 9 Listening in Sales

Day 10 Needs Analysis in Sales Part 1

Day 11 Needs Analysis In Sales Part 2

Day 12 Twitter for Sales Part 1

Day 13 Twitter for Sales Part 2

Day 14 Keeping Commitments

Day 15 Selling Benefits and Results

Day 16 Preemptive Objection Handling

Day 17 Sell the Price Different Not The Total Cost

Day 18 Vital Signs

Day 19 Preparing For a Sales Call

Day 20 Team Selling

Day 21 Just Thinking About You

Day 22 Team Players Make Efficient Sellers

Day 23 Day of Rest, Chill Out and Reflect

Day 24 Influencing Top Level Decision Makers

Day 25 Key Skills and Strengths for Selling Intangibles

Day 26 Reducing Anxiety and Worry

Day 27 15 Ways to Close A Sale

Day 28 Operationalizing Your Sales Process

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1.    Tools

2.    Measurement

3.    Processes and Knowledge

4.    Maximize Selling Time

5.    Support and Accountability Structure

After you listen to today’s podcast your assignment is to:

1. List the 5 headings for operationalizing sales discussed
2. Fill in under each heading what actions or steps you are going to take
3. Once mapped out make sure you assign a specific time to implement the steps
4. Find someone you can be accountable to in the process.

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1. The Alternative Close
2. The Assumed Close
3. The Minor Decision Close
4. The Courtesy Close – “silent principle”
5. The Direct Close
6. The Urgency Close
7. The “Shut-up Principle” Close
8. The “Bonus” Close –
9. The Objection Close
10. The “Use of Terms” Close
11. The Third Party Close
12. The Summary Close
13. The Similar Situation Close
14. The Empathy Close
15. The Consultant Close

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Energy management in sales is just as important as time management. Worry and anxiety can be big energy drainers.  Your assignment today is to implement as many of the strategies outlined in today’s podcast as possible.

The following are some ideas, strategies, and tips to proactively help reduce your worry and anxiety:

1. Set a Specific Time for Worry
2. Move to Action
3. Try Exercise
4. Get Out of Bed Quickly
5. Post Good News
6. Surround Yourself with Positive People
7. Make Meetings Productive with the Worry Chart
8. Time Limit on Hard Work
9. Know the Value of the Present
10. Laugh at Yourself
11. Give Yourself Special Treatment

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Personal Brand of You
When selling intangible solutions, it really is about credibility and the relationship.  Because the solution is intangible, the purchase is largely based upon the believability of the salesperson.
Having a strong personal brand helps people understand who we are, what we are about, and it removes uncertainty.
Differentiation
People who are good at this type of sales often communicate what they do in a unique way. This means specializing and unique positioning is often necessary.
Passionate Evangelist/Industry Authority or Both
As an extension of our personal brand and our ability to differentiate, our passion and knowledge are critical in selling intangibles. Because the client cannot often experience the service or solution in a tangible way, their experience of you has to be credible and inspiring.
Clarity
“In communicating, your greatest enemy isn’t the noise around you – it’s the noise you create, un-wittingly” – Harry Beckwith, author of What Clients Love and Selling the Invisible.
Brevity and focus are key. If we focus on one or two core things we are good at and communicate those proficiencies really well, we can own a large portion of client mindshare and wallet share.
Value Builders
Because what we are selling cannot be seen, touched, or measured, we need to be good at building value. Your ability to articulate the real value in terms of return on investment is very important. Solutions must be presented in a way that solves a core client pain or challenge.

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The kind of tangible results that appeal to them are:

Raising Revenues:
Show them how their overall volume can be increased; in other words, an increase in sales.

Increase Efficiency:
If they see that their employees, or their equipment, or other capital  will be more efficient, then the chance of their buy-in is higher.

Keeping Shareholders Happy:
Top level decision makers are the ones who have to answer to the Board of Directors and to the Shareholders in a large corporation. Keeping the Board or shareholders happy is their main priority.

Lowering Cost of Production:
Lower costs equal better margins and bigger profits.

Increasing Market Share:
They are interested in advertising, marketing and business development strategies, tactics and methods to increase market share.

Higher Return On Investment:
Can you show them how they will get a bigger return on their investment for the money they invest with your services, products, ideas and concepts?

Dealing With Market Changes:
If you come with solutions for  market changes that affect them, then they will  take the time to explore the possibilities with you.

Intangible Results:

The types of intangible results that appeal to top level decision makers are:

Lower the Risk And Worry:
Anything that you can do to lower or eliminate the risk makes them feel better.

Personal and Corporate Pride:
Senior executives and top level decision makers are at the top because they have personal pride and are proud of the business results that they achieve.

Image – Personally And Corporately:
Yes the car they drive reflects their success level. The suits, the shoes they wear, the house they live in, the office address, and the image their marketing material portrays are all examples of personal and/or corporate image.

Retaining And Attracting Good Employees Who Work Beyond The Norm:
The top level decision maker knows that you win when you have exceptional people working with you.

Your assignment today after listening to the podcast is to:

1) Look at how many of these results your products or services can achieve for your clients.

2) Develop a unique way to present these results you produce

3) Memorize and practice presenting those core results statements that you will use with senior decision makers.

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This podcast is focused on the importance of connecting with and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders. Who knows, maybe the marketing team wants to know who your ideal client is!

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Today’s assignment after you listen to the podcast is as follows:
1)    Develop your own Edification sheet or elevator pitch for your team mates
2)    Get each of them to do that as well for you and then memorize each others “Edification Sheet”
3)    Develop a checklist for prepping for meetings that ensures that you:

a.    Know the key strengths and purpose of those people on your team
b.    Determine the meeting lead
c.    Warm everyone up for the call
d.    Debrief after the meeting  with the key questions:

- What went well?
- What didn’t go well?
- What could we do better?

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After you listen to today’s podcast here is your assignment:

#1) Brainstorm all of the possible objections you could get in your typical sales call and either pre-empt them or memorize your answers

#2) Be prepared for the worst case scenario, map out what those could be and how you will handle them.

#3) Be prepared for the best case scenario, what will you need to close the deal or negotiate with a key prospect on the spot?

#4) Map out key research sources you can review and confirm before heading to the meeting

#5) Build a checklist for this process and go through before each meeting well in advance

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Anthony McAleer top producing financial advisor for London Life says it this way: “If you’re not getting the results you want, you’re probably not doing the core activities.” Jim Janz, multi-million-dollar direct sales magnate calls these activities “vital signs.”

Vital Signs
When paramedics arrive on the scene of an accident they will check the vital signs of those injured.  Just because someone is standing upright and talking does not mean they’re healthy. Some vital signs to look for are:

•    Balance
•    Checking if the pupils in the eyes respond to light
•    Blood Pressure
•    Heart Rate
•    Breathing Rate
•    Brain function and nervous system response
•    Sensitivity to palpation
•    And many other factors

If any of these signs are out of sync, there is a chance that the injured is presently in danger, or could experience difficulties later on.

Your business, because you are a business of one, is responsible for bringing in revenues and turning a profit, has vital signs.  Just because you’re making phone calls and networking doesn’t mean you have a healthy business.  Revenues alone don’t mean your business is healthy.

Depending on your business some of your sales vital signs could be the number of:

•    Calls per day
•    In person meetings with clients
•    Proposals written
•    Networking events attended
•    RFPs completed
•    Hours per week organizing or planning
•    E-mails sent
•    Blog entries written
•    Presentations made
•    Prospects added to your list
•    Revenues
•    Number of repeat orders from key accounts

You could also produce and monthly, quarterly or even annual vital signs record sheet.  This process will give you a clear picture of how close you are to achieving your goals based upon your activity.  Over time you will also begin to notice a correlation between specific activities and revenues. These activities could be called “Core Vital Signs.”

In direct sales for instance,  Jim Janz could predict the monthly gross revenues of a group of people based upon the number of people who attended training meetings and how many new people were added to the group over the previous 90 days.  You may find that there is a direct correlation between the number of proposals you write and the number of new clients you close.  The number of cold calls could be irrelevant for instance.

One important fact to note is that once you determine what your core vital signs are, you should book those first in your calendar and make sure that your entire plan is focused on you executing those activities.

In sales often when we are no longer getting the results we want we are no longer doing the key activities that make us successful.  Knowing your vital signs and executing them daily is key to your long term success.

Your Assignment Today is:

1)  List all of your core activities that you daily and weekly

2) Determine which ones are your vital activities that lead to your desired outcomes

3) Map out and begin to measure these activities daily

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There are two main questions you need answered before proceeding:

Question 1: “Mr. Client, when you say the price is too high, how high is it? And compared to what do you feel it is too high?

When the client answers this question, you know what amount you are dealing with. The important thing here is to separate that amount from the total amount. By the client telling you the amount, you know what they are happy to pay, so you do not sell them on that amount, they are already sold on it. Focus on the difference.

Example:

Client: “I am sorry, but the purchase price of that house is too much.”
Salesperson: “When you say too much, how much too much?”
Client: “About $20,000 too much.”
Salesperson: “So what you are saying is that $280 000 is okay with you, but it is the additional $20,000 that is holding you back?”
Client: “Yes.”
Salesperson: “Well, let’s take a look at what you get for that extra $20,000 or $250 per month in payments. For an extra $250 per month:

• You are just across the street from the elementary school, and you said you wanted to be close to the school.
• The area you were looking in is 10 miles further away from your office. You save yourself 20 miles of travel per day, and in gasoline and wear and tear on your car it translates into $5.00 per day, which is over $100 per month. That is almost half of the $250 per month.
• The house has a view and you really feel a view gives you a sense of freedom.
• You have a two car garage that is very secure.
• Your wife is in love with it.
• You reduce your worry about your children walking to school.
• You save time not having to drive or walk the kids to school.
• You are closer to the office and save time again.
• You end up with a view you want.

Salesperson:    “For a $150 a month on your mortgage I feel this one is the best option we have looked at today.” (You would not use the entire list but probable focus in on the top ones you would feel the client would relate too)

Note:     The salesperson does not say “for an extra $20,000 or for $300,000” which is the total price. The focus is on the difference and the lowest amount and then broken down to a monthly cost

Your Assignment today is:

#1) Look at which services or products you have where you have price objections

#2) Assess how much more they may be perceived to cost in comparison to similar products or services.

#3) Brainstorm all of the additional value financially and otherwise someone would get from paying the extra amount.

#4) Memorize your value added list.

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Your assignment today is to listen to the podcast and then:

1) Brainstorm a list of all of the objections that you get on a regular basis.

2) List unspoken objections that people will not mention to you but you know are there.

3) Develop a way to preemptively handle each objection up-front and turn it into a selling point

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Today’s podcast is about prioritzing client issues, focusing on your key competitive advantages and communicating in the terms of benefits and results to the client.

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1) Have you lost business in the past due to you or your company missing client commitments?

2) What are the most common areas in your sales and service process where commitments could be broken?

3) What could you do to improve your ability to keep commitments and exceed your client and prospect expectations?

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You’re joining a community and introducing yourself effectively can help you build brand and make great connections.  If you’re already on Twitter this may be a bit redundant for you.  For those of you who are not using the tool, or are not getting the results you want, invest the next 9 minutes and watch the video.

28 Days to Better Selling Archive can be found here

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The core take-aways for this lesson are:

1. Never sell during the needs analysis.
2. Don’t finish the prospect’s sentences, allow them to explore solutions and challenges in their own context.
3. Get permission to sell at the end of the needs analysis to maintain rapport and trust.
4. Always get a commitment for the next step in the sales process.

28 Days to Better Selling Archive can be found here

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Today is about building an effective needs analysis structure, tomorrow I will talk about how to conduct a needs analysis from a rapport perspective.  The topic today focuses on why we need a structured needs analysis process and how to structure it effectivelty.

Your assignment today is:

1) Brainstorm all of the possible closed, open, leading and request type questions you could ask

2) Organize them from least to most confidential

3) Pick the top 5 to 7 questions you could ask a client during an initial meeting or qualifying call

If you want some feedback on your questioning format you can always e-mail me at shane@closingbigger.net.

To catch-up on previous lessons visit the archive for 28 Days to Better Selling.

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Your ability to be totally present during the sales process and to connect empathetically with the client can seperate you from your competition.  Clients often drop clues as to what they value and what they need if we listen closely enough.

Your assignment today is to be totally present and listen intently to everyone you interact with.

Download the listening self-assessment here

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Listen to today’s podcast and then do the following:

1) Make a list of all the mediums you could be using for follow-up

2) Ask the question: How could I make each application of each medium value added, unique, or innovative

3) Set a goal to follow-up your A category clients using all of the mediums in a creative, enagaging way that will differentiate you, your product, and your company.

If you haven’t signed up for the program you can join at anytime by signing up below:

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Your assignment today after listening to this podcast is to answer the following questions:

1) Do I have a structured process for follow-up over the life time of the relationship?

2) Is there anywhere in the process where I don’t have solid goals or book the next step?

3) Is there anything that is not client focused that needs to have more depth or be deleted?

If you haven’t signed up for the program you can join at anytime by signing up below:

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Today’s sales podcast is for Day 6 of The 28 Days to Better Selling. In sales your ability to find new opportunities and fill your funnel constantly is the oxygen your career lives on. Without prospecting continually your sales career will come to an abrupt end. Have a listen to today’s sales podcast. I’m looking forward to your feedback.

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Your assignment today is to connect with three prospects through Linkedin.

Step 1: Search for an individual using targeted criteria

Step 2: Click through their profile and select get introduced through a connection

Step 3: Send a non-pitch short introduction to connect and learn more about each other.

It’s one the easiest ways to make connections but it is very underused. Good luck!

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1) Make a list of all the possible lead and networking sources.
2) Pick the ones that have a high concentration of you’re A target or A referral sources
3) Join and or book yourself for some events
4) Book a morning once a month for the next 3 months to pre-plan your networking.
5) Get out there and start connecting

If you haven’t signed up for the program you can join at anytime by signing up below:

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Here’s your assignment:

1) Listen to today’s podcast

2) Follow the CCIC formula (mentioned in the podcast) and make as many new connections as possible within 24 hours of the posting time of this blog/podcast.

3) Report back with how many people you met, and what you learned. The person who collects the most cards and/or has the best story wins. You can report back by video by clicking the seesmic icon near the comments box as well.

Good luck and happy prospecting!

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Today’s assignment is:

1) Brainstorm all possible criteria for CIO and referral sources
2) Pick 5-7 top criteria
3) Make a list of existing and potential A category CIO’s and referrals
4) Book a meeting with at least 2 existing to say thank-you and share criteria
5) Share your thoughts and how you implemented this at http://closingbigger.net

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Today’s topic is on “The ABC’s of Targeting.” Watch the video ( or direct download) here, and complete the 5 steps outlined below:

1. Make a list of all possible criteria
2. Pick the top 5 to 7 that are absolutes
3. Compare that to your last 10 business transactions
4. Answer the question: What could you do to better target or profile clients?
5. Visit http://closingbigger.net to share your thoughts in the comment section.

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