Conclusion of The 7 Deadly Sins of Sales Professionals

Here are the remaining 3 deadly sins of sales professionals. Number 5 being the most abused and feared of most sales professionals. What’s interesting is this is the very tool necessary to close sales.

The Art of Translation. As readers and serious students of sales, deal flow, business and the sales presentation, your focus while reading all articles (with highlighter in hand) is to ask yourself with each sentence, “How can I translate what I’ve just read into my own situation?” I guarantee you can, if you’re adept at the art of translation. Quite honestly, it’s as simple as having the mindset that you’re about to learn something, deciding that you will learn! Let’s begin…

5. Not listening and responding to objections that are given to you.

Objections are one of the biggest obstacles for sales professionals to overcome. Here’s how to turn this highly inflated obstacle into the very tool that gets you the deal. First, get the conversation going. Listen to what’s being said. Listen for key words or phrases that indicate what the prospect wants verses needs. People don’t really want what they need; they want what they don’t need. A brain twister you say? Yep! Think about it, do you really go after what you need, like visiting relatives, tending to that pile of paperwork, sending thank you cards, paying your bills, etc. Everyone has things they need to do or get. These are the things we usually put off. Now what about the things you want. Hmm… now we’re getting somewhere, you definitely don’t need that chocolate cake, but you sure do want it and in your present mindset you’re going to get it. You don’t need a new car, the car you have runs perfectly fine, no major problems or expenditures, you’ve had it for what seems like forever, but you sure do want the new car that has four wheel drive, low interest rate/payments. You’ll get it, you deserve it and you want it. What about those new shoes you’ve been eyeing, sexy, sharp. Need? Of course not, you’ve got plenty. Want? You betcha! You get the idea; wants are emotional, pleasing and fun. Sales is an emotional business. Most decisions that are made are made from an emotional point of view, from the heart if you will. So listen to what the prospect wants, set aside the needs. Respond to what the prospect wants. After you’ve gotten the conversation going, listen and retain all that was shared. Now that you understand your prospect as a person, let’s combat the objections. Are you ready? This is absolutely bullet proof. Top secret! Here’s what you need to do. Answer them. Yep! Just answer them. If you believe 100% in your service, you totally understand the prospects buying techniques and wants, then why not? Objections are merely a sign of discomfort, some people are uncomfortable with change or making a commitment that includes signing and handing over money. They want you to convince them, in fact, tell them, “You made the right decision”. Of course they’re going to have questions or concerns, but they don’t come out as an actual question, it’s an objection and it’s not personal. How could it be? This is business! Most of the time they just don’t understand what you’re saying or offering. This is a very big subject and would take a boot camp in itself to do it justice. The biggest tip I can give you for now is to respond to their objections. If they tell you that they’re not interested right now, ask them what they mean by that? Let’s say they feel that the timing isn’t right, ask them why or what would make it right? Bingo, you’ve just struck a potential goldmine just by not giving up and getting more information, plus your prospect feels like you really care about them.

6. Thinking that sales means just getting stuff done, you know the busy work. At the end of the day all that really matters is what did you sell, regardless of what you do in your business? The bottom-line is sales from the support staff to you! If you or your team don’t have a ‘sales mindset’ get them trained and coached on a regular basis in sales it’s critically important to the bottom-line!

When you actually think about it, why would you or any business owner, open your doors for business without ongoing, hardcore, with a boot camp style, sales coaching and training, daily?

This is mostly directed to junior salespeople. New recruits, be careful. I can’t tell you how many times I talk with salespeople and ask them how they’re doing; they say great and I find out that means they have no sales this week or maybe just one or two, but that’s not why they’re excited. They’re excited because they got caught up with all the paper work, desk area is cleaned, car is cleaned, picked out the right headset, passed out all the invoices and called 30 new accounts each day this week alone. Here’s the problem, they have no appointments by phone or in-person. No sales. None. If this sounds like you. If you feel really busy, you’re talking to a lot of great people, but have no sales except what’s come in the mail or what’s been given to you, no follow-up appointments, no real discussions about your products or services and worst yet, if you haven’t had any objections at all, well then you’re a “good conversationalist”. This simply means you’re having trouble going from the introduction to the sales call to asking for the order. You may lack confidence regarding the discussion of your products and services. You may lack knowledge of the actual sales process or what sales is. You need to be retrained, fast. You may even have fear of facing prospects on the phone or in-person. There’s a big difference between a “good conversationalist” and a “top salesperson”. Not too worry! Sales is a learned skill!

7. Not viewing their sales territory (leads) as their business and therefore not managing their sales goals. This is your business. The day you said, I do, is the day you hung out your shingle. You’re selling yourself, the owner, the business. Your business provides products, as well as, services. You and only you control your future. You have a partner (the business you work at) in your business that provides you with a variety of benefits, a desk and all the necessary tools to get your business off the ground and even maintain it. What you do each day, from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep dictates the sales you’ll have that day. When your business phone line rings, the way you answer it, how long you’re on the phone, what you say or don’t say, will dictate the sales transaction for that moment. Each relationship you build by repeating your name, making courtesy calls, and spreading good will determine your future. The idea for you as a salesperson is to create a solid business of “very excited” clients that would never even consider giving their money to anyone else. Do this and you can write your own ticket to take the kind of vacations you really want, to buy all you want and save for all you need.

Chris Mullins, The Phone Sales Doctor™, president of www.MullinsMediaGroup.com, is a sales and communication expert with a special love and focus on how to use the telephone to “sell and market you” for all business professionals. Chris personally listens to and critiques telephone sales calls (inbound/outbound), presentations, staff usage of the telephone, etiquette and offers role-playing time with careful examination and analysis of what you’re doing right, what you need to fix and how to fix it to improve your closure ratios, quickly. Chris is also the “Phone Script Doctor” that will review and/or rewrite your support staff and sales team’s scripts, outlines or call guides. For a FREE 3 Month Test drive of “Chris Mullins’ Nuggets® For Sales” print newsletter, email: chris@mullinsmediagroup.com and put “Test Drive” in the Subject Line or call 603-924-1640, , you’ll also get a FREE invitation to attend Chris’ Weekly Off-The-Cuff 30 Minute TeleClinic.