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connecting
GRATEFUL SOLUTIONS
Consider the skill it takes to collaborate with a client/customer to find a solution that they can say ‘yes’ to. That skill takes practice to develop and a belief that the practice will enhance the interaction and the outcome. And that the practice of collaboration and problem-solving will lead to more effective outcomes.
If you are achieving that, it is because you chose to try something different… and were willing to be uncomfortable with the process (and yet trust it!) so that you could produc…
GRATEFUL QUESTIONING
How can we bring gratitude to questioning? When do we need it the most?
Let’s look at where questions start. Are they coming from a place of interest and helpfulness?
Are the questions originating from compassion and a desire to understand?
Are the questions courageous (tough to ask but we know we must) and considerate (asked in a
way that is respectful and kind)?
When a sales interaction is successful (in that it produced a sale or an appointment), take a moment to present and to be gratef…
Connecting…enough?
I have been bumping up against the word ‘enough’ for a while now so I figured that there was a message for me to pay attention to!
Whether it’s gratitude for having enough or acknowledgment for being enough, I thought it might be time to take a look at where else 'enough' matters.
This year I modified the objective of Step 2 of “Sell it or Schedule it” - the step of Connecting and Building Rapport. I adjusted the objective of this step to be "To help the customer to be comfortable enough fo…
Asking Clarifying Questions
Where assuming can bite you is when you are sure you know what the other person wants or means without really knowing... either because they haven’t fully offered that information, or because you haven’t asked enough questions to have enough information.
Ask questions that MAKE you sure you know what they mean: “Can you be more specific?” “Can you describe that to me in more detail?” “Can you tell me what that would look like to you?”
Don’t be afraid to slow things down so you can be sure…
Who you gonna call?
Do you have your customers and prospects in a CRM or accessible and organized format?
Are your contacts stored somewhere that you can get to easily?
If you aren’t using a CRM program, you can get by with putting your contacts in Outlook or in an Excel or Google spreadsheet. You probably have systems in your computer (or the company does) that you can use to get started, so ask before you take on building something that might already be in existence.
For trade showrooms, begin to organize your…
Why wait?
As traffic begins to slow in both retail and trade showrooms and we look to satisfy our commitment to making goal NO MATTER WHAT…we find that relying solely on the door is not a good strategy for achievement.
Relying on the door is a waiting game. And it puts all the eggs in one basket… and it’s not a sturdy basket. It may seem easier to just wait and see what happens, right? But what if the traffic is insufficient to make your goal at your current performance levels? Then what? Can you affo…
Securing Appointments
What secures an appointment is a confirmation call and ALL in-person appointments need to be confirmed. If it's a morning appointment, ask them if a call the evening before or early that morning works better for them. If an afternoon appointment, tell them you will call them that morning (say between 9-11) to confirm the appointment.
A call works better than an email or a text because you want to TALK to them! And if you give them homework (whatever was missing when you met them such that …
Everything Old is New Again
I am often asked by showroom owners to ‘focus on fundamentals of selling’….as if there was anything else. ☺
Selling home furnishings has been a consultative selling approach for as long as I have been involved in it. The archaic ‘borax’ sales approach died out with short-sleeved salesmen with even shorter neckties… and was replaced, with people (often women) who are interested in learning about the problem or the vision and helping solve those with engagement, understanding, and knowledge. Ap…
The Start of a New Quarter
The beauty of quarters is that they are measurable and manageable components of time that allow for a bit more breathing room than months alone allow.
As sales professionals, we are challenged to make goal every month and to make goal every quarter. However, it doesn’t always work that smoothly…with significant goals, you might miss goal one month, go a bit over the next month, and look to square up the quarter in the third month…which is why I like quarterly goals so much.
Each quarter t…
Process…plus….
Of the three key points, this one is most critical to know in order to direct the interaction to an outcome today – and the only outcomes that count are a sale or an appointment.
Every buyer is somewhere in their buying decision. Where they are and what they have done and what remains to be done will impact what they CAN do today.
Surprisingly, this is the area least explored by most salespeople or considered critical in what outcome can be achieved today. And I assert that not knowing th…
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