1. ABC…Always Be Closing!
Not literally, but throughout the sales meeting you should be getting agreement to what’s just been discussed so it’s “closed” and you can move the sale forward. More on commitment and closing.
2. Eat That Frog!
An old saying is that ”If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long!” Your ”FROG” is the one task you are most likely to procrastinate on if you don’t do something about it now! It is also the one task that can have the greatest positive impact on your life and results at the moment.
3. Meet AIDA and LADIKA
No, not operas or exotic eastern dancers but Acronyms.
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action
and (in reverse order)
Loyalty
Action
Desire
Interest
Knowledge
Attention
As you can see, both are about the same thing, LADIKA is a bit more expansive.
You’ve got to get the customer’s Attention first.
Give them some Knowlege to get them Interested.
Get them to want to do something about it
Get them to actually act and do it
Make sure they keep coming back
4. Be SMART
Another acronym, this time about goal-setting.
Test your goals and objectives against these SMART criteria:
Specific – concrete, factual, precise
Measurable – what gets measured gets done
Achievable – keep it realistic, but stretching
Relevant – focused on the task in hand
Time-bounded – set milestones and completion dates
5. Words to avoid
sign, signature – use authorise; authorisation – much more positive
contract – use paperwork; documentation; agreement
So ‘sign the contract’ becomes ’agree the paperwork’, ’OK the documentation’; ‘approve the form’; ‘authorise the agreement’
price, cost – use value; investment; worth; so ’Your investment in this sales training course will be £1850′
sell, sold – use supply; provided
6. KISS
Keep It Simple, Stupid
Enough said.
7. Best time of day for a meeting?
10-30am. Why? Because people have had time to clear their morning to-do list but are still fresh, alert and energetic. Any later and they’re starting to think about lunch.
Worst time of day? 2.00pm, or straight after lunch. Often referred to as the post-lunch dip. People’s bodies are diverting energy to digestion, they feel sleepy, listless and can’t concentrate.
Best day of the week? Tuesday, because you and the customer have had Monday to recover from the weekend and get all your admin sorted but you’re both still fresh, and you’ve then got the rest of the week to get things done arising from the meeting.
So, combining best day of the week with best time of the day we arrive at…Tuesday at 1030 – the optimum time for meetings with customers.
8. Important phone call coming up?
Try standing up when you make (or receive) it. Your voice tone will be stronger (that’s why singers and actors perform mostly standing up), you will feel more positive and confident because of your posture, and for some people it helps their thought processes (they think on their feet).
9. First contact
Managing the very first minute of contact with a new customer can dictate how the rest of the relationship develops. This is part of the process of building rapport. Clearly in Sales we have to get this right first time – every time.
So – only 2 topics of conversation in that first minute please:
1. The Weather
2. The Journey
In other words two totally neutral, non-contentious topics, during which you are each sizing the other up like two dogs meeting for the first time – except YOU are doing it consciously because you understand that this is a crucial part of the sales process.
10. You’ve got 2 Ears and 1 Mouth
So use them in that proportion: in a sales meeting you should be listening 2/3rds of the time and only talking 1/3rd.
