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 Sales
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30 Years In Sales: What You Can Learn From Steve Schiffman
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Anyone who thinks sales is about manipulating prospects into buying a product or service need only spend five minutes talking to Steve Schiffman. This 30-year sales training veteran, best-selling author and motivational speaker has spent three decades getting to the heart of the sales process - from cold-calling to closing the sale - and, contrary to popular belief, there is heart in it!
Sales is about helping people do what they do better, Schiffman explains in his sales training programs and executive business coaching. And helping people do what they do better means developing a genuine interest in prospects and asking the right qualifying questions, or what he calls "do-based" questions.
In "The Qualifying Question Sales Myth" - one of hundreds of articles he's produced on the subject of sales - Schiffman writes this:
"Elaborate ‘qualifying' questions are not really based on what the buyer does. They're based on what we, as salespeople do. We have to share information about our company. We have to convey the benefits of our product or service. We have to set ourselves apart from the competition. Prospects, however, are not interested in doing any of those things. They're interested in their own situation."
So instead of asking, "Would you be interested in hearing how my widget can improve the efficiency of your organization," you might ask, "Have you ever worked with a widget wholesaler before?" As Schiffman explains, you're keeping the focus on what the prospect does - not what you do. Instead of subjecting your lead to a one-way presentation, you've suddenly engaged him in a two-way conversation. Best of all, the story the prospect tells will open the door for you to share how your product or service is different (i.e., better).
Of course, this is just one of countless sales lessons Schiffman has learned through the years, on everything from cold calling to closing the sale - thousands of details he shares in-depth in his sales training programs, newsletters, webcasts, webinars, books, articles and in his role as a motivational speaker and for executive business coaching. Reaching audiences across the globe, Schiffman's sales programs are integrated into the sales cultures of major corporations all over the world, including IBM, AT&T, Motorola, Sprint and DHL.
Steve Schiffman is the President of D.E.I. Management Group, Inc. - one of the largest sales training companies in the United States. More than 500,000 professionals have participated in Schiffman's sales seminars, representing more than 9,000 companies. He is a frequent guest on national radio and television programs, and his articles have been published in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and INC. Magazine. Schiffman's more than 30 best-selling books include Cold Calling Techniques (That Really Work!) and The 25 Most Dangerous Sales Myths and How To Avoid Them.
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The Four Key P’s To Sales Success
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Though luck may play a role from time to time, a successful sales journey - from targeting a prospect to closing the deal - should be mapped out in great detail. The problem is that most salespeople are using the wrong map. Unlock the mystery with Steve Schiffman's four key P's to sales success. A sales training veteran for more than 30 years, Schiffman's sales expertise has helped millions around the world through his sales training programs, books, articles, newsletters, webinars and webcasts.
1) Prospecting. If prospecting is not a priority, then sales are not a priority. Prospects turn into leads, and leads turn into sales - that fact cannot be disputed. It's essential that you set goals for yourself. Keep track of how many calls it takes to set one appointment, and keep track of how many appointments it takes to make one sale. Do the math, and you'll know how many calls you need to make in one day to reach whatever sales goal you're shooting for.
When asking qualifying questions of your prospect, keep the focus on what they do - not what you do. This isn't the time to ramble on about your product or service, but to dig for stories your prospect can share about previous experiences - good or bad - in their dealings with a competitor or how they use a particular product or service. This then leaves the door wide open for you to share how your product or service is different, which in this context should always mean better.
2) Presentation. There's a big difference between a presentation and a demonstration, and it is essential you do not confuse the two. A demonstration of your product or service is an opportunity for you to elicit interest in the initial face-to-face meeting with your prospect. This is not the time to present your proposal. On the contrary, your goal in the initial meeting should fact-finding, not fact-providing.
Provided you ask "do-based" questions that engage your prospect in a two-way conversation, you should leave the initial meeting knowing how you can help them do what they do better. You'll then be prepared to make the presentation during your next meeting with a proposal uniquely targeted to their needs.
3) Product Knowledge. It may seem obvious, but mastery of product knowledge is something many salespeople overlook, and to their peril. Just because you've memorized a product brochure does not imply mastery. Yes, it's important, but what do you know of the product's history or its pricing structure? Have you tried the product yourself? Do you know how to communicate the features as tangible benefits your prospect needs?
Knowing all you can about your product or service:
* Helps you overcome the prospect's objections with undisputed facts
* Builds your self-confidence, having no doubt you know your product or service backward and forward
* Generates your own enthusiasm for the product or service, a contagious excitement that inevitably rubs off on others
4) Personal/Professional Development. When a salesperson "closes a sale," it's more of a collaborative effort than the term implies. In fact, a salesperson "coordinates a sale" between the customer, the product or service, and himself. That's why it's so important to remember you are selling to individuals, not organizations. You can, and should be, personal and professional at the same time. Develop a genuine interest in your prospect, and they'll develop a genuine interest in you.
Of course, your personal/professional development cannot be limited to your one-on-one interactions with prospects. It starts during the pre-sale period when it's just you, and all future sales are dependent on your commit to a daily call quota. Skip a day of making 25 calls, and you could be skipping a day of making 5 appointments that, most importantly, could have resulted in one sale.
Inevitably, the four key P's to sales success overlap, so in every area you must always be focused on the next step, whether that means setting up an initial meeting during a cold call, or arranging for a presentation to close the sale.
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The Truth About Sales Training Programs
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Spend half an hour researching online for the kind of sales training programs that are a big waste of money and time, and you'll turn up some pretty sobering results. Corporations spend millions of dollars on motivational sales training seminars for their entire sales force only to discover that they do nothing to change behavior, attitudes or sales success.
The truth about sales training programs is that most simply do not work. That's a lesson not lost on Steve Schiffman. As President of D.E.I. Management Group, Inc. - one of the largest sales training companies in America - he's heard time and time again from corporations whose expensive investment in sales training generated nothing more than disappointment. In response, Schiffman takes great care to ensure that his motivational sales training seminars, sales management training and executive business coaching include the kind of practical instruction salespeople need to put theory into action - from cold calling techniques to closing the sale.
Though any number of elements could be responsible for an ineffective sales training program, three stand out as common complaints:
1) Too much theory, and too little practicality. Anyone can develop a theory on how to boost sales results. What too few people can do is prove that it works. Some sales training programs promise the moon with their "innovative" techniques, but have no real-world examples of its productiveness. Or they have examples, but don't effectively teach seminar participants how to turn sales theory into sales action.
2) An inexperienced trainer who fails to engage the audience. Anyone qualified to teach a sales training program better have extensive experience on the frontlines of sales. He should have war stories to share - both victories and defeats. And if he doesn't know how to establish a rapport with the audience, or present the material in a compelling way, they're not only going to tune him out, but discount the sales advice of someone who fails to sell himself.
3) Management doesn't reinforce the training. Why train salespeople on a new approach if you're not going to do the same for the sales managers? Yet, that's exactly what many corporations do. Even if the sales force is excited about what they've learned, it does little good if sales managers don't share the enthusiasm or fully understand the technique. Left out of the loop, some sales managers actually discourage their sales team from applying what they learned in the program.<
Steve Schiffman's pragmatic approach to his motivational sales training seminars and executive business coaching is anything but theoretical. Certainly he touches on the theory behind his techniques, but only because he has three decades of real-world examples to back it up. In fact, that's one of Schiffman's tips to salespeople - always be ready to share 10 stories about how you've helped 10 clients.
When it comes to experience, Steve Schiffman has been on the frontlines of sales for more than 30 years, employing a cold calling technique that typically generates a 75 percent response rate. He's one of the country's most sought-after motivational speakers on the subject of sales success and is a frequent guest on national radio and television programs. In other words, Schiffman excels at engaging audiences - whether it's a crowd of hundreds at one of his seminars, or a crowd of millions he's connecting with through radio or TV.
Determined to implement his sales training expertise throughout all levels of a sales force, Schiffman has developed a sales management training program that he's been leading successfully for years. In it he covers the same techniques as taught in the regular sales training programs, but with particular attention to leadership and reinforcement.
Sales training programs take time away from selling. So if they're ineffective, you're not only losing money on the cost of the program, but also on lost sales that could have been made in that lost time. The truth about sales training programs is that they can work, yet only with a practical, engaging, comprehensive approach - the same kind of programs that Steve Schiffman has successfully shared with more than 500,000 people worldwide!
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Create Outstanding Managers with Management Training
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An article that looks at how important it is to get the right training for your managers and shows how a tailor made training course from Premier Training can help you.
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Do you get the Most from your Sales Training Courses?
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An article that looks into how sales training courses can be a huge boost to your profits.
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