(Interview with Succeed Magazine)

Succeed Magazine – www.succeed.co.za – March/April 2005

So, you are a salesperson. You have been told you have the gift of the gab, can sell snow to an Eskimo and no-name brand clothing to Paris Hilton. Yet, your bank account reflects a different story altogether. You talk, you present, you represent and criss-cross the country, huffing and puffing from one rejection to the next. You are the proverbial pork-chop at a bar mitzvah – rejected, dejected, wanted by no-one but the scruffy dog in the corner. Not all is lost though, you can make the transition from meagre pork-chop to a magnifique offering of the finest cuisine – Master Chef Bill Gibson shows the way.

“Successful selling is all about focus,” says Gibson. “Without focus you are left bouncing off the walls, from one client to the next with no clear strategy which will lead to mediocre sales results.” There are six main areas of focus every company and every sales person should incorporate in their modus operandi. Focus on the right clients and prospects, with the right frequency, working from the right database, using the right data base selling tools, offering the right solutions, at the right time and making the right presentations. Sounds simple enough, but then there are still some people who believe the world is flat – a simple concept does not necessarily mean that people understand its fundamentals or how to execute its intended actions properly.

Focussing on the right clients also involves speaking to the right people when dealing with a company. “Make sure that you talk to the decision maker as quickly as possible, you do not want a situation where, after months of dealing with middle management, your proposal is eventually rejected by the powers that be. Long-sell need not be a feature of your work.” Criteria to classify existing and prospective clients need to be developed and are two tiered, namely for selling to individuals and selling to businesses. Individual criteria involve aspects such as age groups, hobbies, household income, disposable income, purchasing habits and whether or not the person is a natural fit. Natural fit basically means that the selling and buying entities have much in common, like race, religion or some other common influence.

“The 12% of sales people who carry on communicating, regardless of how many times they are shown the door, are responsible for 80% of total sales”– Bill Gibson 

Business criteria concerns matters such as monthly or annual turnover, by industry, number of employees, nature or type of business, number of outlets, roll-out possibilities to other businesses, procurement procedures and political influence such as Black Economic Empowerment policies. “The criteria is then used to classify clients in AAA, AA, A, B and C categories,” says Gibson. “This does not mean that you give type-C clients bad service when it is necessary, it merely means that you focus your pro-active time, energy and resources on the A and B categories where possible. Focus on those clients that you want to retain, develop, regain and gain – all top performers make use of this process.”

Focussing with the right frequency is about repeating your contact with a client without stepping on their toes. The National Dry Goods Association of America conducted research on the effects of frequency and made the following startling discovery – 45% of all sales people stop contact after the first negative response, 25% stop after the second solid, No, 15% call it a day after the third denial and 12% carry on communicating regardless of how many times they are shown the door. The interesting revelation of this study, is that the 12% who hang in there are responsible for 80% of the total sales achieved, a rather revealing statistic, isn’t it? “Contact can be maintained through any number of ways, some more personal than others,” says Gibson. “The key is building a relationship and being unique in the way you do it. Never follow a routine your contact person has seen or heard a million times before, aim to be different – it shows an innovative nature and sparks interest from the client.” Working off the right database ties in with focussing on the right people as it is of no use contacting a list of clients who have no need for your product or service. Make sure that the information you are working from is correct, up to date and relevant to your business. Using the right data base selling tools are about making and maintaining contact through various methods. Primary tools are more personal contact methods such as visits to the client, inviting the client to functions and events, personal lunches and social meetings and, of course, telephone calls between you and the prospect. Secondary tools involve things like contact by your P.A., third-party deliveries of corporate gifts or information, and things like specific personal promises sent by e-mail or faxes. Other data-base selling tools are things like greeting cards, press-releases and other forms of less personal contact. “All three types of data base selling tools must be combined in building a business relationship, know the client, what he or she likes or dislikes and then work according to a strategy that allows you frequent contact, without coming across as overbearing.”

There is, of course, no point in maintaining excellent customer relations and identifying the right customers, but being unable to offer the product or solution the client needs. Know your products, what you can offer and know what questions to ask. A successful sales philosophy is solutions based. “In bigger, long-term deals and major negotiations you must remember that it is not about selling, or buying – but buying into the solution(s) you are, and can offer the client,” says Gibson. “Do a need analysis based on the company’s unique requirements and then offer the solution.”

Approaching clients at the right time goes a very long way on the road to making a sale. If you offer a consulting service on increasing sales and market share, it is obviously in your interest to approach a role player in a market when it is faced with a new competitor. “Work the situation and the circumstance,” says Gibson. “Knowing that a hot spell is predicted for a month or two will help an air-conditioning sales person for example – knowledge is power, know the situation that surrounds prospective clients.” Do the right presentations when you get the opportunity. There is no point in presenting CEOs and others in top management with just a colourful story about you and your company. They want to know what you can do for them. What do you offer? “Get to the bottom line as quickly as possible,” says Gibson. “Thereafter you can elaborate on the history of your company and such if asked to do so.”

Follow these steps and you may succeed where others have failed, prosper where so many have slipped and be labelled the bar mitzvah pork chop never more. Decline – and all will not be lost, after all, there is always that scruffy dog in the corner to keep you company.

“Always talk to the decision maker as quickly as possible”

Succeed Magazine – www.succeed.co.za – October 2006

 What are the most important qualities that top sales producers possess? This is a frequent question asked in South Africa and internationally by business owners, salespeople and executives. Psychologists and assessment tool experts have identified a number of qualities that top producers must possess.

 I personally believe the two most important qualities are empathy and ego drive. You must differentiate between empathy and sympathy however. Empathy is not feeling sorry for someone. It is putting yourself in the other person’s shoes, and being instinctively able to see, hear and feel where that person is coming from. It does not mean you agree with the other person, it means you have an understanding of that person’s perspective, and that you can adjust your approach and feedback to that person instantly.

Ego drive, on the other hand, is the measurement of how fast you recover when you get knocked down, or after you have been rejected. If you immediately dust yourself off and get back up then you have a high level of ego drive. A salesperson with a high level of ego drive possesses an inherent focus and drive to make the sale, reach the goal, finish the task or conquer a difficult situation, and this is imperative. The need to accomplish, conquer and win keeps them motivated and focused on achieving results. The fact is that salespeople fail more often than they succeed. High ego-driven people are usually not shattered by failure, in fact they find that a failure or setback to them is just a challenge and handling challenges are what makes them happy. They live for the challenge and they live for the conquering, so when that one in 10 clients says ‘yes’, the path of rejections is justified.

The two main qualities of empathy and ego drive must be balanced. If a salesperson is high on empathy and low on ego drive, clients will think he is a great person, and really like that individual. But they may end up buying from the competitor, because the salesperson got so engulfed in seeing and accepting the client’s point of view that he did not present the best solution, and did not close the sale. A salesperson with high ego drive, but no empathy will often be so focused on driving through to the close of the sale he will not take into consideration or demonstrate respect for the client’s real needs, views and wants. This type of salesperson often loses the sale and does not understand why. She can also negatively affect her reputation and that of the company she works for. In essence you need a high level of empathy and a high ego drive to be a top producer. A salesperson with only one of these traits can still be a salesperson, and may achieve a sufficient level of sales. But if he is low in either empathy or ego drive, and makes a commitment to developing the right attitudes, skills and habits, he may become a top achiever. As a business owner or sales director make sure you are hiring people with a high level of empathy and ego drive if you want results. For the salesperson, do what you can to improve in both of these qualities, and it will pay.

Empathy and ego drive are inherent natural talents or abilities, although with a major focus and effort they can be improved. Here are a few quick tips that can help raise your ability in these two areas.

With empathy try the following:

 Use the following statement in the following ways. “I listen to understand not just to respond.” Repeat this 20 times a day as an affirmation. Use it as a screen saver on your laptop and post the statement where you can see it. Put it on your fridge, in your car, on a card or on your cell phone screen. This will continuously keep the importance of understanding other people’s point of view front and centre of your mind. Remember, awareness precedes action and action precedes change. Make a list of ‘soft openers’ and commit to utilising them when dealing with friends, family, associates and clients. These ‘soft openers’ will force you to listen to and empathise with the other person’s situation. Try a few of these ‘soft openers’:

• “May I ask…”

• “Could you share with me…”

• “I’d be interested to know…”

• “You obviously have a good reason for saying that…,share with me…”

• “It would help me if you explained…”

• “Help me understand how you came to that conclusion.”

• “Help me get a handle on what you are up against …”

• “Please give me your view.”

• “What advice or suggestions do you have…”

• “I need your direction on this… how do you…”

• “Obviously you have your own view. Could you share your view with me?”

• “I’d like to hear more about what happened…”

• “That question tells me you still have some concerns…”

• “Maybe there are some things I can learn. Could you expand on that point?”

• “I’d like to hear more about your views on that.”

• “You know I have not shut up. I have been doing all the talking. I’d be interested to know what made you decide to take this route.”

• “Possibly I can serve you better if you could give me more information on what you expect from us.”

Take a course, read a book, listen to a CD or watch a DVD on effective communication skills. This should include active listening and talking so others will want to listen and understanding the non-verbal cues of body language. Interview associates, friends and family members that are known to be people that quickly see other people’s points of view. Ask them how they do it. It probably comes naturally to them so you may have to dig deep so they can explain it to you. Study personality types and take a course on how to deal with each type. Then start recognising the different types and consciously shift your approach to dealing with the different types. The four basic foundation types are: controller driver, expressive promoter, supportive amiable and the analytical.

A few suggestions to off-set a low level of ego drive could include:

Draw a parallel between rejection and the weather. Some people are affected by the weather and some are not. Even if it is raining or it is really cold or extremely hot, you know you still have to drive to work or go see a client and you always do that no matter what your weather mood is. Think of selling like you do the weather. See the rejection as a passing weather change. Just drive on anyway. Keep your eye on the destination. In certain weather you will move slower but you will still move forward. Take the rejection and still move forward … even if it is slowly. Make a list of the adversities you have experienced and recovered from and how you have recovered from them. Keep that list handy and review it after you’ve had a ‘no’. This will help you see that you can and will overcome this adversity.

For the next several weeks keep track of how many ‘no’s’ it takes before you get a ‘yes’. Draw up an average for yourself. Then start counting the ‘no’s’ and with each ‘no’ you will know how close you are to a ‘yes’. Calculate how many ‘no’s’ it takes to get a ‘yes’ and then take the average size of your orders/sales and divide that by the number of ‘no’s’.

E.g. R10 000 ÷ 10 ‘no’s’ = R1 000 per no. You now know that every ‘no’ you get is worth R1 000 Rejections and ‘no’s’ are often situational rather than personal. Make a list of situational circumstances that could cause a client to say ‘no’ or ‘seem to reject you’ in reference to a meeting or a proposal you have made. These could include:

• They are unhappy with their present job

• Do not have the decision-making power

• Dislikes salespeople in general

• Just committed to someone else

• No need for your offering

• Have personal pressures at this time

• The timing is not right

Caution: Do not use these as excuses if it has something to do with your lack of skill or flaw in your product or service you offer. Use it as a reality check to let yourself know that it is not necessarily you that is the problem… it could be a number of factors. Interview associates, friends and family members with high ego drive and find out what techniques they use to overcome the ‘no’s’, handling rejection and recovering quickly from adversity.

(Article from an interview with Bill Gibson)

Succeed Magazine – www.succeed.co.za – March 2006

The task of trying to set up sales appointments by telephone is not quite as daunting as having to use public toilets, but it ranks pretty close. The reality is that selling on the telephone is extremely difficult. It takes nerves of steel and requires monumental

patience and perseverance. The whole process is not unlike knocking on a door of a special club that has a sliding shutter late at night and hoping to get in. The most likely event is that the shutter will slide open, a voice will mumble some words from behind this gap in the door, tell you to get lost and slam the shutter closed again. That is unless of course, you have the right password.

If you can remember a few important points about speaking to clients by phone, you do not need to feel as if you are intruding on some clandestine operation. Instead you can phone confident in your ability to sell over the phone.

Acclaimed business trainer Bill Gibson says that when approaching any large telephone list of clients, before anything else, one should get organised. “Clear your desk. Get rid of all the mess around you so that all you have in front of you is the contacts you wish to phone. “If you are using the phone book, directories or lists to make cold calls to set appointments, I suggest you do it in blocks of 20.Make 20 calls, take a break. Make 20 calls, take a break. Don’t leave your chair or the phone until you’ve made 20 calls.” Gibson explains that less than 20 calls does not give yourself enough chances to succeed, while going past this will most likely make you tired and your voice may lose its enthusiasm.

The secret to the telephone approach is to communicate as if you are face to face. “Try to imagine the body language and facial expressions of the person you are speaking to. Sit the way you think they are sitting and approach the interaction as if they were right beside you.”

An important part of your success is to get the client’s name early in the call and quickly ascertain the best way to address them. “There is no school of thought that says calling someone Mr or Mrs is too formal.

Using only the person’s first name may be overly familiar and stepping over the boundary line. A better option is to use the person’s first and last name when you first greet them and then proceed with Mr. or Mrs. and eventually change to the first name if it feels appropriate and respectful.” Once you have established the best way to address a customer, repeat the person’s name a few times in the conversation. This can work wonders. Clients love to hear the music of their own names and it is a great way of grabbing their attention. The trick is obviously not to overdo it otherwise it may come across as irritating and insincere.

Gibson underlines the importance of talking with people, as opposed to talking at them. “Become conscious of what is happening with you on the phone. Do not speak to people in a robotic fashion. Rather be genuine and sincere. People will pick it up.

“A handy trick I have learned is to ask someone if they have a pen handy because I’ve got some important information. Usually when you do this people will instantly pay attention and focus on what you’re saying.” This can remove some of the initial barriers people may have when they realise that you are trying to sell them something.

Building a rapport with your client means being ready for unexpected opportunities to break the ice, says Gibson. “Be quick on your feet. If you call an office and ask to speak to a particular person and while the person is coming to the phone you hear laughter in the background, comment with something like, ‘it sounds like you guys are having a good time… looks like I’m working in the wrong place.’ He might laugh and then you can introduce yourself, but because your statement was in line with the situation a rapport has already been built.” In this regard, the most important part of any phone conversation is to build a trust between yourself and the client.

In an effective sales conversation, 20% of what is said will be devoted to actively selling your product, while 80% to building a relationship.

In the end however, the one attribute that counts the most in getting through to people on the telephone is persistence, persistence and more persistence. The people that are the most effective on the phone never give up. To this Gibson says, “The only reason why a lot of salespeople fail on the phone is because they give up just before they would’ve succeeded.”