Sales & Sales Management Newsletter
For Results, Goals & Success

Welcome to the NEW Gulas Group Sales & Productivity Newsletter. This issue deals with sales training and the role it plays in truly discovering a prospect's intent.

SITUATION:
Billy Bob recently finished a 3-day sales training class. In the class Billy Bob was given three books to memorize. They were "The Sales Question Book," " The Sales Script Book," and "The Sales Closing Book." What Billy Bob learned in the class was that if he would memorize the lines in the book, he would increase sales. Billy Bob's main focus was on eliminating objections so he focused on the "Sales Script Book." There was not any objection known to man that Billy Bob could not instantly repeat a quick and convincing retort. In fact, the entire sales team practiced lines and scripts from the three books at every sales meeting. They became quite good at instant answers feeling they had eliminated the most fierce objection of all, "Your price is too high."

PROBLEM:
During the following months Billy Bob saw his sales increase. Several teammates began performing so well to the point that those attending the class became the top 5 producers. As the VP of Sales began to review the sales production for six months, an interesting fact surfaced: No one in the top 5 could maintain the number one position. One week Billy Bob would win, the next week Mary Sue won, the following week Ann Beth won. What was even more alarming was that the week Billy Bob did not win was time his production dropped drastically.

The VP of Sales consulted with counterparts in various industries to discover a revealing fact: Those companies relying on lines or scripts as opposed to a systematic selling process were under-performing. After much study, Billy Bob's VP of Sales concluded this: Sales scripts took way too much energy to execute. The constant battle to have a quick retort put the prospect in control of the sales cycle. That was the reason for such inconsistencies from her team. The prospects knew just how to play the game. Shoot the sales person with one objection after another after another till you kill 'em off. They had been to buyer's school so they had plenty of ammunition.

SOLUTION:
If you desire to eliminate objections, discover the prospect's intent. Intent is far more important than content. Find out why the prospect is looking, who makes decisions and the criteria attached to those decisions with impacts emotionally articulated. Have the prospect explain each issue fully as you move them through your sales discovery process. Do not play their game - instead take control with focused and caring questions. Here is a suggestion.

Like a boxer, you must practice with a real contact. Write down each objection during each step of the Discovery Sales Process and then describe why it will occur. Now, here is the magic bullet. Restate each objection as a question you can and must ask the prospect. Find a sparing partner and practice with them using softening statements until you can perform the questions conversationally like the detective Colombo.