... - Jan ... Terry, I know that you have some very strong views on the need for ... to modify their sales ... to cope with a changing market. How would you ... th
Interviewer - Jan Howard
[Jan] Terry, I know that you have some very strong views on
the need for salespeople to modify their sales techniques
to cope with a changing market. How would you summarise
this?
[Terry] OK Jan, first let me ask you one quick question and
then I'll give you an answer. Can you think of anything at
all that hasn't changed a lot in the last 10 years or so?
[J] No, I can't.
[T] Right! My first point is that selling has changed a lot
as well. And yet, many sellers seem to refuse to accept
this. They plod on with selling techniques that they were
taught 5, 10 or even 20 years ago. They are so "off-beam"
with what they are doing, that it's no wonder that their
results have continued to decline. Of course, many will
justify this decline by reasoning that there's more
competition, the economy is in poor shape etc
Smokescreen excuses for sure - the problem lies very
squarely with the seller and his way of selling ie his
methodology.
He must change to adapt to the changes in the market and
the changes in the buyers.
He must realise that, for many direct sales businesses, the
market has changed dramatically in the last few years, let
alone the last 10 or 20! Mr Prospect is now very well
informed. He has "Watchdog" and "Salesmen from Hell" type
programmes on the TV. He has consumer reports from
magazines such as "Which?" and he has built up an armoury
of information provided by trade journals, the internet and
his friends and neighbours.
[J] Are you implying that it's changed for the worse?
[T] No, but I'm saying that Mr Prospect is a changed man.
He will eat salespeople alive given half a chance. Long
gone are the days of the tough sellers taking candy from a
baby. Today's buyers have teeth!
And it's these teeth which have scared many a salesperson
and nudged them into giving up and returning to a regular 9
to 5 without the stress they were getting in the sales
arena. In fact, around 60% of those who take on a direct
sales position will quit within 6 months!
[J] So, is direct selling today still a worthwhile career?
[T] That's a 100% YES. For sure it's a tough job and is not
for those who freak out when they hear the word "No". But,
it's a wonderful career with very high rewards for those
who get their act together.
[J] You've said that the buyers today are now much tougher
and much more informed - so what is it that stops the
seller being better informed and tougher?
[T] Nothing at all! But the problem is that many still
expect to carry on with the knowledge bank of 10 years ago,
with old hat techniques and a tendency to work with crossed
fingers!
[J] What is it that gives salespeople the most problems?
[T] The part of the sales process that creates the most
problems is the "close" - the bit where the seller says "OK,
let's get this going Mr Buyer" and Mr Buyer tries to
wriggle away from making a decision! It's eyeball to
eyeball psychological warfare. The seller must get the
order to earn his commission. The buyer wants to be 200%
sure he's doing the right thing.....
[J] But, surely closing has always been a problem area for
most sellers?
[T] That's true, but what I'm saying is that 10 years ago
you might have gotten away with sloppy technique, but today
you just cannot. In fact, most folk who've left the direct
sales arena, would invariably tell you that the actual job
was fine, the product was great, the company was marvellous
but they just couldn't get on with THE CLOSE! That horrible
little monster that consumes salespeople!
[J] Do salespeople actually admit this to you?
[T] Too right! If I've heard this tale once, I've heard it
a thousand times!
[J] Are you laying the blame at the foot of the seller?
[T] Not really. Many times it's not his fault. He may have
been trained by his well-meaning sales manager who was
trained by his sales manager who was trained by his sales
manager, and so on.... You could be talking of technique
and methodology that's 30 years old here! And the poor
seller is sent out in the tough markets of today and told
"Go for it!"
[J] Understood!
[T] Just to reinforce my thoughts on change, just think
about this.....Years ago the Pony Express took 18 days to
get a message from east coast to west. If our email takes
18 seconds today, we're calling tech support to find out
what's wrong! Times have changed dramatically in all areas
and selling is no exception.
[J] Is there one particular method or technique that you
find is still in common use in many businesses, which
should not be used in today's marketplace.
[T] There are lots, but there is one particular methodology
which I hear about all too frequently and is worth "putting
it to bed" right now. It's a very tired old idea which you
may have heard of or some may even be working...heaven
forbid!
It goes like this:
The sales process is split into three main areas:
Warm up, presentation of the product, then close.
In other words, the seller "warms up" the buyer with a
little friendly chat about the weather, golf, holidays etc.
He then moves on to demonstrate his product, showing the
features and benefits and why the buyer should choose this
product over any other one in the marketplace.
The buyer then moves on to the "tough bit" (the close) and
normally the conversation goes from being pleasant and open
to one with both parties twitching and getting more tense
by the minute.
[J] I hate to admit this Terry, but I've seen this method
taught recently at a seminar I attended!
[T] I know it still goes on and in a way I'm glad you've
seen this. It's old hand-me-down stuff. But, without
question, in this day and age, this form of selling is
nonsense. Let's put these tired old ideas to bed quickly by
asking you to think back to your schooldays.....
[J] Just a few years ago!
[T] Me too! At breakfast, your Mum gave you your bowl of
cereal and sprinkled a spoonful of wheatgerm flakes on top.
You didn't notice the wheatgerm and you never questioned
your Mum as to why she added these flakes. Just think, if
Mum had let you finish your cereal and then popped a
spoonful of dry flakes in your mouth! You'd have coughed,
choked and spluttered and Mum would not have been the most
favourite person on the block!
So it is with professional closing. If you separate the
"closing" part, the buyer will choke. Make it a little more
palatable for him. Just a little closing sprinkled
throughout the presentation and he'll not even notice!
[J] Wow, that's a powerful analogy - I like that!
[T] Conversational, matter-of-fact closing throughout the
meeting is a technique that's invisible to the buyer. It's
methodology for today's markets.
[J] So, that's how the top salesmen do it?
[T] It is, but I bet if you asked a top salesman how he
closes business, he'd scratch his head and probably be
unable to give you a precise answer. I guarantee though,
that his methodology was so rock solid that there was
probably no need to "close the sale". It was a "done deal"
part way through.
[J] So, the message for the salesperson is "get updated"
then?
[T] What I'd say is this, Jan, if you don't know how to
sprinkle the wheatgerm on your cereal, or you don't
automatically integrate your closing, then you must be on
"happy pills" to keep smiling after all those rejections!
[J] If they weren't before, they may be now! Well, Terry,
It's been a real eye-opener speaking to you. Thanks for
your time.
[T] Just a thought to finish our discussion, Jan. For your
next appointment........... Why not use a "which would you
prefer" question early on in the meeting?
Like, "Nice to see you, Mr Jones. May I ask...would you
like your wheatgerm sprinkled so you'll hardly notice it,
or would you prefer me to give it to you at the end, all in
one mouthful, so that you cough and choke for ten minutes?"
Only a joke. Honest!
