Sales is challenging because you may spend a lot of time trying to out-guess your prospects and customers. My experience has been that that time spent guessing is almost always better spent doing something concrete and real. Yes, you do need to think about the prospect and their motives, needs and wants. But, you can get so wrapped up in this that you lose sight of what’s important: making a sale. Over thinking can also lead to some false or “killer” assumptions which can stop you in your tracks. Here are a few common thoughts to avoid:

1. “I don’t want to be a pushy salesperson.”  Good. I don’t want you to be that either. And neither do your prospects and customers. However, we all want to deal with a salesperson that shows self-confidence and some control. Don’t confuse being aggressive (the hard sell) with being assertive (the consultative sell.)

2. “I never make sales calls on Friday afternoon. No one is around.”  Actually, many people are around, still working. You know who isn’t around? Many of your competitors, who are making that killer assumption. Friday afternoons can be a great time to call on prospects and customers. Try it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

3. “If they want anything, they’ll call me.”  Maybe, but you cannot rely on this to happen. If you have customers who buy from you regularly, that’s wonderful. Congratulations. Just don’t take them or their business for granted. Instead, call and discuss their business with them.

4. “I’ve tried reaching them three times. I’m going to stop calling, because I don’t want to annoy them.” There’s a fine line between being persistent and being annoying. We have all been bothered by salespeople who just won’t leave us alone. But that’s different from being politely persistent. Keep after someone, not as a stalker, but as someone who was something of value to offer the prospect. Keep believing in yourself and what you sell. Keep reminding yourself about how your product/service has helped so many other customers. You will be surprised at how many prospects congratulate you and thank you for your persistence.

Selling, many times, is about your comfort level. How comfortable are you asking your customers for more? Or, how do you feel about asking them about problems they have had with your company? These questions can be very difficult to ask, but the responses are well worth your discomfort. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

Your customer has called you and expressed an interest in one of your products. “Great!” you say to yourself. A sale! You proceed to gather the information needed to process the sale. When you are done, you thank them for their business, they leave, and you are pleased with what just happened.

Let’s rethink what just happened. They tell you what they want. “Great!” you say to them. “You’re going to really like this product.”  Now continue with one of the following options:

Option 1:   “You know what works really well with that, is…”

Option 2:   “What else do you need to go with that?”

Option 3:   “A lot of my customers use this other product with what you’re buying. They tell me they’ve had really good luck with it. Want to try one?”

You are slowing the sales process down so you can gather more information. It’s not about forcing the customer to buy more. Instead, it’s about reminding the customer that you have many products and services to offer. It’s easier for customers to remember you for the few products they buy from you. You need to remind them of what else you have to offer.

Customers are going to buy from someone. It might as well be from you. They already trust you, because they are buying the first item from you. Now you just need to ask a few non-threatening questions to expand the sale.

Let’s look at another example.  A customer has called you with a complaint about one of your products. They tell you their complaint. Rather than dealing with that complaint immediately, ask them “Did you have any other problems? What were they?” Again, you’re slowing the process down to gather information. This is a critical skill when dealing with complaints. You want to surface everything that the customer is thinking about. Otherwise, you may solve their initial problem and they hang up, only to remember other issues they had with your company. Much better to get it out in the open and deal with it all at once.

 As you can see from these examples, these are not difficult questions to ask. You’re not “selling” the customer. You’re just gathering information and making suggestions. So, take a deep breath, trust in yourself, and ask those questions.

It doesn’t take much to make customers smile. It just takes a little thought and a little effort.

1. Call them by name.
2. Listen closely to them, without interrupting.
3. Write them personalized “Thank you” notes.
4. Refer business to them.
5. Tell them how much you’ve learned from them.
6. Ask their opinion.
7. Take them to lunch and don’t talk about business.
8. Offer them suggestions.
9. Tell them how much you value their business.
10. Ask great questions to get them thinking.
11. Ask to shadow them, learning more about their business.
12. Encourage them with sincere support.
13. Ask them about what’s important to their customers.
14. Remember their birthdays.
15. Post something about them on social media.
16. Offer to help them solve a problem.
17. Give them the respect they deserve.
18. Be honest with them.
19. Spread good news about them.
20. Encourage them to try something new.
21. Show up early.
22. Give them a personal compliment.
23. Show up for your morning meeting with coffee and bagels for everyone.
24. Give without expecting to get back.
25. Empathize with their challenges and victories.
26. Help them see the bigger picture.
27. Ask how you can help.
28. Sponsor them in charitable fundraisers.
29. Display a sense of urgency.
30. Ask how business is going.
31. Be patient with them.
32. Help them make great decisions.
33. Inspire them to succeed.
34. Check in with them if you haven’t heard from them lately.
35. Observe them without judging them.

Think about your sales call from the prospect’s point of view. They don’t know you well and so they are guarded. Help them feel comfortable with you as a person before discussing what you sell.

Here are some suggestions to help you:

• Use humor. But not just any humor. Forget jokes, most of us are terrible joke-tellers. Leave joke-telling to the professionals. Instead, show that you have a warm and friendly sense of humor. The goal is to make the prospect smile and be open to you.

• Be friendly. Ask great open-ended questions about them. One example: “I’m always curious about career paths. Tell me how you got into this business.” Open questions are much less threatening than closed questions. A closed question is one that is answered with yes or no. Or with one word that ends the conversation. Open-ended questions also give the prospect the chance to talk about themselves and their business. Nod, listen and take notes. There are gems hidden in these answers.

• Be nice. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? Treat the other person with respect. Don’t interrupt them, let them finish their thought. Build on what they say.

•  Be a good communicator.  Ask clarifying questions to better understand what the prospect is saying. Maintain eye-contact and good posture. Your words, tone of voice and facial expression should all be saying “I’m interested in you and what you’re saying.”

• BONUS! Next steps. Now that you have established rapport, you will gently exert some control by stating the agenda: “Today, I thought we would talk about your needs for next year.”  Many prospects are expecting you to control the sales call. They don’t want it to be their responsibility.

If you’re like me, you encounter countless overused words andphrases in a sales situation. When I hear them, my attention level goes right down. I’m distracted and I stop listening closely to the speaker.  I ask myself “Don’t they know not to say that?”

Here’s a short list, with some of my prime offenders. Some are jargon, others are overused, and some are just inappropriate in a sales situation. Try to use straight forward respectful language of your own. That would be awesome, dude.

1. We’re lean and mean
2. No problemo
3. At the end of the day
4. That’s what I’m talkin’ about!
5. I’m not gonna lie…
6. We want to go to the next level
7. That’s why I get the big bucks
8. It is what it is
9. Let’s push the envelope
10. Grab the low hanging fruit
11. Let’s take this off-line
12. Let’s think outside the box
13. Absolutely (when used in place of “yes.”)
14. Holistic approach
15. Make an apples-to-apples comparison
16. Customer-driven organization
17. This will provide greater transparency
18. They drank the Kool-Aid
19. They don’t have enough bandwidth
20. These are actionable items
21. Remember, there’s no “I” in team
22. To tell you the truth…
23. Have you got a work around for this?
24. I’m all about Win-Win
25. We got a seat at the table

Don’t sabotage yourself by misbehaving on a sales call. Understanding how to conduct yourself with a prospect supports all your good product knowledge and your understanding of your industry. Bad behavior can make it irrelevant.

1. Never underestimate the value of business-related objects in their office. Team photos and sales awards are golden nuggets, waiting to be mined. Show interest – ask about them. Do be careful not to make it the focus of your meeting.

2. Never look at your watch while your prospect is speaking. This is really bad form. It’s telling your prospect that you have somewhere else to go. Keep eye contact with your prospect. It’s a sign of respect and it will help your listening.

3. Never accept a cup of coffee. Once you have it, the cup becomes a distraction for the prospect. They don’t know what you’re going to do with it or where you’re going to put it. They won’t be insulted if you politely say “no thank you.”

4. Never rest anything of yours on your prospect’s desk.  Hands off, it’s their turf. No papers, notebook, elbows, Smartphones, etc.

5. Never, ever, ever trash your competition. Think about it. You’re telling your prospect that they made a terrible mistake when they chose the ABC Company. They don’t want to hear that from you.

6. Never use company policy to tell a prospect “no.” You’re hiding and not being willing to engage in a discussion about what your company can and can’t do. If you insist on quoting policy, be prepared to explain and defend it.

7. Never dominate the conversation. Ask a question, and then pay attention, listening to the prospect’s answer. It’s okay to take a few notes, but try to maintain as much eye contact as possible. Let them speak. Ask questions to refine or clarify their information.

Many of you are in small-businesses, working with and supplying other businesses. You sell a specific product or service. And some of you have been doing this for many years. But I’m guessing that you don’t have the volume of business you would like. You want more business from your existing customers. Or, you would like more new customers, or to expand into additional markets.  Or maybe all three. It’s all possible. But the first step is challenging and counter-intuitive: you need to stop selling your product or
service. That’s right. Stop selling. Instead you need to get actively involved in three brand new businesses: Building Relationships, Overcoming Fears, and Providing Solutions. Let’s look at these businesses:

1. Building Relationships. You want to stop being seen as a stereotype: a typical salesperson. You’re not just an order-taker. You are much more than that, but people may not know it.Reach out and meet people. Tell people about you, the person, not the
salesperson. Go to networking events that are attended by your customers and prospects, but don’t go with the goal of landing business. Instead, go with the idea of meeting interesting, new business people. And understand that you are also one of those interesting business people. Go with the idea of representing yourself, not your product.

2. Overcoming Fears is all about helping prospects and customers get through change. If you are a brand new source for them, they’re going to be anxious. They’ve never worked with you before, so you need to calm them down. Be there for them. Let them see they made a great decision in choosing your product or service. Anticipate theirquestions or concerns, bring them up yourself,  and offer strong responses. Another great method to diminish fears is to demonstrate your reliability. Show up on time. Answer voice-mail messages promptly. Make sure your product arrives when promised. Keep your word. All of these will diminish fears and concerns, and build confidence in you.

3. Providing Solutions is simple. You are a specialist, not a generalist. You need to position yourself as a valued resource that will help others solve problems. You do this by using your intelligence, experience, skills, etc. Everything that goes into making you a valued resource. Once you are seen as a solution-provider, you will no longer be seen as a typical salesperson. Instead, you are perceived as someone who supplies value.

These three businesses provide value to your customers and prospects. By focusing on them, and doing less selling, you dramatically increase your chances for success.

Every prospect has a list of questions they use to filter out new salespeople. The more prepared you are to answer these questions, the more successful your sales calls will be.

Focus on making your prospect comfortable with you and your company.

1.   Who is this person, and do I want to do business with them?

Your prospect will give you no more than 10 seconds to make a positive first impression. They’ll judge you immediately on how you’re dressed and groomed, as well as your eye contact, facial expression, handshake and the initial greeting and introduction. All of these characteristics and behaviors will contribute to your prospect’s initial impression of you. If you manage it well, you’ve created an opportunity. If you miss something, you may have created an impossible roadblock for yourself.

2.  What do I know about this person’s company, and do I want to work with them?

Don’t make assumptions about what they do or don’t know about you. Early in the call, make the prospect comfortable by talking about your capabilities and successes with companies similar to theirs.

3.  What this company is selling – don’t I already have a source for it?

In all likelihood, the prospect already has a source for a product or service similar to yours. Identify how your product is different. Don’t be afraid to be explicit. Many times, prospects need you to connect the dots for them. Present them a solution, not a series of facts and features.

4.  What is this going to cost?

When you first meet a prospect, they are primarily focused on The Price, and to a much lesser degree, The Value. Your job is to reverse that focus. Demonstrate to them how your product will deliver value, even if it costs a bit more than the competition. Show them how this will improve their business.

When you go on your initial sales call with a new prospect, don’t be afraid of them. Realize what a great opportunity this is for you. But, also understand that this is a great opportunity for your prospect as well. They need solutions and you’ve got them.

I recently heard Dr. Mark Hillman, an individual and corporate therapist, speak about Sales Call Reluctance. He is a highly engaging speaker with an interesting mix of humor and directness to his topics.

As part of his talk, he listed different reactions that salespeople have to getting an order. Many of these reactions are based on relief that the sales process is over. It’s great that the sales call was successful. But the relief would have been there no matter the outcome.

The salesperson’s response that struck a nerve with me was “I was lucky!” I hear this with some frequency from my sales coaching clients, and it always prompts a discussion. You getting an order is not a matter of luck or chance. It is the result of working with a customer, asking great questions, and providing a solution they can afford. It is the result of following a selling structure, and knowing what you should be doing next in the sales process. It is also about believing in yourself, your product and your company.

Salespeople many times get in their own way. Their success is blocked by their own words or actions. Here’s an example:

Many years ago, I had a totally different business named The Woodworks. We designed, built and sold custom wood furniture from a storefront on Charles Street in Boston. Our space was lit with track lighting that was full of flood lights, probably around 50 bulbs. Once a month, a light bulb salesman would stick his head in our front door, and ask us “You don’t need any light bulbs today, do you?” My partner and I would look at each other, shrug our shoulders and tell him no, we didn’t need any. “Okay, thanks. I’ll see you next month.” And he would disappear, only to show up again four weeks later with the same negative question. The fact is, we always needed light bulbs, but he put a barrier up between us and his sales efforts with how he phrased his opening question. It would have been simple to ask us “You use a lot of light bulbs. Let’s make sure your space is always lit. How about I set up a buying plan of 15 bulbs per month?”

It sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But I experience this negative mind-set all the time with salespeople, especially those who are selling business-to-business. So, here are a few suggestions for you:

1. Remain positive in your outlook. Believe in you and your product.
2. Follow a structured approach to selling, so you know what the next step will be.
3. If you don’t get the sale, do a quick analysis. Why not? What could you do differently in the future?

Luck, does it ever play a role? Yes, occasionally. But don’t wait around for your luck to change. Take control of your future and stop relying on luck. Better to depend on your skills, knowledge and experience.

We all like to put together a list of New Year’s resolutions. The problem is that we sometimes get so wrapped up in the list that we create something that is unattainable and overwhelming. Earlier this year, Fast Company magazine posted this blog with five great ideas for personal success.  I like it because it it is clear and concise. I’m going to try it.

“5 Things to Do Every Day for Success”   by Fast Company Expert Blogger Dayna Steele

1. Wake up early. For the next week, get up a half an hour earlier that you normally do–and get going. If you get a few more things done, then get up even earlier the next week. Early in the morning is a great time to get        work done because most of your associates have not started emailing, tweeting, or posting yet.

2. Read the headlines and watch the news. Not only should you know what is going on in the world, you will also be the first to recognize opportunities (if you followed #1) for you and your business–long before the competition has even had their first cup of coffee.

3. Send something to one person who can hire you or buy your product–something you promised to follow-up with, a quick email with a link to something relevant or a “Hey, just checking in to see how thing are going” email.

4. Touch base with an old friend or associate you haven’t talked to in ages. Ask how they are, what are they working on and ask or suggest how you might help. You’ll make their day.

5. Write a handwritten note to someone. Seriously, it is a lost art and makes quite an impression. There is always someone you can send a thank you note to–or you aren’t doing things correctly. A simple yet highly effective list. Try all five every weekday for a month. Then, tell me I’m right. If I’m wrong, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee. When you finally wake up …

I love this list, and am trying my best to incorporate it.

It all makes sense.

It’s all practical and attainable.

Tell me how you do. I’ll do the same.