Read this waiver before continuing

[WARNING: I am very likely to rant during some of these ridiculously BAD examples of poor technique and laziness. If you are ok with that then you’ll enjoy the article. If you’re not ok with it and think I might offend you then please read no further. Gary]

I’m Going Head to Head With Traditional Sales Trainers!

This week I’m going to go head to head with traditional sales trainers, sales methodology and those strategies that businesses employ that simply DON’T work!

For years now I’ve been invited in to work with teams of direct sales and telephone based sales professionals. Each and every time I deliver a training course or a development seminar I have to start by ‘UNDOING’ a lot of taught habits and techniques that are utterly ruining their chances of success.

Where Has This Information Come From?

When working with Boards of Directors, I first ask them some very probing questions about their teams performance figures and why they believe those figures are not where they ought to be. I also will get to hear from the very people your teams are contacting as to what annoys them most about other companies sales people and telemarketing staff.

This week I thought I’d share some of these annoyances with you, because I am convinced that just reading this one article and then listening to your staff, you will instantly identify why they don’t always get the sales orders they deserve or that you expect.

BAD TECHNIQUE No 1: A Reason To Simply Hang Up

What gives away that you are just a cold caller to your prospects and tells them that they should simply ‘hang up’ before bothering to listen to what you or your team have to say?

• Prospect: “Good morning Gary May speaking.”
• Telemarketer/salesperson: “Oh good morning, it that Gary?”
• Prospect: “Not interested............”

[KEY POINT: If someone answers by name then ‘DON’T ASK THEM IF IT IS THEM YOU ARE SPEAKING TO!!!!]

Why would ANYONE want to listen to you if you didn’t even listen to their opening greeting? Stop it and stop it NOW because it’s just poor poor poor technique and laziness. Just repeat their name as part of your opening. "Good morning Gary......."

BAD TECHNIQUE No 2: ‘Like YOU Care!’

This for me is the very worst that traditional sales training has to offer. Not only does it cost you the order or appointment but it identifies you as ‘One of those annoying cold callers’.

• Prospect: “Good morning Gary May speaking.”
• Telemarketer/Salesperson: “Oh good morning Gary, it’s Sarah here calling from ABC company. How are you today?”
• Prospect: “Not interested.................”

Unquestionably, this is just a salesperson building rapport right?

Wrong!

This is someone who couldn’t give a flying monkey about how the prospect is feeling and because of that will ALWAYS come across as disingenuous and mark you out as a cold caller.

Let’s have a look at the type of responses you will hear when asking someone how they are today.

• Yeah fine / Not Bad

[Isn’t this what you said to all your colleagues this morning when asked about your weekend even though you argued with your partner, had a shocking meal, the kids played you up and your best laid plans for a good weekend went out of the window? It’s just a generic, unconsidered and often deceitful response.]

Question: Are you now in rapport with the prospect?

• Very busy at the moment

[Excellent, you’ve just cost yourself the appointment because the prospect has just informed you that they aren’t going to listen to you anyway. But Wait... You’re just about to tell them that it isn’t going to take long and you’ll keep it brief, right? If you’re product or service is worth anything to the prospect then how can you explain and do it justice it in such a short time?]

All you are going to get is... Send me something, call me back (get off the phone) or not interested

Question: Are you now in rapport with the prospect?

• Having an absolute nightmare!

[I don’t have to explain this one... The deal/order or appointment is pretty much dead.]

Question: Are you now in rapport with the prospect?

[KEY POINT: The problem is that by asking the question of ‘How are you today?’ It will uncover and encourage responses that are really not helpful to you promoting you company, service or product to the prospect. Not only that but do you think a prospect understands that if they say this then you get off the phone? Of course they do]

BAD TECHNIQUE 3: The Parrot Approach

Naturally, as part of many sales presentations, especially done over the telephone, you will have to qualify the prospect.

This usually involves asking the prospect some questions to establish whether they are suitable for your product or services. Unfortunately, this bad technique is easily identifiable when written down yet 90% plus of sales people will be doing it as part of every single presentation or call.

• Telemarketer/Salesperson: “Gary, how many staff members do you have there?”
• Prospect: “I believe we have about 29 in total.”
• Telemarketer/Salesperson: “Ok, so that’s 29.”
• Telemarketer/Salesperson: “So how long has the company been establish now then?”
• Prospect: “Ah, about 16 years now.”
• Telemarketer/Salesperson: “Ok, established 16 years, that’s fine.”

Did you spot it?

Let me place this in a social context so that you can see/hear just how utterly ridiculous is it....

• You: “What time are we going out on Friday night?”
• Friend: “I think about 7:30.”
• You: “Ok, about 7:30.”
• You: “How are we getting there?”
• Friend: “I’ve booked us a taxi.”
• You: “Ok, so you’ve booked a taxi.”
• You: “Where are we going for something to eat?”
• Friend: “Well, we were thinking about the Souk restaurant”
• You: “Ok, the Souk”

Can you now see how utterly ridiculous REPEATING THE PROSPECTS ANSWERS back to them sounds?

I call this ‘The Parrot Approach’ not because I thought of it but because this is how a Managing Director of a telecoms company referred to it when I was working with his board of directors.

Traditionally, you’d have been taught to confirm the answers back to the prospect so that they know you are listening and have the correct information, however, it’s totally and utterly wrong and is costing you and your team the credibility you deserve.

Whenever I am training my lead generation team to qualify a prospect they are told to:

1. Ask the question
2. Write down ALL the answers to the prospects questions
3. Do a final recap by relaying what you have written down back to the prospect

[KEY POINT: By doing a recap you are simply ‘checking’ you have all the correct information BEFORE you make a considered choice as to whether that prospect qualifies for your company’s products and services and NOT being an annoying Parrot repeating everything they say.]

SUMMERY:

I know I am going aganist tradition here but then again... someone has too because these techniques and habits have come from sales training of over 40 years ago. What other department in any business can still rely on technology of 40 years ago and expect the same level of results.

Please bear in mind that often no matter what response they give you, it is a response that they have learned through being called 1000’s of times and which they know will get you off the phone or out of the door.

Unforunately these are not the only instances of BAD TECHNIQUE that are costing you and your team every day.

[KEY POINT : Prospects ARE Professional Non Buyers... They Know How To Stop You From Selling To Them!]

Feel free to email me directly here with your comments or requests.

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