The Ruby Group, LLC ______________________________________________________________________________ 2012 Sandler Training Resources E-Book Table of Contents: 1. Sales Tips ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4 i. You Can’t Solve Problems With Instant Coffee ii. What Lies Ahead In 2012? 2. Sales Tactics …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 7 i. Setting Goals - Identify Unproductive Behavior ii. Setting Goals - Let Go of Unproductive Behavior iii. Closing - Get Out of the Way of the Sale iv. Prospecting: Define Prospecting-Then Do It! v. Rapport - Don't You Hear Me? vi. Closing - Don't Dribble. Go for it! vii. Rapport - See the Prospect's Picture viii. Prospecting - Help Me Out, I'm Lost ix. Rapport - Hear the Prospect’s Music x. Self-Awareness - Drive a Stick Shift xi. Rapport - Feel the Prospect's Emotion xii. Rapport - Buyers Buy From Themselves xiii. Rapport - Buyers Buy From Themselves (Part 2) xiv. Setting Goals: Laziness and Idiocy Don't Work xv. Self-Awareness - Failure Works xvi. Rapport - Get Rapport Today xvii. Rapport - Respect the Prospect's World xviii. Closing - Know How to Take the Money xix. Setting Goals - Be on Goal Time, Not Clock Time xx. Buyer's Perspective - Create the Buying Environment xxi. Buyer's Perspective - Pop into Their Future xxii. Prospecting - No Pound of Flesh xxiii. Self-Awareness - Never Manage Your Numbers; Manage Your Behavior (Part 1) xxiv. Self-Awareness - Never Manage Your Numbers; Manage Your Behavior (Part 2) xxv. Up-Front Contract - Can We Agree to Ask Questions? xxvi. Buyer's Perspective - Listen to Me, Please! xxvii. Prospecting - Adapt or Go Out of Business. xxviii. Prospecting - Move On With Them xxix. Prospecting - Work the Referral Factory xxx. Setting Goals - Selling or Waiting to Sell? xxxi. Time and Delayed Decisions - Keep Thinking. It will Go Away. xxxii. Prospecting - You Start xxxiii. Up-Front Contract - Why Did You Circle YES? xxxiv. Rapport - Don't be a Hero in a Goup. Ever. xxxv. Setting Goals - Where's the Finish Line? 2 xxxvi. Rapport - Are you saying... ? xxxvii. Rapport - Always. Never. Everyone. xxxviii. Rapport - Never Ask Why. Always Ask What. xxxix. Time & Planning - We Love a Good Fire. xl. Prospecting - It's Not the Good Old Days Anymore. xli. Prospecting - Let Your Prospects Do 70% of the Talking. xlii. Rapport - You Don't Know Me, Do You Want to? xliii. Self-Awareness - Act, Don't React. xliv. Follow up - Does This Make Sense to You? xlv. Prospecting - We Did That... Once. xlvi. Goals - Every Day Should Not Be New. xlvii. Goals - Reachable and Believable Goals. xlviii. Presentations - Only Give a Presentation to Confirm an Order. xlix. Rapport - Don't Lead Them into a Swamp. l. Follow up - Know Who Your Clients Are. li. Rapport - Is There a Problem? Did We Fix It? lii. Self-Awareness - Know What You Changed. 3 1. YOU CAN'T SOLVE PROBLEMS WITH INSTANT COFFEE If you're old enough, you may remember a time when the only thing "instant" was instant coffee - magic crystals that, when mixed with hot water, turned into actual coffee. Today, however, almost everything is "instant." There are 24-hour news channels so we don't have to wait until tomorrow or the evening news broadcast for the details of today's events. A political protest, earthquake, armed conflict, volcanic eruption, or major sporting event can occur almost anywhere in the world, and thanks to satellite communications, in an instant, the rest of the world not only knows about it, but people are watching streaming video of the event as it unfolds. The moment a head of state, politician, or celebrity says or does something noteworthy (or more often, not so noteworthy), it's instantly recorded, reported, and repeated in the media. We are living in an age that caters to instant gratification...where "fast" is often not fast enough. So what does the need for instant gratification have to do with solving problems? Because of our "instant" programming, we expect instant solutions to problems. And that expectation often causes us to too quickly analyze problems and too quickly come up with solutions. Instant analysis; instant solutions; yield instant results. But, the results don't last, and the problems, or variations of them, resurface. Why? In the rush to solve problems, the "real" problems are not identified. Instead, the analyses and solutions are focused primarily on the "observed" problems - which are only manifestations of the real problems. Consequently, solutions are aimed at the "effect" rather than at the "cause." And, when causal relationships are not fully explored, or perhaps ignored, the resulting solutions (like instant coffee that is only vaguely related to "real" brewed coffee) are only vaguely related to the "real" problems, and their outcomes are temporary, at best. Learn to look at problems as the "effect" - the outcome of a system, process, or other chain of events. Then, before looking for solutions, identify what precipitated the outcome - which link in the chain may have given way. Finding the weak link will start you on a path toward a real solution. Once you've identified the weak link, you must determine what caused it to be weak. Was it weak to begin with, or did something happen to weaken it? Then, when you've determined the underlying cause for the weakness...look for its underlying cause. You may have to dig down a few layers to uncover the root cause. Only then can you begin to develop a lasting solution for the "real" problem. 4 It will take more than an instant to fully analyze problems. You must be willing to invest the time and look below the surface for the real causes for the weak links. It will take longer, but the resulting solutions will last longer. 2. WHAT LIES AHEAD IN 2012? With a new year just over the horizon, it's time to take stock of where you are. Without question, 2011 has been a rocky year for many businesses. Some thrived; others barely survived. Regardless of how your company fared, the question is the same: What are you going to do in 2012? Will you thrive...or merely survive? While the state of the economy will have some influence on the answer to that question, your attitude and actions will have the greatest impact. What it all boils down to is this: you can sit around and wait for things to get better...or you can take action and make things better. If you choose the latter option, here are five things you can do to bolster your success. Think Big No one knows how quickly or to what degree the economy will recover. But, one thing is known - there are still opportunities to do business. There are still people who need what you (and your competitors) have to sell. The only question is, "Who is going to get to them first?" Will it be you...or your competitor? Don't limit your thinking - and your planning - to what you believe the market can support. Instead, develop BIG goals and a big plan. The "pie" may be smaller than it was a few years ago, but the only one who can stop your from getting a bigger piece of it (at your competitor's expense) is YOU. Even if you aim high and miss the mark (pardon the multiple metaphors), you're still better off than if you aim low and hit it. Plan Your Attack Whom will you pursue? What are the characteristics of your ideal prospects? Do they look like your existing clients? Or, do changing market conditions and demands or new market expansion initiatives require you to paint a new picture? And, what about your existing clients? Will it be business as usual? Or, will you have to make adjustments to the products and services you provide, or the manner in which you provide them, in order to address new challenges and goals...and keep those clients happy? Anticipate changing needs and "test the waters" with your clients now. It's better to be a little early than to be too late. Develop a Compelling Message When you implement your big plan, you'll be interacting with people who may not be familiar with your company. To get their attention, stimulate their interest, and avoid falling prey to the "just send me some information" trap, you'll need a compelling "marketing" message that will quickly convey the 5 relevance of your product or service. The message should focus on the challenges the prospects are likely facing - challenges for which your product or service provides a solution, and around which you can craft a 30-second commercial. A process engineer, for example, might highlight his firm's ability to "quickly identify and rectify manufacturing bottlenecks that decrease production line output and diminish profits." Increase Your Visibility Prospects can't do business with you if they don't know who you are or where to find you. You need to "get in front of them" - in person or via telephone - and then follow up on a regular basis with mail or e- mail. They may not need your product or service right now, but when they do, it's the "top-of-mind awareness" you create that will increase the likelihood that the order goes to you rather than one of your competitors who just happened to show up on their doorstep for the first time the previous day. The same strategy holds true for existing customers as well. Keep in touch on a regular basis - not to solicit an order, but to offer assistance or advice...or just to say "Hello." Being available for your customers when business is thriving is expected. Being available when business isn't thriving (theirs or yours) is the mark of a professional.