What’ New with us:   

Guess what, we were even warmer than Miami , FL this past week! It sure is great when the sun is out, brightens everyone’s day and attitude!  

Business Architects has a couple of pages up on the web page, go to www.itstartswithyou.org to take a look. More is on its way, just takes time to get it going.  

We’ll be finishing up with a couple of our sales programs this month, participants are showing a great deal of results. It has been 4 months of sessions, practice and coaching with some very fine people. Congratulations to those completing the training.    

We have been video taping a great deal this past month and have some really good video that will eventually make it to our web sites. More as soon as it is on the site.     

A note to those involved in our programs: If you have a question on content, application or better understanding something, email me! Its part of your program! 

Selling Skills for the Month:  

Last month we talked about the 5 levels of questioning and that as professional sales people we need to master more of the 3,4,5 level type of questions. It is interesting watching sales people in our training evolve from the basics to a mastering level.  

When we can ask the broader questions we get a significantly different block of information. Much of this information gives us far more insight into the motives, values, fears, needs and wants of the prospect. When we have this information we can better fashion our service and product to fit their needs.  

A benefit of using the broader level 4-5 questions is that we can always go to the narrower focused questions to clarify the information. The problem with starting at the narrow questions is the number of questions you need to ask to get the same information, if you even get that information!  

Let’s take someone selling new home construction. If you have ever built a home you know first hand the challenges it creates for sales people. If you go to most home builders they will ask questions such as; “How big a house do you need? What type of wood work do you want?” or to that effect. These are level 1-3 questions and get us some specific information. Do the answers provide us any idea of their values, needs, decision making or fears?  

Let’s now take a look at a level 4-5 approach. Let’s ask; “Tell me about your family and your life style?” “Why is it that you chose that location?” The answers to these questions give you a much greater insight into the customer’s real needs and wants. The information can direct you more quickly to what will work best for them. It also helps the customer visualize their situation more clearly.  

Very interestingly, customers who are approached and interviewed this way have fewer if any objections, need less product information, have a higher trust level with the sales person and make quicker decisions! The sales people actually spend less time with this approach and end up with higher margins and happier customers!  Suppose it’s worth a try? 

Management Skills for the Month:  

As a Coach with a plan in place, we can now focus on what we need to coach. Here is where a good understanding of the sales process our people are using and the results expected come in.  

Let’s say a sales person does a great job of getting into potential new accounts, but never seems to “close” on the business. We of course want to reinforce their ability to get in, but what about this “closing” issue?  

Many times I have seen the Manager harp on closing techniques and getting more guts to ask for the order. Is this the real cause of the poor performance? If the Manager has a good understanding of the “selling process” being used, they would understand that it is probably not the closing that is the issue.  

What about the interviewing skills? What about the fact finding skills? Is the sales person finding needs and motives or just pushing product? If any of these are the real issue, all the closing techniques will not improve it.  

Through questioning the sales person, going on calls with them and reviewing sales calls, the manager can determine the real cause of the poor performance. Then a plan of action can be put in place to help develop those weak areas and push the sales person to a new level.  

The key is having both the Manager and Sales person understanding the same process and how to make it work. Too many times Managers seem to be activity oriented rather than results oriented.  

Food for the Attitude:  

I find in thinking about our self- perception, self-confidence and the difference between them, many people get confused or say they are the same thing. I beg to differ.  

An example might be a secretary and an executive. The secretary has a self-perception that she is and can only be a secretary. She does not see herself as a supervisor, manager and certainly not an executive. Her self-perception puts a ceiling on her vision of who she is.  

Now the executive sees himself as an executive and has taken steps to attain that level. He can move on to CEO if he truly can see himself as one.  

So, does this make the Executive a better person than the Secretary? No, it simply states this is how each person sees and limits themselves.  

Does this also mean the Executive has more Self-Confidence? No it does not. The Secretary does a great job, makes decisions quickly, is a great consensus builder with in the office, is very comfortable in all her duties and people respect her. She is very self-confident.  

The Executive is always procrastinating on decisions, is uncomfortable with the CEO around, seems preoccupied, has to demand cooperation and is not highly regarded by his peers or subordinates. He lacks self-confidence in himself and his abilities.  

Now the Secretary may actually have more self-confidence and even more skills than the executive and be capable of doing a better job than the Executive. But as long as she sees herself as a Secretary only, nothing will change.  

The Executive will continue to find ways to compensate, cover-up or hid his lack of self-confidence and skills so he can be the CEO. He is driven by his Self-Perception. This is how the “Peter Principle” often times occurs.  

Peter Principle: “A person will tend to rise to the highest level of their incompetence and stay there!”  

Interesting Info for You:  

In Kevin Hogan’s last “Coffee with Kevin”, he noted several experiments dealing with choice. Doctors were given information on a patient and asked to choose between two diagnoses. It was split 50/50. When a third choice, of more tests, was added, 50% chose more test and the first two split 25/25. When a grocery store offered 200 samples of cheese, very few customers stopped, but when offered half a dozen options to try, customers bought cheese. Countless examples show that the more options you offer the more customers resist making a choice and if offered an option to get out, it is taken. Limit the number of choices you give a customer or individual and you will get a better and quicker decision. Choice overload simple drives people away.  

Till next month, You make it a great day!!! 

Harlan Goerger