http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/realestate/22cov.html?_r=1&hp

How does this apply to your sales presentation? For years at Levitin Group, and now ePercipio, we’ve been talking about the importance of Third Level, or emotional, selling. While people will always buy on emotion and justify with logic, some new emotional motivators may include being responsible and not throwing away their hard earned money. In your presentation, continue to discuss the emotional benefits of family closeness and legacy but remember to tone down the “bling” of ownership with the prestige of a responsible and even frugal choice to purchase your program.

A few months ago, I decided to stop dipping my toe into the social media waters and dove in head-first. At first, I was nervous that my social media friends would consist entirely of former neighbors bragging about their rhubarb pie recipes and people I’d met once or twice and soon forgot.

My biggest concern was that I didn’t have the time. How could I keep up with Facebook when I’m still trying to get through all the emails, phone calls and appointments in a day? But I was tired of being called old fashioned by my employees and clients. They wanted to communicate with me their way.

So I tried it, and I was hooked.

I quickly got back in touch with clients, colleagues and people that really mattered to me.

The place where I share pictures with my family and friends is the same place where serious communication and a new level of engagement are happening.  What would take weeks to accomplish at a conference is taking place every day I login to Facebook.  From conversation threads that begin with a status update, to other “wall” postings and content streams, I am now able to better understand where my friends, clients and potential customers are headed and what’s important to them (I love reading about my friends’ political passions and that George, once an OPC, is now running a resort in Thailand).

One thing I’ve learned over the past year is that a lot of us are still a bit uncomfortable engaging in an “open” environment such as Facebook.
What I’ve heard from many is that you believe there’s value in Facebook-like communication with your peers, but in order to have frank and open conversations, a more private space is required.  In addition to privacy and security, I’ve also heard that you want consolidation; of our content and that which we gather and make available to you.  You don’t want to go to one site for a blog, another site for a podcast and another to stay in touch.

So I’m very pleased to announce the trial launch of Levitin Group’s “Executive Update” – a private, subscription-based information stream for our industry. The Executive Update will focus on a particular theme each month and be delivered to subscribers via email at no cost.  My goal is to deliver timely and relevant content that will enhance the effectiveness of your sales and marketing efforts, and to initiate private, professional dialogue about the challenges and opportunities we face every day. My audience will be CEO’s, VP’s, Managing Directors and others whose influence is shaping our industry today.

Over the next day or so I’ll be sending invitations to participate in the Executive Update series. Please RSVP right away to ensure your place in this forum.  If you haven’t received my invitation by the end of this week and feel as though I’ve forgotten to include you, please send me an email. If you have questions or feedback about this, please let me know by email or leave a comment right here on the blog.

Shari

What the manager didn’t understand is that most people don’t learn by listening, they learn by seeing and doing; particularly salespeople, who tend to be more
visual and kinesthetic learners. The best way to internalize an idea or a technique is by rolling up our sleeves and practicing, practicing, practicing. As adults this is the way we learn.

For a great article on improving memory, go to:
http://helpguide.org/life/improving_memory.htm

The same is true in the sales process. Our customers learn about our program, and become comfortable with it, by seeing and doing. Too many salespeople rattle off facts and attempt to educate their customers without visually and actively involving them.
Rather than telling your customer a piece of information, encourage them to participate more. Have them flip through the exchange directory to find their next vacation destination. If you have touch-screen technology, encourage them to do the touching!

Here’s something else you may want to remember: Anything that can be told, can be asked. I’ve always felt that people believe it better when they say it, than when we say it.
For example, by telling your couple that vacationing helps keep romance in the relationship you may get them to agree.

But if you ask them about the benefits of a vacation, just the two of them in a beautiful tropical location, you will probably see them get emotionally involved and give you the answer you were looking for.And for the sales manager above: Ask, don’t tell! Instead of lecturing on the proper steps of the sale, or the best way to turn the table, ask your team what they think. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the answers.

So rather than having me share more about this with you, what do you think?

What else can be asked rather than told? Please share your thoughts.

But here’s a tougher question for you: do your guests have an entertaining experience during the buying process? Too many salespeople tell their guests how much fun they’ll have owning a product, yet their sales presentations are dull, drab and repetitive. To be effective, your sales process must match the customer’s end use experience.

Today, entertainment is key to holding our guests’ attention, creating emotion and compelling them to take action. So how do we accomplish this? Start by taking a fresh look at your sales presentation and look at what you’re wearing, what food you’re serving, what music is playing and how much both you and your guests are laughing.

But don’t take my word for it; walk into an Apple store or read the article below on how one company is making the buying process of eyewear an engaging event:

Eyewear, With a Bit of Disney and a Touch of Apple (New York Times)

Go beyond telling your guests how great it’s going to be. Let them experience it from the moment they walk onto your property. When they feel it, they’ll take action. When you explain it, they’ll give it some serious thought.

I was buying a New York Times at the airport yesterday and the cashier asked, “Would you like a kindle with your purchase today?” “A Kindle?” I asked. “Do you mean a Two Hundred something Dollar kindle?” “What an upsell!” I replied, “Does any one take you up on that?”

“Oh, about one out of fifty,” she said, “but I’ve sold ten since I started!”

That reminded me that if we don’t ask we don’t get. I remember reading a report last year that showed that less than 50% of all salespeople ever asked for the order, let alone a proportionately large order. So why is that? Asking for the sale takes courage and the ability to handle rejection. But, after all, courage is a fundamental trait of all great salespeople.

My mentor once told me, “The question you’re afraid to ask is always the question you must ask.” Levitin Group Sr. Trainer and Consultant, Terry Ferara adds, “No doesn’t get any no-er than no. You can either hear no now or at the end of your presentation.” Better now while you still have time to overcome the objection.

I always make it a habit to ask the customer to buy early and often. A simple, “Do you want one yet?” goes a long way. If they say no, simply ask why; and if they say yes, well, we know the rest.

Pose the difficult questions. Simply ask, “Would you like a beachfront villa with that Pepsi!?”

Wow, what’s become of rapport building in our culture? Or should I say “rap in our cult?”

I believe we’ve gotten pretty lax in building relationships with our co-workers and customers. Lets start with our customers. The best salespeople I’ve ever met build deep, meaningful relationships; the sale is really an afterthought. To work on your rapport -building skills, try these simple steps:

1. Find something to like about them.
2. Find a commonality in values, not just things.
3. When they answer a question about something personal and important, ask two or three follow up questions.
4. Have good eye contact. Don’t think about other things while they’re talking.
5. Remember important details that they discussed and bring them up again in your conversation before they do.

As for co-workers: get to know the names of their children; find out what’s important to them; ask what they did over the weekend. Everyone needs a best friend at work.

Perhaps future generations will simply create a numbering system to shorten personal contact:

• 2 for “How’s your family?”
• 6 might be “Read any good books lately?”
• And 32 could be “I really like you, want to have dinner some night? “

I prefer to catch myself when I get too busy and impersonal. After all, nothing really meaningful ever gets accomplished without someone to do it with.

The yogis, the artists, the athletic types, the young, the old, many living in fancy homes, others sharing apartments, were all laughing loudly, dancing, singing, bantering and generally having a marvelous time.

It occurred to me that only when we surround ourselves with dissimilar people and opinions can we truly learn something new. There’s a tendency to gather information and friends that support and validate our own beliefs. It’s only when we make ourselves think through something new and in opposition to our world view that we can have those “aha moments” and break through to a new level of achievement. As John F. Kennedy said, “Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

At Levitin Group and ePercpio, we believe in the concept of “Many to Many” when it comes to training and management. We learn best through many different opinions. That’s why our platform includes a social networking component and the ability to instantly upload a thought, training video or success story.

This week, go out of your way to discuss things with people that you have nothing in common with; ask them to tell you more. Find out what the most successful salesperson in your company does to prepare for his or her day. Ask the manager you admire the most to share his or her beliefs outside the office.

In today’s world we needn’t take our chances to find the perfect crowd mixture at a holiday party, we can create our own diversity, and claim our own “aha moments.” To do this, we must get out of our comfort zone. After all, isn’t that what we ask our customers do to every day?

This got me thinking about how this concept is true in our own lives. The harder we have to work for something, the greater we will be rewarded in the end.

In sales, we encounter many difficult situations that, when conquered, make us stronger and give us more character. The top three that come to mind are:

1.We don’t feel well and we have a whole day of sales presentations ahead of us.
2.We have what may be considered as a difficult client (an engineer for example, or an unqualified prospect.)
3.We get a stream of objections from the beginning of the presentation.

The key to our success is to develop strategies and techniques to push through anyway. So let’s discuss them one by one.

We don’t feel well: My mentor once told me, “Anyone can sell when the conditions are perfect; it’s the superstar that can do it when they’re not.” You’ve got to be there for 90 minutes anyway so treat every customer as though they were your last customer. Do not take short cuts.

Difficult Client: Most salespeople find analytical prospects challenging. We need to learn how to speak their language. With this customer, use more facts and make sure to offer them “baby” negatives so they’ll trust you. Tell them what the product won’t do so they’ll believe what it will do.

Objections: I’m sure you’ve heard the adage, “no questions, no objections, no sale.” Welcome the objections but, most importantly, do not let them get to you. Encourage the customer to tell you more. Agree with them, tell them it may not work for them but they’re sure to have a good time. Make certain your tonality is easygoing and non-combative. Then after your Discovery build the emotion, isolate the objections and overcome them one by one.

Welcome the difficult situations. There’s no question, “that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger,” (Friedrich Nietzsche) and that “we acquire the strength we have overcome,” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). This doesn’t mean I’m advocating that you intentionally create or stay in an adverse situation to grow stronger. That’s called masochism.

Grapes don’t choose the soil in which they grow. You, on the other hand, will bear more fruit by choosing your surroundings wisely and digging deeper when you’re not in fertile ground.

This got me thinking: how often do we hear the word “no” and simply give up? Does no really mean no? Great salespeople realize that the word “no” simply means, “I need more information before I say yes.” To move your customer from no to yes, consider the following:
Don’t react immediately. It will make you seem defensive. Listen intently, not only to your customer’s words, but to the emotion behind the words.

Don’t react negatively with your body language or tonality. Show empathy in your expression. If you don’t completely understand why they said “no,” ask them to share more, or even expand on their opinion.

Say things like, “I understand. I can see where you’re coming from.” Only when we validate someone’s feelings first can we change them.
Offer an alternative solution that hadn’t previously been discussed. Perhaps you have different financing available, or a more suitable package.

Offer new information that they’ve not yet heard. It’s always a good idea to withhold one or two product benefits, then offer them once you encounter resistance.

When successful salespeople hear the word “no” they simply realize they have more work to do. What’s tougher is when we start telling ourselves no. No, I can’t work out any longer… No, I’ll never hit bonus… No, I can concentrate any harder, can’t listen to this person and so on.

Every weightlifter knows that when you can barely do another rep, it’s the last repetition that makes you stronger. To live more fully, and get through life’s many obstacles, we must go to our edge and give ourselves a final push. This week, remember that “no” simply means, “maybe yes!”

Our instructor, David, says it’s because we get lazy with our bodies and we have certain tendencies that we need to overcome. We have the tendency to slouch our shoulders, to relax our muscular energy, and to collapse our heart. We must actively concentrate on behaviors that will overcome these tendencies to perfect all of our postures.

Salespeople, too, have unconstructive tendencies. When we’re not concentrating on certain positive behaviors, we default into behaviors that prohibit us from getting a sale.
Here’s a list of some of this tendencies. Please contribute to this list with your own observations:

1. We prejudge our customers. We look for reasons they won’t buy, not for reasons they will.
2. We talk more than we listen. We need to instead listen so hard that it hurts.
3. We get defensive when we hear an objection. We must allow the customer to fully share their concerns before attempting to reconcile them.
4. When we hear an objection, we isolate it right away rather than isolating it and assessing if it’s real.
5. We talk about how our product works instead of sharing the emotional benefits of owning it? What tendencies can you think of that, if overcome, would increase your performance?