NZ Sales Manager Issue 41

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NZ’s e-mag for sales leaders ARE YOU ONE OF THIS WEEK’S WINNERS? SEE INSIDE! NZ SALES JUNE 30 TH 2010 / ISSUE 41 HOW TO REVIVE PROSPECTS when they disappear into black holes A LITTLE AMERICAN GOES A LONG WAY Renowned international sales leader Jack Daly on his upcoming visit to NZ ARE YOU ASSERTIVE ENOUGH? I’M NOT HERE TO SELL YOU ANYTHING!

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Short and sharp, NZ Sales Manager is New Zealand's free e-magazine for sales professionals.It delivers thought provoking articles from some of New Zealand's leading sales experts, along with interviews, info and ideas to help thousands of motivated sales managers, business owners and sales professionals increase sales throughout the country. Subscribe at our subscription page and get a new issue of NZ Sales Manager emailed to you every four weeks - for free!

Transcript of NZ Sales Manager Issue 41

NZ’s e-mag for sales leaders

Are you oNe of this week’s wiNNers? see iNsiDe!

NZSALESJUNE 30th 2010 / IssUE 41

how to revive prospects when they disappear into black holes

A little AmericAN goes A loNg wAyrenowned international sales leader Jack Daly on his upcoming visit to NZ

Are you Assertive eNough?

i’m Not here to sell you ANythiNg!

JUNE 30th / IssUE 41

this week's must reAD

how to revive prospects

who DisAppeAr

Getting out of the black hole

A little AmericAN goes A

loNg wAy

Raising the Bar – a tool for

salespeople

NZsm cAleNDAr

resource corNer

sNAp selliNg

speed up sales And win more

Business with today's frazzled

customers

sAles trAiNiNg Directory

two miNute top-up

Are you Assertive eNough?

What is it costing you?

Quick fix

It’s not what you sell, it’s how

you sell.

the close

8

4

8

12

14

15

16

18

19

4Are you oNe of

this week's wiNNers? see iNsiDe!

“We make the call…

you make the sale”

www.ibexmarketing.co.nz

Call Murray Beer on 021 279 2783 or email [email protected] today!

Generating consistent and qualified appointments can be a mundane and time consuming process...

Let the experienced professionals at Ibex Marketing set them for you so you can spend more time meeting with

prospects and helping them solve their problems!

16

3 / APR 7th 2010 / NZsM

ABOUt /

short and sharp, New Zealand

sales Manager is a free e-magazine

delivering thought provoking and

enlightening articles, and industry

news and information to forward-

thinking sales managers, business

owners and sales professionals.

EDItOR / Paul Newsom

ARt DIRECtOR / Jodi Olsson

GROUP EDItOR / trudi Caffell

CONtENt ENQUIRIEs /

Phone Paul on 04 586 4733 or email

[email protected]

ADVERtIsING ENQUIRIEs /

Phone Richard on 09 523 4112 or

email [email protected]

ADDREss / NZ sales Manager, C/-

Espire Media, PO Box 137162, Parnell,

Auckland 1151, New Zealand

WEBsItE / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

I read an interesting statistic today from a McKinsey

survey which found that the most destructive selling

activity, as determined by customers in the Us and

Europe, is too much contact, either in person, by phone or

by email. Now while the report does not quantify ‘too much

contact’, the amount of contact we have with prospects and customers is

clearly something we need to get right. however, if we focus on the quality

of the contact, the quantity will become less of an issue. In our lead article

today, Jill Konrath gives some great advice on ways to contact a prospect

who has gone quiet on you. take note - the best piece of advice from Jill is to

make each connection valuable – to the prospect.

In our article, A Little American Goes A Long Way, Jack Daly comments that

Kiwis are ‘backwards about coming forwards’ and that we need to be more

assertive. I agree. I find that we don’t like to be sold to in a pushy way, and

therefore, we don’t want to be perceived as a ‘pushy’ salesperson.

Read sally Mabelle’s excellent article on assertiveness too – and challenge

yourself on whether you are sufficiently assertive at the critical moments.

NZ sales Manager has one ticket to see Jack Daly worth $795 +Gst to give

away to a lucky NZsM reader, courtesy of Results.com. Look inside on page 11

for details of how to enter.

happy selling!

Paul

“We make the call…

you make the sale”

www.ibexmarketing.co.nz

Call Murray Beer on 021 279 2783 or email [email protected] today!

Generating consistent and qualified appointments can be a mundane and time consuming process...

Let the experienced professionals at Ibex Marketing set them for you so you can spend more time meeting with

prospects and helping them solve their problems!

NZ Sales Manager is a GREEN MAG, created and distributed without the use of paper so it's environmentally friendly. Please think before you print. Thank you!

NZsM / JUNE 30h 2010 / 4

t h I s W E E K ’ s M U s t R E A D

have you ever had hot prospects who suddenly

stopped returning your call? then you know how

disconcerting it can be - especially when they'd

expressed so much interest in your product or service only

days before.

At first, you assume their lack of responsiveness is an isolated

situation that will quickly self-correct. But after repeated failed

attempts to connect, you start to question your own sanity.

You could have sworn they were interested, but their current

behaviour indicates otherwise. And, not wanting to appear

too desperate or to come across as a real pest, you're

stymied in terms of what your next steps should be.

why they Disappeared As a seller, it's always important to analyze what may

be causing this behaviour before taking action. In my

experience, these are the typical reasons why prospects

disappear into "the Black hole."

They're totally swamped. Without a doubt, this is the

most common. In virtually every company today, people

have way too much to do and not nearly enough time to get

it all done. they fully intend to continue the conversation,

but not right now.

Priorities changed. this can happen overnight. Changing

market conditions, bad 3rd quarter results, and new

Jill konrath, author of selling to Big companies and snap selling, helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and win big contracts. visit Jills’ website at www.sellingtoBigcompanies.com

getting out of the black hole By Jill Konrath

how to revive prospects who Disappear

5 / JUNE 30th 2010 / NZsM

leadership are just a few of the possible root causes. But

when this happens, it's darn near impossible to regain your

momentum in the short term.

Lack of urgency. sometimes sellers confuse a prospect's

interest level with a desire to take action today. As such, they

share all the glorious details about their offering instead of

building a business case for immediate change.

Column fodder. Occasionally prospects just need

comparative bids/pricing to justify their decision to go with

another company.

They know everything. When prospects feel they have all

the information they need, there's literally no reason to talk

with you any further.

Different reasons call for different actions. some you

can prevent by doing things differently in your customer

interactions. Always be open to this possibility since

prevention is your best cure. Others you have no control over.

In any case, you need answers! Is it "yeah" or "nay"? Are they

still interested or not? Should you keep pursing them or find

new prospects?

NZsM / JUNE 30th 2010 / 6

what you can Do When you don't know what's behind their silence, figuring

out how to respond can be a dilemma - especially since you

don't want to be a pest. here are some strategies you can use

in dealing with "the Black hole":

Just keep trying. Realize that prospects expect you to carry

the "keep in touch" burden - so do it. It can often take 8-10

contacts before you actually reach them again. Don't panic.

this is normal in today's business environment.

Make each connection valuable. Don't just say, "hi Eric.

Just getting back to you as I promised about your xxx decision.

If you have any questions, give me a call. Instead, you might

say, "Eric, Based on our conversation last week, I know how

important it is to you to shorten your sales cycle. there's a white

paper on our website that addresses this issue. I'll be sending

you a link via email shortly." have a sense of humour. After 4-5

contacts, leave a funny message such as, "Eric. I know you're

swamped. But I also know that shortening your sales cycle is

important to you. that's why I keep bugging you. I'm looking

forward to FINALLY reconnecting."

Leverage a variety of mediums. Mix up phone calls with

emails, mailings, invitations to upcoming events, sending

articles, etc. to position your self as a resource, makes sure each

connection educates, informs or adds insights.

Create multiple entry points. Never let one person

be your total gateway to a company. Identify and nurture

multiple relationships concurrently. When appropriate,

reference others you're talking to in your messages/emails.

Re-evaluate your initial connection. how could you

increase their urgency? Determine if you're just column

fodder? Or, tie your offering more into their business

priorities? In way too many cases, sellers have done a

product/service dump when talking to prospects. Instead

you need to focus on critical business outcomes and the

difference you can make.

Plan your next step now. Never leave a meeting without

a homework assignment (for you and/customer) and a firm

follow-up appointment scheduledw. If they're unwilling to

do this, it's an indicator that something may not be quite

right - which should prompt you to explore their need and

urgency in greater depth.

Let them off the hook. send an email stating that you

thought they were interested, but perhaps you misjudged

the situation since you haven't heard back from them in

the last 6 weeks. Believe it or not, this strategy often gets a

response & an explanation from a prospect who is feeling

guilty about not reconnecting.

Reduce your contact frequency. If, after ten touches,

you still haven't heard, start contacting them less often. A

quarterly schedule might be more appropriate. Or, you might

want to keep on top of what's happening in the account and

reconnect at a more appropriate time.

By leveraging one or more of these strategies, you'll often

be able to re-engage a prospect who has disappeared into

"the Black hole." Not always, but often. And, if you've

continually provided value and focused on the impact your

offering makes, they'll likely be ready to implement your

solution yesterday.

By leveraging one or more of these strategies,

you'll often be able to re-engage a prospect who has disappeared into the Black hole.

MID STRENGTHFULL FLAVOURFULL LIFE

NZsM / JUNE 30h 2010 / 8

raising the Bar – a tool for salespeople

A little American goes a long way

top international sales leader Jack Daly returns to New

Zealand in July with some advice for overly modest

businesspeople, and some tips on how to achieve

sales excellence.

though New Zealand is awash with American cultural

influences, and our spending and viewing habits indicate

we adore McDonald’s, Nike and MtV in equal measure, in

many respects the business culture of the Us could not be

more starkly different to our own.

It’s something top international sales leader Jack Daly

noticed when he visited New Zealand to lead a sales

event last year for business execution firm Results.com. As

he anticipates another visit in July, to present a telecom-

sponsored seminar and workshop on winning sales strategies

for Results.com, he has timely pointers for business owners

and employees who are focused on selling.

“simply put, in the Us people know how to blow their own

horn. If they’ve got something they think is special, they talk

about it. But in New Zealand, possibly due to the tall-poppy

syndrome, businesspeople are backwards about coming

forwards. In my view, when you have a product or service of

value, be assertive about it. tell people!”

Having spent considerable time in Canada before first

coming to New Zealand, Jack says he saw the distinctions

between the two North American business cultures

amplified here. “New Zealanders are the nicest people

you could run into, but you could benefit from being more

forthcoming about your products and services. I think if

your company is representing something that has value to

the market, it’s in everyone’s interest for you to be more

9 / JUNE 30th 2010 / NZsM

proactive about talking about the benefits.”

he points to examples of American businesses which

are skilled at talking themselves up, including Apple and

Dominos Pizza. “they are very different, but they both

have excellent communication in common, both inside

and outside the company. they tell people, in a variety of

ways and in detail, what they can do for them. And there

is no tall-poppy syndrome, because they will live or die by

whether they can deliver what they promise – that’s how

the market works.”

raising the bar – a tool for salespeopleJack designed a tool called ‘Raise the Bar’ to enable people

to easily test their ‘sales superstar potential’.

Raise the Bar posits that a professional salesperson should

always be stretching towards further improvement. Because

even the consummate sales professional needs to continually

improve to stay at the top of their game, this exercise should

be used as a catalyst to reinvent themselves, their business

and their practice.

It invites you to determine where you stand in relation to the

super star salesperson by taking the following quiz. Grade

yourself on each category/activity, based on the following:

3 = I’m doing this now, consistently.

2 = I’m doing this now, occasionally. 1 = I don’t do this now, but am willing to start. 0 = I’m not interested in doing this.

As you work through the quiz, look to identify how and

where you can take your business actions and performance

to an even higher level.

NZsM / JUNE 30th 2010 / 10

In New Zealand, possibly due to the

tall-poppy syndrome, businesspeople are

backwards about coming forwards.

GOALshave a written one-year plan• have a tracking and reporting system to monitor • performance to planIncorporate life goals beyond pure business goals• Know the daily/weekly/monthly actions necessary to • reach key objectivesstart off each day with a detailed to-do list• Follow a disciplined time-management system• have the necessary patience, realizing superstar • results come from a process, not an event

MARKEtINGtry new and innovative marketing ideas• Understand and implement an effective ‘perception of • value’ campaignhave an ongoing ‘touch system’ to stay visibly in front • of your marketEvaluate your competition to gain and implement • new, winning ideasspend at least 50 percent of your time each week • talking with prospects, customers and clientsseek out and develop niche markets to expand your • marketing and business reach

BUsINEss DEVELOPMENtApproach new markets and new business • sources regularlyIdentify a ‘Prospect Basket’ of candidates to do new • business with, and weekly pursue a specific quantity, including a proactive follow-upPractice ‘Model the Masters’, by brainstorming • with other superstar sales professionals in your businessBe actively involved in both trade associations and • community groups to ensure visibility

CUstOMERs FOR LIFECalculate the lifetime value of your customers• Be selective about who you work with, and manage • your time accordinglyMaintain a database of standard form letters for typical • customer contact pointsProvide value-added suggestions, ideas and tools to • help your database be more successful and enhance your relationships

REFERRAL BUsINEssCreate the ‘great first impression’. Make it easy for • first-time customers to be enthusiastic about referring business opportunities to youhave a formal plan and process for asking for referrals • at different stages where appropriate

Refer business to your clients whenever possible•

11 / JUNE 30th 2010 / NZsM

ENtREPRENEUR BEhAVIOUR

treat your book of business as if it were a business•

Invest in your business and marketing efforts, don’t •

wait for the company to do so

stay focused on business-creating activities•

seek out a mentor to help you reach the next level•

Master your key products and services•

Attend industry conferences and seminars, and •

maintain a regular industry reading programme

CULtURE FOR sUCCEss

Align yourself with top professionals and a company •

with a solid reputation

Maintain ongoing recognition systems for 1) prospects, •

customers, clients, 2) fellow sales associates, and 3)

sales support team

Focus on key revenue-generating activities, delegating •

as much admin activity as possible to support staff

Leverage the company resources as further support to •

your business

Maintain a practice of ‘under-promise and over-•

deliver’ in daily business activities

scoriNg

Add up points for your total.

If you scored 85-105, congratulations on your superstar

performance and direction. Ensure you review this

key activity indicator and work on your areas where

improvement is indicated.

A score of 60-85 suggests an acceptable direction

towards sales professionalism; however, there remain a

good number of areas for improvement and opportunity.

Pick two or three specific activities to focus on for

improvement. Once implemented, return to this indicator

and choose additional areas to work on.

A score below 60 is a wake-up call, and suggests

the need for an overall review and reworking of your

activities and commitment to excellence in the sales

profession. Use this quiz as your starting point, and begin

to implement more of the activities that are reflective of

those recognized as superstars in the selling profession.

Jack Daly Workshop & Seminar Competition!

NZ Sales Manager has one ticket to see Jack Daly on 30 July 2010, worth $795+gst to give away to one lucky NZ Sales Manager subscriber, thanks to Results.com.

To enter the draw just send an email to [email protected] before 5pm Friday 9 July along with your name and contact details. Winner will be notified by email.

Jack Daly will appear at the Winning sales strategies event, sponsored by telecom, on 30 July at the Ellerslie

Racecourse Events Centre in Auckland. It is a combined seminar and workshop from 8am to 5pm showing you

how to create and manage winning sales strategies. Auckland Mayor John Banks will deliver a keynote speech to

open the afternoon session. tickets are available from www.results.com/jackdaly

NZsM CALENDAR2 JulyOvercoming Objections - ClosingAuckland/DINANMItEwww.dinanmite.com/event-registration

7 JulyBusiness to Business sales skillsAuckland/Zealmark group ltdwww.zealmarkgroup.co.nz/profile_Business_to_Business.php

sales Dynamics Auckland/sales stArsalesstar.trainingplatform.co.nz/courses/9-sales-dynamics

8 Julysales Mindset & MotivationAuckland/sales stARwww.salesstar.trainingplatform.co.nz/courses/7-sales-mindset-motivation

12 JulyBetter Business By PhoneDunedin/sales stARwww.salesstar.trainingplatform.co.nz/courses/34-better-business-by-phoneworkshop

13 JulyConsultative selling Auckland/sales stARwww.salesstar.trainingplatform.co.nz/courses/5-consultative-selling

Better Business By PhoneInvercargill/sales stARwww.salesstar.trainingplatform.co.nz/courses/34-better-business-by-phoneworkshop

15 - 16 JulyEssential sales Fundamentals Auckland/NZIM Northernwww.nzimnorthern.co.nz/wa.asp?idwebpage=16885&idDetails=118

16 July sales Preperation-Reaching Decision makersAuckland/DINANMItEwww.dinanmite.com/event-registration

17 Julythe success Attitude Auckland /Attitude specialist. www.attitudespecialist.co.nz/workshops.htm

20 Julythe success Attitude New Plymouth /Attitude specialist. www.attitudespecialist.co.nz/workshops.htm

22 July Business to Business sales skillsAuckland/Zealmark Group Ltdwww.zealmarkgroup.co.nz/profile_Business_to_Business.php

the success Attitude Whanganui/Attitude specialist. www.attitudespecialist.co.nz/workshops.htm

27 JulyNegotiating skills (Day 1)Auckland/scotworkwww.scotwork.co.nz/How+Youll+Benefit.html

28 JulyNegotiating skills (Day 2)Auckland/scotworkwww.scotwork.co.nz/How+Youll+Benefit.htm

29 July Negotiating skills (Day 3)Auckland/scotworkwww.scotwork.co.nz/How+Youll+Benefit.html

30 JulyPitching -QualifyingAuckland/DINANMItEwww.dinanmite.com/event-registration

3 Augustsales Mindset & MotivationAuckland/sales stARwww.salesstar.trainingplatform.co.nz/courses/7-sales-mindset-motivation

4 Augustsales Dynamics Auckland/sales stArwww.salesstar.trainingplatform.co.nz/courses/9-sales-dynamics

6 AugustBusiness to Business sales skillsAuckland/Zealmark Group Ltdwww.zealmarkgroup.co.nz/profile_Business_to_Business.php

10 AugustNegotiating skills (Day 1)Wellington/scotworkwww.scotwork.co.nz/How+Youll+Benefit.html

Consultative selling Auckland/sales stARwww.salesstar.trainingplatform.co.nz/courses/5-consultative-selling

11 August Negotiating skills (Day 2)Wellington/scotworkwww.scotwork.co.nz/How+Youll+Benefit.html

12 AugustNegotiating skills (Day 3)Wellington/scotworkwww.scotwork.co.nz/How+Youll+Benefit.html

Overcoming Objections - ClosingAuckland/DINANMItEwww.dinanmite.com/event-registration

JULY - AUGUst 2010

NZsM / JUNE 9h 2010 / 14

R E s O U R C E C O R N E R

snap selling: speed up sales And win more Businesswith today's frazzled customers

Author: Jill konrathpublisher: penguin group$29.97 from Fishpond.co.nz

Internationally recognized sales strategist Jill Konrath

shows sellers how to get more appointments, speed up

decisions, and win sales with these short-fused, frazzled

prospects.

they'll discover how to leverage the sNAP rules to:

- Keep it simple throughout the entire process

- Be invaluable to gain (or keep) a competitive edge

- Always align to

ensure relevance

with a prospect's

objective

- Elevate priorities to keep the momentum going.

sNAP selling is an easy-to-read, easy-to-use guide for

today's increasingly frenzied environment.

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NZsM / JUNE 30h 2010 / 16

how confident are you being direct and open with

your prospects, customers, and sales team? Do you

avoid telling your team and your customers things

that they might not like to hear? have you ever considered

your lack of assertiveness might be a life or death matter?

Assertiveness is a critical skill in sales. It is crucial to your

success, both at work and at home.

Do any of the following scenarios sound familiar?

It’s time to ask for the order but you waffle because you

are afraid the customer will say ‘no’. how much business

does this cost you?

Your top sales person has some offensive habits - you

don’t say anything because you’re afraid he might leave,

rather than being assertive and talking through the issue.

You have a gut feeling that something is going wrong

with a big deal but never quite get round to telling your

manager and hope it will come right. You lose the deal

and your manager is furious - what is the cost?

What is the cost of not speaking up?

For me, one non-assertive incident cost me $80,000. Not a

life-threatening situation, but I still could have avoided it had

I been more assertive.

In 1991, my husband and I had sold our home in Colorado,

and we were looking for ways to invest the profit.

We were approached by a financial ‘advisor’, who

introduced us to a man who wanted to borrow $80,000

to invest in his fast food business. the return on our

investment was to be 15% interest, and he would start

to pay us back within a couple of months. the deal was

supposedly secure, but when I met the fast food restaurant

owner, my intuition said that something was ‘off’. I didn’t

speak up because I felt pressured from my husband and

financial advisor to sign the loan papers.

Long story short, we never got any of the $80,000 or the

interest and learned an expensive and painful lesson. since

then, I have committed to being more assertive when I sense

something is ‘off’, even if it is uncomfortable, awkward, and

inconvenient for me.

sometimes not speaking up can mean the difference

between life and death.

Are you assertive enough?what is it costing you?By sally Mabelle

sally Mabelle is a specialist in 'the voice of leadership', and a professional speaker. For more information see www sallymabelle.com .

t W O M I N U t E t O P U P

17 / JUNE 30th 2010 / NZsM

Let’s look at the example of the three plane crash incidents

cited by Malcolm Gladwell in his book, “Outliers: the

story of success”.

Gladwell cites three extreme examples of how failure to

communicate assertively cost hundreds of people their

lives. Although you are a sales manager and not a pilot or

co-pilots as in the following examples, you’ll understand

the point that it is critical for you to pay more attention to

the clarity and directness of your communication.

the plane crashes involved three airlines: Air Florida,

Korean Air, and Avianca Airlines (from Colombia). All

three of these tragedies could have been prevented had

the co-pilot dared to speak up more assertively with the

Captain and/or the Air Traffic Controller. In all three

incidents, the co-pilot only hinted that there was a major

problem, hoping that the Captain would understand what

he meant. the bottom line is that the crashes were due

largely to someone’s hesitancy to speak up.

Jeffrey s. Nielsen, former executive consultant for Fortune

100 companies, highlights in his book, ‘the Myth of

Leadership', research demonstrating people’s tendency to

'soften the truth' when delivering unpleasant news to anyone

they perceive as a 'superior'.

Let’s look at an actual dialogue of one of the crashes.

In 1982, Air Florida, crashed into an icy river right

outside Washington, DC shortly after take-off. the co-

pilot tried three times to tell the captain that the plane

had a dangerous amount of ice on the wings, but he only

spoke in 'hints', not direct statements. take a look at the

dialogue captured from the 'black box' which is the voice

recording device recovered from the debris of the plane

after it had crashed into the river.

Co-pilot: "Look how the ice is just hanging on his, ah, back...

back there, see that?"

No response from the Captain. then, a bit later:

Co-pilot: "See all those icicles on the back there and

everything?"

Again no response. then:

Co-pilot: "Boy, this is a, this is a losing battle here on trying

to de-ice those things, it gives you a false feeling of security,

that’s all that does."

At last, when they get 'clearance for takeoff', the co-pilot

magnifies his communication from a 'hint' to a 'suggestion'.

Co-pilot: "Let’s check those wing tops again, since we’ve

been sitting here awhile."

Captain: (seemingly ignoring the co-pilot)

"I think we get to go here in a minute."

The final words of the co-pilot...just before the plane plunges

into the Potomac River, is not a hint, not a suggestion, and

not a command...it’s a simple fact...and this time the captain

acknowledges him.

Copilot: 'Larry, we’re going down, Larry.'

Captain: 'I know it."

thankfully, in the past 15 years, commercial airlines have

taken non-assertiveness seriously and instituted new training

programs specifically designed to teach co-pilots to speak

up and challenge a pilot when they think something is

dangerous. they are required to seize control of the plane if

the Captain ignores them.

Airlines now typically split the flying duties equally

between the captain and co-pilot. Research has shown

that crashes are far more likely when the captain is in the

'flying seat'. Planes are safer when the less experienced

pilot is flying, because it means the second pilot isn’t

going to be afraid to speak up!

so, how does this scenario relate to you, your life, and

your work?

Are you happy with your current level of assertiveness? If

not, what will you do to improve it? If you ARE happy with

how assertive are you, are you confident that those who

work with you will speak up if there is a crucial situation that

needs strong action?

If not, what can you do to support them?

I wish you renewed courage and commitment to

communicate clearly and assertively. this one skill could

make a dramatic difference in your life and work.

How confident are you being direct and open with your prospects, customers, and sales team?

NZsM / JUNE 30th 2010 / 18

Q U I C K F I X

“i’m Not here to sell you ANythiNg”.

If you use this line in front of your clients, in the hope that

they will think that you are not selling something, and

therefore can trust you, then stop right now.

sales people meet with clients for some reason connected

with selling. If you are not there for that reason, then you

must be there for social reasons or to waste their time.

trying to position yourself as trustworthy by saying that you

are ‘not here to sell you anything’ will have the opposite

affect on most clients. The mere fact you find it necessary

to say anything in this respect, will raise the suspicion of

your customer, and alert their defence system to a state of

preparedness in case you are there to ‘sell something.’

the fastest way to build trust is through your questions and

listening, not by claiming that you don’t actually do what

you are there to do.

it's not what you sell, it's how you sell

Quick fix

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(without giving your winning secrets away!) then email the editor at pauln@

nzsalesmanager.co.nz. You will be in to win a high-powered laser pointer

pen, courtesy of the great guys at Brand storming Promotions.

19 / JUNE 30th 2010 / NZsM

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- Dale Carnegie

“ “It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.