Nothing happens until somebody sells something. To make sales happen, IMMS.com Key Sales Consultant Randy Schwantz has created a comprehensive series of 43 Producer Success Lessons. Used singly or in combination, these powerful tools can help your producers build their skills - and grow their sales.
I remember the time I first understood the concept of a system. It was mid-May, and my dad was planting cotton on our farm. I asked him why we planted cotton in late April. Dad told me that way, the cotton would have the summer to grow and be ready for picking in October or November.
I had a brilliant idea: Why not plant the cotton in March, or even February? Then it would be ready in July, and we could beat everyone else to market. I excitedly explained this to Dad, who listened patiently, then gave me my first lesson in farming.
'Son, everything has a time. You have to plant when it's time, water and weed when it's time, and harvest when it's time,' he said. 'You can't rush the first step, or you'll be planting in the wrong season, and your seeds will die. For the same reason, you can't forget to water and weed, or your plants will die. And you have to pick cotton at the right time, or it falls off the plant and is useless. So we don't fight the natural cycle of planting and picking - we learn to understand it and work with it. The best farmers are the ones who know the system, then take care to perform each step well.'
Years later, I found that this held true for selling as well. All you have to do is understand the system, be careful to cover each step, and harvest at the right time. If you can do that, almost everything else takes care of itself.
A SYSTEM That Works
There are a lot of ways to organize your business. We suggest this system for one simple reason: it works. Try it for the next month. Or don't. But as Zig Ziglar says, 'If you keep doin' what you've been doin', you're going to keep gettin' what you've been gettin'.' Are you completely satisfied with your results?
The system has five steps:
- Qualify for pain.
- Qualify for money.
- Qualify for decision-making ability.
- Obtain a verbal contract.
- Present.
QUALIFY FOR Pain
Previously I talked about finding pain. I'll also go into it in more depth in lesson 23. The easiest way to uncover pain is to tell stories, ask questions, then clarify the answers. Here's an example:
The Story
Salesperson: I had a neighbor with a trampoline in his backyard. One of the kids from down the street came over for a quick jump, fell off, and broke his arm. His dad was an attorney, and he sued my neighbor. It cost the guy about $20,000. I noticed you have a trampoline.
The Questions
Of course, you've got that six-foot fence, and kids can't climb them, can they?
Executive: Shoot, my kids don't even slow down when they come to one of those. Do you think that's a problem?
Clarification
Salesperson: What do you mean by problem?
Executive: Well, I'm afraid that stupid trampoline could cost me a lot of money.
Salesperson: Well, get rid of it. The kids wouldn't miss it that much, would they?
Executive: No way - my kids would kill me.
Salesperson: Hmm, could be a problem. So what would you like to happen?'
Executive: Does my Homeowner's insurance cover me if somebody gets hurt on it?
You take it from here. The pain you uncover at this stage is the basis for the sale. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: No pain, no sale.
Qualify for Money
You might get all the way to the commitment stage with some prospects, only to find that they can't afford your solution. Ouch. You've wasted your time and theirs. So make sure the solution is something the prospect can afford.
One reason most salespeople don't qualify upfront is that they're operating from the belief that prospects are scarce. So when they finally find one who wants to hear a presentation, they jump right in without qualifying for pain, money, or decision-making ability. Actually, there are thousands and thousands of prospects, so don't waste time on people who can't afford your product.
Qualify for decision-making ability
Making a presentation to someone who can't make the buying decision is a waste of time. The next critical step is to qualify for decision-making ability. These questions adequately cover this:
- What's the decision-making process here?
- Who's involved?
- When do you think you'll be able to make a decision?
The answers to the first two questions tell you who to present to. The answer to the last question tells you how urgently to find a solution to the problem. Sometimes people aren't comfortable with giving this information, so it helps to confirm what they say.
Salesperson: What's the decision-making process here?
Executive: Well, I just look it over and decide.
Salesperson: So the board and the CEO don't need to get involved?
Executive: Oh, no.
OBTAIN A VERBAL CONTRACT
The verbal contract is a very important phase of the selling process. Assume you've qualified your prospect for money (there's plenty) and decision-making ability (they have it). Here's how you ask for the verbal contract:
Salesperson: I'd like to show you a solution to your problem. I think it's a good one. So I'm going to ask you for something. If what you see solves your problem, just say yes to my proposal, and we'll get started right away. If, on the other hand, what I show you doesn't solve your problem, just say no. Please, whatever you do, don't say 'I'll think it over.' Is that fair enough?
Prospect: Yes, it is.
You have a verbal contract. The prospect has pledged not to drag the sale out; you'll get a simple yes or no. The prospect might not know it, but you've just closed the sale.
Present
You've uncovered pain. You know this person has both the money and the authority to make the buying decision. And you've obtained a verbal contract that your presentation will end with yes or no. Now you're ready to present your solution.
Has your doctor ever prescribed medication you didn't need? Of course not. No good doctor would examine a patient, uncover a problem, then prescribe three or four different medicines just to prove they know a lot about pharmacology. Did your doctor ever give you an anatomy lesson before treating your problem? How about a discourse on the ways your various systems would interact with the prescribed medication? Not very often. That's how doctors maintain their professional image: They uncover the pain, ask questions to determine possible causes, then prescribe a solution.
Remember this analogy when you reach the presentation stage. The client isn't interested in how much you know. The only relevant thing is how your knowledge can solve their problem. You learned the problem in the first step, so prescribe the ideal solution. Period.
The Thermometer
One of the unusual things about this course is that it doesn't go into '50 Ways to Close.' During the presentation stage, you'll use the 'thermometer technique' - you'll ask a number of times for input on how you're doing.
Use the thermometer technique to gauge how well you're meeting the client's criteria for a successful presentation. You have a verbal contract, so all you have to do is meet the client's needs exactly, and you have a sale. So during the presentation, ask, 'How am I doing? On a scale of one to 10, with 10 meaning I get the business, where am I?' Most prospects will tell you you're about a seven. So go ahead and ask what else you have to do to get a 10. Surprise! The prospect will tell you exactly what to do!
Occasionally a prospect will say you're about a three. That means your presentation is off. Stop, go back to step one, and dig for more pain. If you aren't getting sevens and eights, you're not presenting what the client needs to give you the business.
Can closing really be this easy? Of course! There's no rule that prohibits asking for a progress report during your presentation. And you'll find that presenting exactly what the client wants will almost always lead to the sale, as long as you've qualified properly.
EXERCISE
For your next five sales calls, resolve to do three things:
- Practice looking and listening for pain. Don't stop at intellectual hurt. Ask yourself how not having enough coverage would impact your client emotionally, physically, and financially.
- Qualify for decision-making ability before presenting.
- Obtain a verbal contract before presenting.
After each call, do a post-sale analysis. How successful was each call ? Did you find pain? What was it? What were the implications of the pain? Do you know how much the prospect would spend to solve that problem?