So, a few months ago, I received some negative feedback from one of my seminars.  Here's what they said, "We sent two people to the seminar, but their feedback was that the training was on high pressure tactics that support a stay in the home style sales".  I should also mention that when they said, "stay in the home style of sales", they referenced one of the industry's top contractors, suggesting my training speaks to the way that contractor sells.  Now at first, I took this as a compliment because the contactor mentioned is a powerhouse, world-class sales organization whose annual revenue is north of $100M.  I mean if sales training is designed to teach salespeople how to sell, I was pumped to have anyone suggest my training was aligned with that type of a company.

But let's be honest, this email wasn't meant to be a compliment, and it shines a bright light on the sales mindset that gets in the way of sales success.  In the seminar, I spent the first six hours talking about building an emotional connection, asking engaging questions that help shape the company story, getting the prospect involved in the design of their project by giving them options and using financing to help the prospect find an affordable price.  Six hours spent on "building value" and these salespeople complained about the last hour where we talked about "asking for the sale" and "overcoming the objections". 

It's my assertion these two salespeople have a negative image of sales and suffer from the head trash that gets in the way of sales success.  They think selling is a dirty word, and they're not in the right head space to close deals.  These are the people who will show up and small talk their way into what they think is a relationship with the prospect.  They'll be very quick to offer a price and won't spend any time going over the company information they provide in their folder.  They think they're making the process simple for the prospect.  They think they're there to provide a quick price, answer questions, and then wait for the prospect to jump into the shopping chart.  I can absolutely guarantee you they will NOT ask for the sale and if they do, they won't make any attempt to respond to any of the objections they hear.  Heck, that's what "typical salespeople" do, and they don't want to be that type of salesperson.  I can tell what these salespeople will do – and they'll be very good at it.  They'll give away free upgrades because they think it's going to help the relationship, and they'll be extremely passionate about getting the company's approval to offer a discount.  Remember, they think selling is dirty, so they're going to do everything they can to distance themselves from that perception in the eyes of their prospect.  If they give the prospect free stuff and get them a "good deal," they believe the prospect will see them as not being a salesperson.

But here's my question:  why can't we be both?  I mean, why can't we be a good person AND a salesperson at the same time? It's obvious my seminar failed to illustrate how the process and strategy is designed to do both – and that's something I need to work on.  I need to find a way to better balance the goal of helping the prospect make the best decision and the steps we should take to get them to see us as the best decision to the point where they're eager to sign the agreement. 

Now look, as much as it may seem like I'm hammering these two salespeople – and maybe I am a little – I do think there's a silver lining.  It's obvious that these salespeople have strong values, and they're not willing to compromise those values for the benefit of closing the deal, and that is a very good thing.  When compared with the many sleazy, commission-breath peddlers who will lie, cheat, and steal to close the deal, I would much rather have these two people on my team, and you would too – trust me.

But these salespeople must change their mindset and develop a more complete understanding of their price and what they are responsible for and accountable to.  The business exists for one reason and one reason only, to make a profit.  The proposal price is a function of what the company needs to cover its expenses and deliver the profit needed to survive and grow.  This is rule #1.  The price is the price – and there's a very good reason why it's as high as it is and why it can't be lowered.  Rule #2 is that salespeople aren't paid to build friendships.  They aren't paid to offer discounts or free upgrades.  They are paid to sell the value of the company in a way that protects the company's profit and motivates the prospect to act.  Now, I can appreciate how some of you might think that last sentence is me encouraging you to be pushy – but that is you making excuses to deny your personal accountability.  To put this in the proper perspective, I did not say it's the salesperson's job to cajole the prospect into action and to not take no for an answer.  I said it's the salesperson's job to sell the value of the company and motivate the prospect to want to work with you.  There is a huge difference because the value we describe in that definition is deeply rooted in the need for us to help the customer. 

Look, my ability to increase the prospect's perceived value of doing business with me is based largely on using the sales discussion to match who we are and what we do to what the prospect wants and needs from the project.  If the prosect tells me they want to choose a reputable contractor who stands behind their work, I can ask questions to develop a better understanding of their concerns and then use the company story to show them how we're uniquely positioned to provide the experience they're looking for.  That is NOT me being pushy, and – as long as it's 100% true – I'm doing nothing more than focusing on the wants and needs of my prospect, which is exactly what selling is supposed to be.

When I teach the sales process, I heavily stress the need to secure four commitments from the prospect.  This are not designed to manipulate.  They are designed as a check and balance to ensure the salesperson has done his or her job and is positioning themselves as the contractor of choice for the project. 

The first commitment is the Need Commitment.  Does the customer recognize they have a problem and are they committed to solving it?  We use the inspection to get a sense from the prospect on how important they think it is for them to replace the roof.  It's 100% about them, and it also tells the salesperson if it's ok for them to move forward.  I mean, if the prospect feels strongly that they don't need to replace their roof, then it doesn't make much sense for the salesperson to move on to the next stage, does it?  They say, "No…we don't think we need to do this," and we respond by telling them why we're the best choice for the project?  That is pushy and that is NOT anything I would ever encourage anyone to do. 

The second commitment is the Company Commitment.  Now that they've told you they want to fix their problem, we would ask them questions to better understand their wants, needs, fears, and concerns.  You're asking questions not to be manipulative but to make sure you have a solid understanding of their perceptions and what they expect from their contractor.  You're taking an interest in them, which helps you further develop your relationship and allows you to show them during your company story presentation, why they should consider you for the project.  Again, this is 100% about them.  It's about their wants and needs.  It's about you addressing their fears and concerns which increases the perceived value of doing business with you and makes you worth more than the other people they may be meeting with.  Asking for the company commitment is a checkpoint to make sure the prospect is comfortable with the idea of working with you.  Again, if they say they're not comfortable working with you, you have no right to move forward.  If they don't like your company, you'd be going against your values to try and sell them anyway. 

The third commitment is a commitment to your product.  After they tell you they want to do the work and believe you're a good choice to do it, the training teaches you to build out the roof with them, educating them on the different options and empowering them to make the product choices that meets their project reality.  There is nothing manipulative about this.  Heck, I even used the words "empower them," which is me telling you to give them control over the products and accessories that will go into their roofing project.  How can it be manipulative for me to give the prospect the power of choice?  After we build the roof on paper, we ask them if they're happy with the products being use and all their choices they made.  If they say anything other than yes, you would be well advised to not move forward.  Imagine the prospect saying, "I really don't like the products," and we say, "OK.,..great…let me get this priced up for you and we'll get started."  It just doesn't work, right? 

I'm really hoping you can see how the sales process I teach is focused on you helping the prospect get what they want and how it also helps the salesperson know if they're meeting the prospect's needs and able to move through the process. 

At this point, I really need to ask, if you have any resistance to anything I've said so far, is it because of "high pressure" or is it "head trash"?     

I said there are four commitments and want to recap where we are in the process before I tell you about the fourth.  At this point in the process, the prospect has told us they want to do their work, they believe your company is a good choice, and they really like the products and the roof they designed.  At this point, it should only come down to the money and that brings us to the fourth (price) commitment.  Does the customer understand the full nature and scope of the offer?  Do they understand what it's going to cost, how those monies are paid, and do they think it's affordable?  And to be clear, the price commitment avails itself when the prospect signs the agreement.

Now, thinking back to my critics, I'm now at the point in the training where we talk about asking for the sale and I'm thinking this is the point where I lost them.  And as much as I don't think I'm ever encouraging anyone to be pushy, it's been my experience that some people start getting very uncomfortable when we talk about the need to ask for the sale, and they get even more uncomfortable when I talk about answering objections.  Remember, these are people who think selling is dirty.  They have a negative image of selling and they want to do everything they can to distance themselves from that image.  In their mind, sleazy, pushy salespeople ask for the sale and then try to overcome the objections and they don't want to be seen as a sleazy, pushy salespeople, so they don't do any of it.

If I want to help you get comfortable asking for the order, we must tap into the emotional side of your brain, not the rational. We must come to terms with "Why" you should ask for the sale in the first place and the reasons you're uncomfortable asking.  I guarantee you your failure to ask has more to do with your beliefs and values and has nothing to do with your capability.  Asking for the sale is the easiest part - clearing out their head trash is much more difficult. 

 Remember, the company exists to make a profit, and salespeople are paid to sell the value of the company in a way that protects the company's profit and motivates the prospect to act. 

If you're concerned about "head trash", email me and I'll send you a copy of my self-evaluation worksheet.  This is a two-page tool I created to help you come to terms and develop a plan to work past the different beliefs that get in the way of you asking for the sale.  Email me:  JDeRosa@SRSDistribution.com