Incremental Steps

Incremental steps; they can help you and they can hurt you.

Improvement normally comes in incremental steps that occasionally, when critical mass is achieved, leverage into a quantum leap forward. This might be called the ‘sales tipping point’.

But what happens inversely? What happens when you find yourself in a spot that you'd rather not be: Poor health, lack of professional growth, strained relationships, didn't get the sale etc. Keep in mind that you probably didn't get there overnight. There wasn't one defining moment or decision that brought you to that space in time when you stop and ask, "How did I get here"?

You arrive at these moments one step, one decision, one failed question at a time. When in selling, you get to the point when you hear ‘no’. It isn't just because you had a poor solution; it wasn't just the presentation; it wasn't just the pricing; and it certainly wasn’t that the incumbent had a better relationship, because that is always the case. Not getting the sale is a result of incremental decisions made and not made. It is a result of questions asked and un-asked. It is a series of opportunities not taken and challenges not made that lead to a point where the opportunity ends abruptly without a sale being made. In sales, as in life, it is a series of decisions made that lead you to your ultimate income, and those decisions either lift you up or bring you down. Ultimately, you decide.

Mistakes in closing

When we hear no from a prospect there is always a reason. The usual response from a sales person when when asked why a sales isn't made sales people will usually start the response with 'they'. And that is the second mistake.
The first mistake as to why an opportunity didn't turn into a sale was made by the sales person. There are only three reasons to not get the business: The product was wrong, the pricing or structure was wrong or the person involved was the wrong person. As a sales person, take ownership of what the original mistake was - you didn't find out what it was going to take to make the prospect a client: product, pricing or person.
Do this and eliminate the second mistake of blaming the prospect.

Foggy Days

Back in the east coast where I was raised we have an expresion about the fog. "It's as thick as Pea Soup." It's that kind of day here in Cincinnati. Perfect for the message I want to send this morning as you go about starting your 'sales' week.

Be clear, no more foggy days.

What I mean is that as you approach each of your sales calls this week make sure that you are crystal clear as to what the objective of each call is, how you will accomplish that objective, what questions you need to ask, what questions your prospect or client might ask and make sure that you anticipate what might come out of the fog at you so that you are prepared.

Too often sales people prepare for their calls on the drive to the meeting or in the parking lot. That's kind of like slowing slowing down after you've already started to leave the road because you couldn't see far enough ahead in the fog.

Too late.

Give yourself pleanty of time to prepare. Know in advance that there will be curves. Be precise in your despcription of what needs to be accomplished in your meeting. Make sure that when you ask questions you ask the quesiton and shut up so that the listener is clear on what you are asking versus trying to figure out which question to answer.

Lastly be clear as to what is supposed to happen next. It's better to know that there is a stop sign ahead in stead of 'thinking' there might be one.

Sales Training and Development

Very few people we get a chance to get in front of for training are excited about being there the first time. By the second session, there begins a process of acceptance and, by our third visit, we normally have 90% of the room fully engaged and wanting more.

This says a great deal about the participant, as well as our approach to training and development. My focus today is on you, the participant, and how to get the most out of any training that you participate in either voluntarily, or as a sponsored program from your employer.


1. Remember that whatever you are ready for is ready for you. As an example: If you are ready to learn how to upgrade your prospect and client list, then the information is available to teach you to do that.
2. Not everything in a training session or program is going to connect with everyone in the room. That is an impossible objective, so go into the meeting looking for ‘one’ thing to take with you. There is always at least one thing.
3. Open your parachute. We tell our new clients that 'the mind is like a parachute, it only works when it is open.' Keep an open mind as you will surely hear something that is new and different.
4. Get involved in the session. It is easy to hide in a session and just wait for time to pass. It is uncomfortable to participate, to role play, and to ask those questions that you think might be stupid or challenging. The more you put into a session the more you will get out.
5. Implement something. I heard Tony Robbins say years ago that knowledge is not power, but knowledge in action is power. Take something that you’ve learned and put it to action. Commit to doing something different, new, and uncomfortable, even though you might fail; then try it again.

At Anthony Cole Training Group we love training and coaching. We love it when someone tells us in subsequent meetings that they ‘tried something and it worked.' Often they don’t believe it will and so they’ve learned. What may be just as important is trying something new and it doesn’t work. That is learning to take risk and growing, which is a valuable lesson in training and development.

Finally, make sure that outside of any training program you participate in, engage in reading. I remember Mark Victor Hansen quoting Charlie Jones: “Except for the people you meet, the books you read and the audio material you listen to you will be exactly the same person 3 years from now that you are today.”

Not a good place to be is it?

You sell how you buy

When you think of buying what is most the most important contributing factor? Convenience, price, value added, features and benefits, expertise of the sales person? I could add a few and work to find the item that is in your mind but then
I'd defeat the purpose of todays post.

You see the point is this. That what ever contributing factor you have in your buying process you probably 'impose' on your buyer. In other words you sell to your comfort zone.

Stop doing that and start finding out how the prospect buys.

Ask why the prospect is taking time out of their busy schedule to visit with someone that does what you do. Ask to what degree do they think that their current method of doing business contributes to their problem or current dissastifaction.
Ask how long the problem has existed. Ask what happens if they don't fix the problem. Ask how the current provider reacted when they (the prospect) told them (the current provider) that they were un-happy and 'shopping'. Ask how they go about making decisions like this when a change is required. Ask what objections do they have to making a decision once you've demonstrated a solution to a problem and demonstrated your competency to become their new partner.

Out of all those questions the one in bold is the one that is key to help you find out the buying process of the buyer. Then you can develop your strategy to successfully make them a new client.

Too much information

Sales people historically talk too much on sales calls. No matter how much training they recieve, how much the role play eventually most sales people end up showing up and throwing up. There was a time when telling the prospect how wonderful the prouct was wasn't such a deal killer. That was before the era of the microchip and the internet. Now your prospect may actually know more about your company and it's products and services then you do.

How often are your repeating information about the product and services that your company offers? What do you mean Tony? What I mean is that the buying process over the last 25 years has changed dramatically. The information that you once held as leverage to generate interest is now published in the trillions of data in the internet. The buyers buying process has changed as a result of this easy access to information. Not only do they know about your company but they also know more about the competition. Unless you've done your homework then you are at a significant disadvantage. In addition you are probably starting out your initial interview in the wrong step or phase of the buyers buy cycle.

Starting today you MUST begin your meeting with the intent of finding out why you are even there. In the early stages of the buying / selling process your potential buyer is in one of three phases: 1)Gathering information to decide if they have a problem. 2) Have decided that they have a problem and gathering information on solutions. 3) Have decided that they have a problem, they want to fix the problem, have researced you and competitors and now they are narrowing the selection pool.

Your job is to find out where they are in their process and then address the issues they have not those that you think they have.

The mighty fall

During my most recent trip I happen to be in NYC when a well known governor falls from grace. This same governor has built a reputation on integrity and responsibility to his constituency. He climbed the ladder of political success on the backs and reputations of many. Many of them good solid people that had their lives ruined as a result of the zealousness of this one man to rise to the top.

My point?

My point is that often in our desire to make deals happen, to hit our goals, to get to our dreams we forget, not intentionally, that what we do or fail to do has an impact on many other people. Our successes often are built because someone behind the scenes is working through the big wake that we we throw, they work through the incomplete forms, the missing data and the poor communication to put deals together that make us look good. We miss the fact that they worry about how we will react if something isn't done just so. They fear to make suggesstion or ask questions simply because in the past we were so focused on our next deal or our next activity we treat them like a nusiance instead of a trusted partner. And what happens? Eventually the mighty fall because they fail to recognize the impact of their actions on those others that work diligently to support them. And when the table turns and they look around for support and suddenly those people that they have relied on are too busy and can't take the time to support the 'mighty'.

So.

Let me first say thank you to our staff at Anthony Cole Training Group. A staff that works passionately to make the promises we make out in the field come true. A staff that often times I fail to recognize as valuable contributors to our success and too often minimize their input. Thank you all for tolerating me as I go about fighting windmills. Thank you for making us successful, driving our growth and making us look so wonderful to our clients. Thank you.

Next I encourage you to take time to realize that your success is not a one person show. You have people around you, you family, your peers, your management, your support. They are all there as part of a bigger equation and without them you to would fall. And when you need them the most they may be ones too busy or they may ignore you and discount you. Take time to recognize not just the efforts but their suggestions, their input, their loyalty and dedication and the intelligence they bring to the table.