It may be quite sincere, there may be in fact someone who is prepared to take a lot less for what we do.

It doesn’t mean you will lose the business- it’s just a jolt to let you know you haven’t yet shown the buyer enough value in your proposition so they can see the difference in your offer over your competitors.

The secret is to get deeper into what is being offered to make comparisons on your “Full Solution”.

Here are some of the ways I do this by asking:

1. Are we dealing apples for apples here?
Are the products actually like for like or is it like comparing a Mercedes to a Holden?

2. What about our full experience?
Is there something we are adding as standard that the competitor either hasn’t thought about or are making the buyer to pay extra for?

3. Our level of Experience
How many years or what qualifications do we have that our competitors don’t have?

4. Our Guarantee
What type of guarantee are they giving?

5. Our Physical Materials, Products
In the building trade this might be the quality of the timber etc. In the Consultancy business it may be the manuals, DVDs, CDs etc. In the phone business it may be the make of the phone.

So what do we do if we are pushed on price?

Rule #1:

Don’t panic.

Expect the question and be armed for it.

Rule #2:

Make the comment in every market that there is the premium provider, the low cost producer and the “Value for Money” proposition.

We are positioned at the “Value for Money” end.

Rule #3:

Ask “how far apart are we”? Find out what you are dealing with.

Rule #4:

Ask “Well if we were to meet a similar price what would you like me to leave out in our proposal?

Rule #5:

Look at packaging

Can you offer something unique in your package which makes it impossible to compare the 2 offers.

When all else fails and you want the deal, ask the prospect “What would we need to do to get your business?” It’s an old question but still a good one.

How to Deal with a Low Quote and Win the Business is a post from: Brad Tonini

Your Strategic Message of Uniqueness

Do you want to improve your strategic selling skills?

The first and most important effort is to work on your two-minute strategic message of uniqueness that explains why someone should buy from you.

Step # 1 – Your Umbrella Statement

In a one line statement – what do you do, to whom and for what benefit?

For Example …..”I show ……how to ……..which increases …….”

Step #2 – Your 3 point support statements

3 key support streams to back that up.

Ie. Lets assume you were an accountant, your strategic message of uniqueness might go something like this :-

“I work with small business owners to increase their return on their business and create a great lifestyle”

Your 3 point support statements might be :-

Point 1 – “I work with my clients to take the headache out of compliance issues”

Then

Point 2 – “I help clients to build wealth through creating their own self managed super fund”.

Then

Point 3 – “We increase returns in your business by giving you the very latest advice on tax laws”.

Now you have something that gets the buyers attention and it positions you in a minute or so.

Two last points – to make it really hum along you need to make it third party, in other words “what others say about you”.

Secondly and also it must pass “the so what” factor! Why is that important to the buyer.

Try planning your next sales presentation so you can answer these five questions in the proper and strategic order of explaining your philosophy and big picture first and then getting into the details.

You might already be good at selling but are you good enough to get better?

Did you miss Part 1? Read it online here.

How to Develop Your Unique Selling Package Part 2 is a post from: Brad Tonini

It’s a good question isn’t it?

I was asked this last year by a Sales Manager in charge of 12 sales people and being caught off guard, I fumbled my way through it.

Now I have crafted a message that I can recite in my sleep, while in the shower, driving to work or anywhere else and when I work with any client this is the first thing we go to work on.

It’s a muddy marketplace out there with plenty of alternatives, and people are not sitting there patiently waiting for you to come into their lives. We have to give our buyers a reason to buy from us and for them to be able to position us in a heartbeat.

So how do we build an answer to that question?

The first part of Strategic Selling involves starting each call with a strong strategic uniqueness or philosophy statement about you and your company that takes less than two minutes to present. It also involves you developing a more strategic or “big picture” focus to your selling messaging, selling language, and overall philosophy or approach to a customer’s business.

The “Five Strategic Buying Questions”

How effective are you at explaining the complete story of your product or services? A strong opening strategic message of competitive uniqueness is an effective way to start a sales call. Explaining your statement of uniqueness, or “Elevator speech” begins to position your customer as to why they want to select you over all of your competitors. However, success in selling involves more than just delivering a strong opening selling statement.

You also need to provide your potential buyer with a simple, yet complete explanation of what you have to offer and why it will be of such value to your prospect.

The “Five Strategic Buying Questions” cover all of the major questions a prospect will ask as they evaluate and consider your selling offer.

These five strategic buying questions are:

1. Where can this take us? Explaining how your product or service can change or redirect their business, efficiency, or profitability.
2. Who can this help? Explaining whom in the customer’s organisation will find the most value from your offering.
3. Why is it better? Explaining why your approach is better, provides more value, is a lower risk or a lower total cost than any of your competitors.
4. What does it do? Explaining what kinds of results or outcomes you will be able to receive.
5. How does it work? Explaining the mechanics and details of how it functions.

Small Business Owners have been answering these simple buying questions in sales calls for decades. However, the majority of salespeople answer these questions in the wrong order!

I wish I had a dollar for every time I worked on a clients business where all the communication to the market was all about what the product does, the technical side of things rather than what the product will do for their client.

Are You Product or Customer Focused?

Cognitive business owners present their idea or product with far too much detail rather than the emotion around the purchase. The buyer gets overloaded and bogged down trying to find the reason for buying. As my father use to say (he was a great sales person), “a confused mind says no”.

Most buyers find it difficult to absorb new information in this manner, or at least this order. The technical approach of providing all of the details so you then can understand the big picture normally just does not work. In most cases, it is just too complex for your customer to collect all of the detailed information provided and then assemble it in their minds to understand the “big picture” of what is being explained and proposed.

But the more persuasive way or strategic way is to reverse the order and begin your product or service presentation by starting off with explaining where your product or service can take your customer and then discussing who in their organisation will receive the most value.

How are you presenting your information? Is it from the more persuasive big picture down to the details, or are you a detailed and technically biased salesperson who still expects customers to be able to assemble all of your detailed explanations into one overall understanding of what you’re selling and why it’ll provide such value to your customer?

Stay tuned for Part 2 where I will go through Your Strategic Message of Uniqueness

How to Develop Your Unique Selling Package Part 1 is a post from: Brad Tonini

1. Product Service Identification

a. What does my product or service do?

b. What problem does it involve?

c. What need does it satisfy?

2. Prospecting

a. Finding qualified prospects.

b. A qualified prospect must nee, can use and can afford your product or service.

c. A qualified prospect is capable of buying soon.

3. Information Gathering

This is at the core of all professional selling. You can gather information before, during and after the interview.

4. Problem Identification

No sale is made until you and the customer reach the point where you both know a problem exists.

5. Presentation of a solution

6. Resolving concerns

Unanswered concerns can sink a sale. They key to resolving concerns is a strong relationship.

7. Gaining commitment

This is where you get commitment to take action.

8. Follow-up and follow through

This includes resales and referrals.

Milestones is a post from: Brad Tonini

He was referring to the fact that we need to be a contrarian in sales, to swim upstream, to get a different result.

So many Salespeople have a “herd” mentality and get the same results that most of the sales team get. They do the same number of hours, take on the same mindset and yet expect a different result.

So what does it take to be a contrarian thinking salesperson?

1. Make a decision as to whatever you want to be in top 5% of salepeople or are you happy to be around budget?

2. Take on a ‘Contrarian Mindset’ by adopting a new set of standards and behaviour.

3. Start focusing on a new Sales Role Model. Who can you model that you admire who gets consistent results?

4. Set your expectations higher than what is expected of you.

Your budget is only a guide- set your own budget.

5. Work when others are Not working!

If everyone goes home at 5pm, go home at 6pm and get the jump on the next day. Send out emails and plan your prospecting in the ‘Golden Hour’ in the office.

6. Do what you say you will.

Most sales people I have worked with let themselves down by not following through on the promises they make. Be careful, this goes to the core of your integrity.

7. Start your week on Sunday Night.

Great salespeople have already started to plan their next week by Sunday so they know what to work on when they arrive at the office on Monday morning.

First Meeting Strategy

The impression we make in the first meeting with a customer can affect the whole sale. Here are four powerful ways to begin the first meeting with a new prospect.

1. Gratitude

‘Mr customer thank you for your time today. I appreciate you are busy so I will be brief and to the point.’

2. Build Expectancy

‘Mr customer you are really going to enjoy what I have to show you today.’

3. Reversal

‘Mr customer I am not here today to sell you anything. I am here to get some information about your company and see if we can help you achieve your goals.’

4. Start with a problem

‘Many companies today have discovered that they are paying 25% too much for their operating costs in this area. We have a system that solves that problem.’

Any one of these four options is an excellent way to show your prospects that you are a professional and they should take you seriously.

Find out what 95% of salespeople are doing and do the opposite is a post from: Brad Tonini

Simply answer these four questions before each sales call (preferably in writing, but at least mentally).

1. What outcomes do I want from this sales call?

There may be many outcomes from any sales call. Do I want a sale, a referral, a testimonial letter, a second appointment, information etc? By not asking this key question we often overlook vital outcomes and are unprepared in a sales call.

2. What will I show the customer in this sales call?

This depends a lot on the answers to questions:

Will I show them a letter from a happy customer, relevant figures, a brochure etc? Many times we have all been in a sales presentation wishing we had one extra piece of information with us. We knew that if we had it, our whole presentation would be more effective. However we haven’t asked question number two, so we don’t have that piece of information. By the time we go back to the office and get it, our customers enthusiasm has greatly diminished.

3. What concerns will my customers have?

Will they be concerned about price, our reputation, our service etc? Often by taking several moments to think this through in advance we can be better prepared for potential concerns our customer may raise.

4. How will I ask for action?

This is a key part of every sales presentation. It can be as simple as asking for the next meeting. How will you do it? How will you ask for the order? How will you ask for the information you need? In planning this in advance, your presentation will be far more professional and get you better results.

When you study the life histories of great trial lawyers who earn over one million dollars a year, the will always say that 90% of their success is preparation. They have thought through in advance what they are going to say. Answer these four questions for your next call.

Plan Each Sales Call in Writing is a post from: Brad Tonini