Category: Communication Skills

Ever used a sales script? Chances are that at one point or another during your climb up the sales ladder you’ve been exposed to the devilish ways of the corporate script.

The romance ended a long time ago however there’s a new kid on the block when it comes to sales effectiveness.

The checklist.

The aviation industry has been using the checklist for many years now (possibly the pioneers of the practice?) – the sole purpose of these checklists are to avoid trouble however if trouble does arise the checklists are also there to guide the pilots to safety.

Now sales and flying and completely different things but when it comes down to the checklist you’ll notice that they work in every industry (obviously some sort of adjustment/editing will be required to match up with company products/ideas and methods).

The use of a script initially has always been to give the operator a “guide” on how they should address prospects, how they should move the sales cycle along and how they should close. Like a robot.

Checklists offer opportunities to go off the beaten track but still remain completely in control – they also offer a fail-safe in that you can just go through the checklist when you’re in need of assistance.

That has always been the problem with a generic sales script, if the operator goes off track or the prospect leads them down a road that their script doesn’t provide an answer for there has to be a break in the process or “let me just get my supervisor”. There’s nothing wrong with this however it definitely does hinder the progress of the sales cycle – time is a valuable asset that you may now be wasting.

The Checklist

Firstly avoid these aspects of checklists when designing one at all costs:

• Long winded (aim to stick within 5-10 checks)
• Not spoken in the language of the professional
• Not concise
• Vagueness

Those are huge mistakes to make with checklists however it’s also vital to remember that no single checklist will ever be perfect without field testing. In simulation they’ll be perfect but in real life situations you’ll begin to find flaws and missteps in process. Don’t drop the idea but work with it until you solve the problems, which are usually minor.

Let’s create ourselves a sample checklist to get an idea of what you could potentially create:

Prior to the Sales Call

• Have you researched the company (Decision makers name, 2^nd decision makers name, company profile, checked for notable news/notes).
• Made key notes regarding the prospect.
• Sent an e-mail with an introduction to yourself and the company prior to the call.
• Created key values that your product will provide to the key problems the prospects may have.
• Materials (If this is instead a sales meeting rather than a call): Laptop, charger, brochure.
• Understood and answered these questions: What is the purpose of the call? How will you achieve this goal? What is the next step after you achieve the goal?

As you can see this isn’t rocket science by all means but some of the “mundane” tasks in the checklist are often forgotten about simply because we place little value on it.

Imagine turning up to a meeting with an account when you realise that you’ve forgotten their paperwork or your laptop isn’t charged – they were mundane checks then but it sure enough makes you look a fool in front of the client now.

The checklist also offers the opportunity for the sales person to do what they need to do to gain access to the answers for each checklist, there’s no “go onto www.website.com and find your prospect…” and so on instead it gives the sales person the ability to create their own mini tasks to accomplish the checklist goals.

Try out the sample checklist or adapt it to suit your needs or just create a brand new one and test it, chances are you’ll start to pick up on things you may have missed before and even see an increase in deals and clients being won over.

Article Contributed by Mark Chandley

Reputation is one of the most important assets your business owns.  A disgruntled customer being vocal is the last thing you need to deal with. Negative reviews can show up in the search engines and affect your ratings. Developing a system to handle these situations, and they will occur, will help reduce the affect negative reviews can have on your clients and potential clients.

Tips For Handling A Bad Review 

Build your online presence.  Build your brand with your web site.  Having a professional web site built and maintained, will help to brand you and your business, and convey to customers and prospects your competitive value in the marketplace.   Visibility on the web is vital today in reaching new customers, as well as maintaining existing customers by branding yourself to set your business apart from the others.

Utilize Your Loyal Customers

Focus on your loyal customer base.  When you receive a negative review, burry it.  Contacting your good clients, those who will be willing to help you, and having them go online and submit good positive reviews, can do that.  This is where you need a good system and working with the person who maintains your web site can be helpful in establishing one for your business.  Before long, the good reviews will bury the bad ones and when someone does a search, they will usually only look at the first page or two and then move on.

You Can’t Please All The People All The Time

Bad reviews will probably happen. Know that sooner or later, if you are in business long enough, you are bound to have that one customer, that no matter what you do, will never be pleased.  Creating a system is the key to success.  When you plan ahead of time, how to handle situations as they come up, you will achieve better results in dismantling problems. Have a strategy in place to handle bad reviews, and handle them.  Respond to your customers directly, not online.  You may email, phone, or send a letter to them and immediately.  Let them know you would like to rectify their bad experience and ask what you can do to make it better.  This should apply whether they have submitted a negative review on line, or just discussed verbally their dissatisfaction.  Never confront them publically, always keep their problems private.  If the issue cannot be solved, and sometimes it can’t, monitor the online review to make sure it doesn’t show up there.  If it does, go back to your plan you set up for dealing with getting new positive reviews to flood and bury the negative ones.

Keep A Watchful Eye.

Be on the lookout for negative reviews.  When they happen, have your plan ready to get new reviews from your loyal customers, and bury the bad reviews. Maintain a good web presence to promote your good image and you can over come when a disgruntled customer shows up.

About the Author

Guest blog written by Mark Chandley, President of Adeptiv Soultions, an order fulfillment and ecommerce fulfillment company based in New York.

I was in a meeting a few weeks ago with a business associate and we were talking about what it means to collaborate.

When he finished his long definition, I made the statement that what he said sounds like adaptability and not collaboration.

Here looked at me as said, “You just made me wrong.”

I have been thinking about this meeting and his statement for a while and I asked myself this question: By suggesting a different definition of what he was saying, did I make him wrong? Or did he decide, that by not agreeing with him, he was wrong.

What I realized is this form of miscommunication is what causes problems in all relationships: family, business, friends, etc.

Recently, I wanted to attend an event and I could not make it because of a schedule conflict. I called the creator of the event and express a desire to attend and I was unable because of a schedule conflict. His comment was, “we can’t please everyone.”

What he was really saying is when you do an event it is hard to accommodate all schedules. What I heard was, “you are not that important.” I know this individual and we discussed the implications of that discussion and we both realized we did not communicate effectively.

Do we make others feel wrong, unimportant or insignificant?   Is it our beliefs that make us feel wrong, unimportant or insignificant?

Did the transmitter communicate wrongness or did the receiver translate what was said into wrongness?

This is where the sales process breaks down. We use words and communicate that meaning that both the transmitter and the receiver do not understand to have the same meeting.

I was in a meeting and the individual used the words, “I want to create a community of…”

When I heard the words “community” I think Facebook, LinkedIn, Monster, etc. I then asked what the word community meant and she gave me an entirely different definition. If I did not ask that question I would have taken her down a marketing path that was not what she wanted to achieve.

The real lesson here is ask, don’t assume. Clarify your words and don’t expect the receiver to understand your meaning. If you are the receiver it is ok to ask for clarification.

How would your life be simpler if you could build rapport with someone is 90 seconds? That is influence. Would it take the stress out of meeting new people? Would you approach difficult people with more confidence?

In our sales training module we teach how to build rapport in a 2 hour workshop. Rapport leads to trust, trust allows us to influence. Influence is positive and required in sales. Influence is helping others to take purposeful and inspired action?

All of us use persuasion and a leadership tool to help inspire others to do things they never thought they could do. The ability to create excitement all around you is what leadership is about. Listen to the sound of leadership; it is you being eloquent, powerful, convincing, compelling, and forceful. It is not for the faint of heart, but the outcome is inevitable if you care enough to ignite a spark, which will grow into a flame.

Leading through persuasion is a form of communicating that must be learned. In fact, it has to be learned, for if you can’t persuade or convince others, you cannot lead. If you can’t persuade or convince others, you cannot sell.

Manipulation is the opposite of persuasion. It is not truthful. It is not forceful, it is aggressive. It is usually fear based and it does not have the others best interest at heart. None of us want to be manipulated into doing things were don’t want to do.

I work daily with business owners, sales representatives, and others who want to influence others (employees, customers, friends, family, prospects, and vendors) to some specific course of action. Often times they are not successful. This problematic if you are in sales because you won’t make any money or change someone’s life with your wonderful product or service if you do not develop influencing skills.

Your purpose when influencing is to help others get clear and make the correct and right choice. The purpose of influence is to help you help them to understand why you are the right and safe choice. Effectively, I want you to communicate your value in a way that others are most likely to hear, understand and act upon.

To learn HOW TO BUILD RAPPORT WITH ANYONE IN 90 SECONDS OR LESS click here. I will not ask for ANY  info, not even your email address.

Persuasion is a learned skill. It required practice. It required thinking differently. It requires personal growth and getting clear on who you are. Are you up for the challenge?

Article Contributed by Kevin Schweizer

There are so many different communication technologies available today. Most of us at one time or another has heard our own parents talk about their amazement at just how different today’s smart phones are from the first mobile phones they remember coming into the market. Staying up to date on the latest communication methods can be especially important in business, and the use of these technologies can greatly improve the quality of your interoffice and client communications. Let’s take a look at a few of the most used methods and how they can help you be more effective in your own business communications.

Face-to-Face

The most tried and true method to date, face-to-face communication is still (and I would argue it forever will be) the most effective way to communicate ideas to coworkers and clients alike. Among all of the improvements in communication technology, don’t neglect strengthening this incredibly important skill. Not only will it make you more approachable as a coworker and manager, it will also transfer into a proficiency in other methods as well.

Email

Though this method seems almost ancient compared to others, it’s also one that has lasted through the ups and downs of so many other fads. Of course, it has been greatly enhanced by accompanying tools such as instant messaging, Google Drive (previously Google Docs), and calendars. Still, effective written communication is still a very important skill to the majority of employers, and one that seems to be dwindling among otherwise tech-savvy applicants.

Phone/Teleconferencing

Telemarketers aren’t the only ones who need to work on their “phone voice”. Phone calls are still a huge part of client communications today, and teleconferencing has become commonplace in any large organization. Phone calls can be very effective when a face-to-face meeting isn’t an option, or for less lengthy client meetings. However, the ever-increasing expense, especially for international calls, as well as disruption issues has pushed many organizations to search for more economic options.

VoIP

Created to combat some of the problems with traditional phone companies, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is growing in popularity for small businesses. The main benefit of VoIP is that it is generally much less expensive that a traditional phone line. This is especially true for international calls, which previously have been a huge cost for any company involved in global business. Through VoIP, anyone with a reliable internet connection can enjoy a global network for next to nothing compared to traditional land lines. Learn more about VoIP services.

Video Conferencing

Similar to teleconferencing, video conferencing allows for group conferencing. The major difference is that video conferencing services allow you to project video along with regular voice. This method takes conferencing yet one step closer to face-to-face communication when an in-person meeting isn’t available. Some mainstream examples are Skype and FaceTime, though there are specific services available for business conferencing.

While there are plenty of communication technologies on the market, these are the most widespread and accessible for small business. Through the development of further methods, remember that the development of oral and written communication will forever be vital in business and will remain relevant throughout technological changes to come.

About the Author

Kevin Schweizer is the Online Marketing Manager for Phone.com, an internet-based company specializing in home and small business phone, virtual office, and virtual number services. When Kevin isn’t writing, he can be found watching the NFL and researching medieval castles.