Accelerated Sales Training, Inc.

Helping You Develop More Business Through Live Cold Calling Sales Training Workshops 638 Lindero Canyon Road, Suite 283, Oak Park, CA 91377 1-818-991-6487 PST Office | 1-818-519-3852 Mobile | 1-818-991-5938 Fax rslavine@ast-incorp.com | www.ast-incorp.com 41 SALES TIPS YOU CAN USE RIGHT NOW By Ron S. LaVine Pre-Call Planning 1. Begin by doing your homework and collecting background information about the prospect's company and industry. The main objectives are to understand where they are now, where do they want to be and how do they currently plan to get there. This includes: The prospect's Hoover's or Yahoo fact sheet and executive biographies. The job descriptions for available jobs related to your solutions. Search the press releases and the SEC files for the key words related to your solutions. A list of customers that are in the same industry as the prospect. 2. Before you pick up the phone know the purpose of your call. Objective 1 - Locate WHO has the authority to evaluate and buy or the decision-maker(s). Objective 2 - Determine if a need, challenge or problem exists. Objective 3 - Find out what the prospect values in themselves and their business. Objective 4 - Set up a time and date specific action step or plan. 3. Prepare questions for your call using your call objective. You need to understand who is doing what and why. Then you need to determine what they prospect is trying to achieve and how they plan to go about doing it. The idea is to understand how a company does business before trying to sell something. You do this by staying in information mode and staying out of sales mode until you find a need exists and then your goal becomes to persuade them to take this action. 4. Remember that people don't like to be sold, they like to buy. Our job is to help them buy the way they want to buy which may not be the way that we want to sell. Before Reaching the Decision Maker 5. When speaking with a gatekeeper [a.k.a. secretary, assistant, receptionist, screener or blocker] use the utmost respect and courtesy. After all, they usually determine who gets to speak with their boss and who does not. 6. As you make your way around an organization over the phone, collect as much information as possible about who works for whom and how business situations are handled. 7. Always ask for help by saying, "Maybe you can help me." Follow this statement with a direct question such as "How do you currently...? Or "Who is responsible for ...initiatives?" This enables you to be prepared before you speak with high-level decision- makers about what they want to gain or avoid rather than waste their time asking questions about information they already know. 8. Avoid using the word "information." It raises people's defenses. For example, "I'm just trying to get some information. What is your driver's license number?" People are more helpful when they are not defensive. Simply ask direct statements beginning with Who, How or What. 9. When leaving a voice mail, sending a fax or email or asking a gatekeeper to take a written message and hand deliver it to their boss, be sure you clearly explain a few of the potential benefits without getting into the specifics about how your products/services actually work.

Member of the American Society for Training and Development 2007 by Accelerated Sales Training, Inc. Live Cold Call Sales Training Workshops. All rights reserved. www.ast-incorp.com

Accelerated Sales Training, Inc. Helping You Develop More Business Through Live Cold Calling Sales Training Workshops 638 Lindero Canyon Road, Suite 283, Oak Park, CA 91377 1-818-991-6487 PST Office | 1-818-519-3852 Mobile | 1-818-991-5938 Fax rslavine@ast-incorp.com | www.ast-incorp.com

Beginning Statements 10. Always ask for permission to speak by asking "Is this a good time to speak?" If someone is busy they won't be listening to what you have to say. So don't speak with people who don't want to speak with you, as they won't by listening to what you have to say. Either get off the phone or schedule a brief phone appointment. 11. The most effective beginning statements address what's called WHIIFMAMC. This stands for "What's In It for Me and My Company?" The idea is to create curiosity about what you can do for them so they ask you more questions about what you offer and it enables you to move into the fact finding/questioning stage. 12. Always confirm you are in fact speaking with the correct person who has the authority to make the decisions. Use the question "Who is responsible for...?" to confirm you are speaking with the right person. If for some reason you are not, the answer to that question will lead you in the direction of the right person. 13. Use "What if...occurs?" or "What do you do when...happens?" to uncover potential problems and areas of improvements. Questioning 14. Understanding comes before selling. How can I sell you anything unless I know there is a need to sell something? You need to ask questions to determine whether a need exists before explaining what you have to offer. By staying in information mode and asking questions while staying out of sales mode by presenting everything you have to offer, you'll know what to present and the close will become a natural conclusion. 15. Use questions to determine which benefits are important to the prospect. What you may think is a benefit may actually be a drawback. 16. If you ask more than one question at a time, people often become confused and irritated which are two things you want to avoid at all costs. Ask one question at a time. 17. After asking a question. STOP! Wait for a complete answer. If you speak too soon you'll never know what they would have said that might have been a crucial piece of information you needed to know later on during your sales cycle. People often need time to think, so let them by training yourself to ask a question and then remain silent until they complete their answer. 18. After they've finished answering your question feedback what you heard in your own words to be sure you have understood them correctly. This will prevent costly misunderstandings further on in the sales process. 19. Ask direct questions. Avoid "I was just trying to find out if you could tell me some information" or "Could you possibly please tell me what you are doing in the area of...?" These types of statements demonstrate a lack of self-confidence and will often cause decision-makers to cut a conversation short. Use direct and concise questions that get directly to the point of what you need to know. 20. Control the direction of the call using questions. Let's say I ask you a question about Televisions and you respond with an answer about Radios. I would say I understand what you are saying about Radios. Let me ask you another question. How do you currently purchase Televisions? This way you can redirect the conversation in the direction you want it to go regardless of what the other person answers.
Member of the American Society for Training and Development 2007 by Accelerated Sales Training, Inc. Live Cold Call Sales Training Workshops. All rights reserved. www.ast-incorp.com

Accelerated Sales Training, Inc. Helping You Develop More Business Through Live Cold Calling Sales Training Workshops 638 Lindero Canyon Road, Suite 283, Oak Park, CA 91377 1-818-991-6487 PST Office | 1-818-519-3852 Mobile | 1-818-991-5938 Fax rslavine@ast-incorp.com | www.ast-incorp.com

21. Get people to think in terms of numbers. Ask questions such as "What do you think...is costing you?" or "How much time have you allotted for this?" or "When does that happen?" Listening 22. Clear All Distractions by setting aside a specific amount of phone time each day (such as two hours per day) for making cold, warm, and client calls. Clear your desk of other work or projects. Close your office door and post a "Do Not Disturb" sign. 23. Concentrate by giving 100% attention to everything the prospect says. Listen for facts or statements and record your impressions of what is being said. Skipping the clarifying and feedback step can cause costly misunderstandings. 24. Take thorough notes and do not forget important details. Notes come in handy a few days later when you are developing your proposal. Taking notes engages your auditory, visual, and kinesthetic senses and forces your concentration on listening in order to take notes. 25. Paraphrase what the speaker is saying in your mind. Repeat your understanding of what you heard and ask if you understand correctly. 26. Listen for clues revealing specific challenges an account is facing, rather than focusing all of your energy on how one solution will fit the account's needs. Discover what the prospect needs, rather than what you want to sell. 27. While keeping track of what was said during the conversation, circle any important phrases or words that were repeated. These phrases and words provide clues as to what the prospect values or thinks are important. These words can become useful if you weave them into future conversations. 28. Encourage the speaker to completely answer each question you ask and remain silent until they finish speaking. Pauses enable people to take time to assimilate information and time to think. 29. You will receive more information by listening, rather than by trying to fill in the gaps of silence. If you need to, rest your chin on your hand and place your finger over your lips to keep yourself from speaking while the other person is talking. Proposing a Solution 30. Before proposing a solution it is important that you establish trust. Trust is the assured reliance on character, strength, or truth of someone. When you work over the telephone, the only feedback you receive is the sound of the person's voice. People feel comfortable speaking and buying from people they know, like (like means similar) and trust. Think about the qualities of those you trust and develop ways of communicating those qualities. 31. If you have done a good job of questioning and understanding how an account does business in your area of expertise, you will know what to present (and what to avoid). Concentrate on presenting ideas that are of value or importance to the prospect. 32. As a rule of thumb, people value security, adaptability, cost of ownership, ease of use, efficiency and effectiveness and dependability. Use questions to discover which one(s) your prospects value the most and then tailor your presentation to address those values in term of positive monetary benefits.

Member of the American Society for Training and Development 2007 by Accelerated Sales Training, Inc. Live Cold Call Sales Training Workshops. All rights reserved. www.ast-incorp.com

Accelerated Sales Training, Inc. Helping You Develop More Business Through Live Cold Calling Sales Training Workshops 638 Lindero Canyon Road, Suite 283, Oak Park, CA 91377 1-818-991-6487 PST Office | 1-818-519-3852 Mobile | 1-818-991-5938 Fax rslavine@ast-incorp.com | www.ast-incorp.com Asking for Action (Closing) 33. Closing should be the natural conclusion to a sales call if you have done your homework, asked the right questions and presented a solution that is of value to the prospect. However you must ask for specific action steps to be taken. For example, this could be faxing over a signed Agreement, agreeing on terms of payment or setting up dates for an event to take place in the future. 34. Within reason, ask for more than what you want. People can always move down but it is much harder to get them to move up. Make your suggestion within the reach of the customer without overselling them and possibly placing you and your company in a bad light for future business. Working with Objections 35. Objections are simply a request for more information. What the person is saying to you is in a manner of speaking "I don't understand what you mean. Would you please go over that again as it applies to my situation?" 36. Often objections are indicators of what the real problem is so do not gloss over them. Feedback your understanding of what was said to be sure you have it correctly and explain how your product or service would apply to that situation. There is no need to get defensive. Setting Up a Sales M.A.P. (Mutually Agreed upon Process) 37. At the end of every call, there needs to be a time and date specific action step. Ask them to pull out their calendar and write your name and phone number next to the day you have both agreed upon to speak next. Clarify what steps or actions or milestones will need to take place to bring the sale to a successful conclusion. Summarizing 38. Towards the end of your conversation, summarize what was said and agreed upon and then follow up your call with a letter, email or faxed summary. This summary should include the Current situation, Needs or Challenges or Problems, Time frames, Decision maker(s), Evaluator(s) or Influencers, Evaluation process, Budgeting process, Decision making process and the next action step(s) agreed upon. Redefine Rejection 39. You can redefine rejection by turning your calls into puzzles. If you get one more piece of information than you knew before you've gotten a result. If you've gotten a result than you haven't been rejection. 40. Remember people are not rejecting you, they are rejecting what you have to offer. Learn not to define yourself as what you offer. You are not what you offer. You are an individual who is constantly developing more and more talent and skill to present ideas and gain people's agreement to take actions. Even if that action is not to take action now, that does not preclude a prospect needing to take action in the future. 41. It is always better to receive a yes or a no rather than a maybe. Maybes waste your time. So be confident and ask for a yes or a no. You'll save both your time and the prospect's time too.

Member of the American Society for Training and Development 2007 by Accelerated Sales Training, Inc. Live Cold Call Sales Training Workshops. All rights reserved. www.ast-incorp.com

Accelerated Sales Training, Inc. Helping You Develop More Business Through Live Cold Calling Sales Training Workshops 638 Lindero Canyon Road, Suite 283, Oak Park, CA 91377 1-818-991-6487 PST Office | 1-818-519-3852 Mobile | 1-818-991-5938 Fax rslavine@ast-incorp.com | www.ast-incorp.com Copyright, 2007, Ron S. LaVine, MBA, Accelerated Sales Training, Inc. Reprint permission granted in part or whole when the following credit appears: "Reprinted with permission from Ron La Vine's "Sales Tips and Telesales for Selling Success." To subscribe at no charge, go to http://www.AST-incorp.com." Make it a great day and a successful week! -Ron LaVine, MBA, President Accelerated Sales Training, Inc. Removing Rejection and Fear from Sales through LIVE Cold Calling Sales Training Workshops Accelerated Sales Training, Inc. (formerly Intellworks, Inc.) 638 Lindero Canyon Road, Suite 283 Oak Park, CA 91377 818-991-6487 Office PST 818-519-3852 Mobile 818-991-5938 Fax mailto:rslavine@ast-incorp.com

Member of the American Society for Training and Development 2007 by Accelerated Sales Training, Inc. Live Cold Call Sales Training Workshops. All rights reserved. www.ast-incorp.com