The ultimate sin! A blog with no entries for three weeks!
I am ashamed of myself. Well not really, I have been playing around with some radio stuff
Good fun. The Positive Business Minutes slot was all about solving the 25 most common sales problems, so very relevant to this blog. It ran for the past five weeks, so if you don't live in Singapore or you just plain missed it . .
actually no, you will be able to get it soon. I am going to shove the files up as MP3 on our website and let you download them for free!
I will spend the next couple of weeks catching up on the outstanding questions you have been sending in. So if yours hasn't been answered yet, relax. it is coming soon.
And if you can't wait there is always a series of good reads available at the e-newsletter site. The latest entry is on Fear in Selling. I know a newsletter is old fashioned, but hey! I am old.
Next step is to get the podcasting going so you can download the files and listen as you drive to your next sales appointment. I am feeling a little vague about this whole podcast thing, but spend a little time every evening on research. There are a few good sites out there, but most are written by techies, so when they offer tolet you listen to their explanation via poddcast . . Brace yourself! This may not be the ultimate listening experience.
I was once told I had the face for Radio, but some of these guys have the voice for braile!
More soon, keep the questions coming.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Monday, June 20, 2005
Serious change required
Ooops. Blog is supposed to be fast, right? Lots of new entries on a regulars basis. Well this last few days has been a disaster from that perspective. We went to KL to run PRM ASIA 2005 (Partner Relationship Management) at Le Meridien organised by EMP-ASIA. Great session, everyone from TelekomMalaysia, Applied Business Systems to the Ministry of Agriculture, plus a few other industries in between (including Ericsson). Expect some serious changes if you partner with these companies, they really got down and worked hard!
Several good lessons there.
Lesson 1. Beware attachments. I have a delightful old Thinkpad 240 laptop. Fits in by briefcase so I don't have to lug a big bag around, great for on the spot work. But old. Hotel has freee broadband in the room. No problem, quick blog before bed and we are away! WRONG. BB connection not compatible with 4 year old lappy!
Love it yes, but time to change. So, what attachments have you got to old habits or ways of working that may be hindering your progress?
Not sure how to handle them? Hit this blog and get answers.
Great article on Fastcompany about change and our resistance to it.
And if you have big stuff to deal with, I am now making a few other changes. Most of our work has been training and coaching in corporate groups for the past 6 years. Recently I have discovered individuals around the region who need and want a coach but didn't realise they could find the right business related, international expertise in Asia. Recent coaching sessions with clients arond the region have been a blast for them and me. Skype means great phone quality from everywhere and no call charges. Want a coach? Call me. Skype id tonylatimer
And I'll let you know which new lappy graces my briefcase soon. (clue here)
Keep selling
Tony Latimer
Several good lessons there.
Lesson 1. Beware attachments. I have a delightful old Thinkpad 240 laptop. Fits in by briefcase so I don't have to lug a big bag around, great for on the spot work. But old. Hotel has freee broadband in the room. No problem, quick blog before bed and we are away! WRONG. BB connection not compatible with 4 year old lappy!
Love it yes, but time to change. So, what attachments have you got to old habits or ways of working that may be hindering your progress?
Not sure how to handle them? Hit this blog and get answers.
Great article on Fastcompany about change and our resistance to it.
And if you have big stuff to deal with, I am now making a few other changes. Most of our work has been training and coaching in corporate groups for the past 6 years. Recently I have discovered individuals around the region who need and want a coach but didn't realise they could find the right business related, international expertise in Asia. Recent coaching sessions with clients arond the region have been a blast for them and me. Skype means great phone quality from everywhere and no call charges. Want a coach? Call me. Skype id tonylatimer
And I'll let you know which new lappy graces my briefcase soon. (clue here)
Keep selling
Tony Latimer
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
How do I sell if I'm not supposed to talk?
OK we have had a comment on previous entry from rme3, who asks:
Hi Tony, they say good sales is about listening more than talking how can I sell if I don't talk? Your advice is to stay away from product features, but how do I focus on needs when often times the customers do not know what they want exactly or how they want to apply the product/services?
Well that is the common mis-conception. That selling is about talking. Selling is about getting people to buy. And they don't buy when you are talking, they buy when they are talking or thinking about the emotional drivers for taking action and getting benefit from using or having your product or service.
You say that often times people don't know what they want or how they want to apply the product or service. Quite right. That is often the case.
By asking really good questions, you help them with their thinking process and they get more clear on what their problem is, and how much they need to solve it.
As they get more clarity, they start to tell you exactly what the problem is they need to solve and their preferred way of solving it.
There is a whole lot more to say on this, so I am going to write a longer article on the main newsletter, Tony's Opinions for you. Thanks for the question.
One of the reasons I developed our advanced sales masterclass The Customer Coach is to teach sales people how to do that questioning and listening process very effectively.
So give it a try. To get a guide for this listen in in July to Positive Business Minutes on 938 Live (yes newsradio is rebranding itself, sounds interesting) .
I am doing a series of 25 PBM on the top 25 problems sales managers and sales people have told us they have. If you miss any you will be able to download the mp3 file from our website in a few weeks time.
Get an RSS feed reader and subscribe to our feed if you want to be proactively informed when a new post comes up.
If you are not sure how to do that you might want to check out William Claxton, a local expert here in Asia on web streaming, podcasting, and all that latest and greatest stuff.
Good Selling
Tony
Hi Tony, they say good sales is about listening more than talking how can I sell if I don't talk? Your advice is to stay away from product features, but how do I focus on needs when often times the customers do not know what they want exactly or how they want to apply the product/services?
Well that is the common mis-conception. That selling is about talking. Selling is about getting people to buy. And they don't buy when you are talking, they buy when they are talking or thinking about the emotional drivers for taking action and getting benefit from using or having your product or service.
You say that often times people don't know what they want or how they want to apply the product or service. Quite right. That is often the case.
By asking really good questions, you help them with their thinking process and they get more clear on what their problem is, and how much they need to solve it.
As they get more clarity, they start to tell you exactly what the problem is they need to solve and their preferred way of solving it.
There is a whole lot more to say on this, so I am going to write a longer article on the main newsletter, Tony's Opinions for you. Thanks for the question.
One of the reasons I developed our advanced sales masterclass The Customer Coach is to teach sales people how to do that questioning and listening process very effectively.
So give it a try. To get a guide for this listen in in July to Positive Business Minutes on 938 Live (yes newsradio is rebranding itself, sounds interesting) .
I am doing a series of 25 PBM on the top 25 problems sales managers and sales people have told us they have. If you miss any you will be able to download the mp3 file from our website in a few weeks time.
Get an RSS feed reader and subscribe to our feed if you want to be proactively informed when a new post comes up.
If you are not sure how to do that you might want to check out William Claxton, a local expert here in Asia on web streaming, podcasting, and all that latest and greatest stuff.
Good Selling
Tony
Friday, June 03, 2005
My Prospects think my investment product is too risky
Today's question has come from Lawrence in Singapore. He writes:
Dear Tony,
I have had talk with some of my important prospects to invest land asset in a foreign country (Canada).
Every time, the answer bounced back, you know what:
too far away and too risky and I must see it before I'll invest.Tell me how I can overcome and solve this situation.
I look forward to your reply asap.
Thank you!
Best regards
Lawrence
OK Lawrence, there are a couple of possible things going on here. First, it may just be that this person is not financially in a position to invest at the moment. Maybe they don't have the amount of money the investment requires available. Only you can know that. Just check back, have they approached you, or have you approached them? Have they specifically said they are looking to make investments at the moment or are you just assuming they might want to?
This is important because you are getting an objection based on risk. And your particular product, Canadian land investment, is from many angles considered to be a safe investment.
(I can't mention your company because you didn't give your permission for me to do so; and I will always respect everyones privacy)
When an objection is directly contrary to the normal positioning of a product, the prospect is either not in possession of all the facts or is giving nice words to escape. Their real message may be "I am not interested right now."
It also indicates that you have been "feature dumping" on them. If they are unfamiliar with your product, then they need a level of education before you try to "convince " them of how great it is.
That done, lets move forward on the assumption that they are someone who has money to invest and are interested in making investments right now.
Their feedback to you says they feel it is risky.
Perfect, Start to ask questions about their views on investment risk. What is important to them about risk? What is their previous experience with "risky" investments? (see if you can get information about their investment portfolio from this).
Once you know their feelings and experience and what they have invested in, you will have the information you need to figure out how to position your product.
Prospects are people who have a need for the kind of solution you can offer and an interest in doing something about it. If you have not established this, they are just a "Suspect".
You need to start by asking questions.
As you are in Singapore Lawrence, watch out for the next series of Positive Business Minutes on NewsRadio93.8
I will be running a series soon to solve the 25 most common problems that sales people tell us they have. Any of you who want a heads-up on the date for On-Air, just drop an email to salescoach@corporatesurvivors.com and I will keep you posted.
Good Selling
Tony
Dear Tony,
I have had talk with some of my important prospects to invest land asset in a foreign country (Canada).
Every time, the answer bounced back, you know what:
too far away and too risky and I must see it before I'll invest.Tell me how I can overcome and solve this situation.
I look forward to your reply asap.
Thank you!
Best regards
Lawrence
OK Lawrence, there are a couple of possible things going on here. First, it may just be that this person is not financially in a position to invest at the moment. Maybe they don't have the amount of money the investment requires available. Only you can know that. Just check back, have they approached you, or have you approached them? Have they specifically said they are looking to make investments at the moment or are you just assuming they might want to?
This is important because you are getting an objection based on risk. And your particular product, Canadian land investment, is from many angles considered to be a safe investment.
(I can't mention your company because you didn't give your permission for me to do so; and I will always respect everyones privacy)
When an objection is directly contrary to the normal positioning of a product, the prospect is either not in possession of all the facts or is giving nice words to escape. Their real message may be "I am not interested right now."
It also indicates that you have been "feature dumping" on them. If they are unfamiliar with your product, then they need a level of education before you try to "convince " them of how great it is.
That done, lets move forward on the assumption that they are someone who has money to invest and are interested in making investments right now.
Their feedback to you says they feel it is risky.
Perfect, Start to ask questions about their views on investment risk. What is important to them about risk? What is their previous experience with "risky" investments? (see if you can get information about their investment portfolio from this).
Once you know their feelings and experience and what they have invested in, you will have the information you need to figure out how to position your product.
Prospects are people who have a need for the kind of solution you can offer and an interest in doing something about it. If you have not established this, they are just a "Suspect".
You need to start by asking questions.
As you are in Singapore Lawrence, watch out for the next series of Positive Business Minutes on NewsRadio93.8
I will be running a series soon to solve the 25 most common problems that sales people tell us they have. Any of you who want a heads-up on the date for On-Air, just drop an email to salescoach@corporatesurvivors.com and I will keep you posted.
Good Selling
Tony
Sunday, May 29, 2005
My customers only care about price
This question of customers only caring about price is one that comes up time and time again as I work with sales people. This week it was Raj who asked me, while we were up in KL this week doing some seminars on Confidence and Fear of Rejection for the investment sales teams at Walton International Malaysia.
As it was just a casual conversation over coffee at The Coffee Bean on the ground floor of Wisma Genting (why do I mention these guys? Because they have the most friendly attitude and helpful customer service I have experienced in one of these stores for a long time. They actually seem to enjoy working there. If you want to discover what service attitude in your retail outlet should be, go to KL and try this one), anyway back to Raj. I didn't even find out which company he works for, so I can't give him a mention here.
So, why do customers seem to care only about price? Because features and price is usually all we give them to choose from! How often do you go in and start doing your "company pitch"? You talk about your product before finding out what they need or why. Now this may come as a shock to many of you, but the stuff your marketing department gives you as a great pitch on why your company and product is unique, is pretty much the same story that everyone else uses!
So the prospect is hearing the same features from everyone. All the product options seem to be the same. So what can they choose on? PRICE. It's all they have left! And let's face it, given two apparently identical products, who would buy the most expensive?
Oh yes, and for those of you who I can hear muttering, "but we talk about benefits, just like our marketing brochures say" Sorry, products don't have benefits. Benefit is what someone gets if they need it, buy it and correctly use it.
If your customers ask about price first it is because they have been "trained" by sales people over the years. Because we don't move the conversation in a different and better direction!
If you have a question about this in your industry, email your question in. Be sure to give as much information as possible about a real situation, not just theory or a fear you have about asking questions. Let's work on real stuff.
Do tell me who you are and what you sell. You will not only get answers, but also a link to your website. You never know when a prosect might be reading here as well.
Good selling
Tony Latimer
Asia's Sales Coach
As it was just a casual conversation over coffee at The Coffee Bean on the ground floor of Wisma Genting (why do I mention these guys? Because they have the most friendly attitude and helpful customer service I have experienced in one of these stores for a long time. They actually seem to enjoy working there. If you want to discover what service attitude in your retail outlet should be, go to KL and try this one), anyway back to Raj. I didn't even find out which company he works for, so I can't give him a mention here.
So, why do customers seem to care only about price? Because features and price is usually all we give them to choose from! How often do you go in and start doing your "company pitch"? You talk about your product before finding out what they need or why. Now this may come as a shock to many of you, but the stuff your marketing department gives you as a great pitch on why your company and product is unique, is pretty much the same story that everyone else uses!
So the prospect is hearing the same features from everyone. All the product options seem to be the same. So what can they choose on? PRICE. It's all they have left! And let's face it, given two apparently identical products, who would buy the most expensive?
Oh yes, and for those of you who I can hear muttering, "but we talk about benefits, just like our marketing brochures say" Sorry, products don't have benefits. Benefit is what someone gets if they need it, buy it and correctly use it.
If your customers ask about price first it is because they have been "trained" by sales people over the years. Because we don't move the conversation in a different and better direction!
If you have a question about this in your industry, email your question in. Be sure to give as much information as possible about a real situation, not just theory or a fear you have about asking questions. Let's work on real stuff.
Do tell me who you are and what you sell. You will not only get answers, but also a link to your website. You never know when a prosect might be reading here as well.
Good selling
Tony Latimer
Asia's Sales Coach
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Help for the self employed sales person
OK, this blog does what it says on the tin. It is intended for those of you out there who just don't get enough help with selling. Think about it. Here in Asia there are huge numbers of self employed sales people, or employed but on practically or entirely a commission only basis (the insurance industry in tiny Singapore alone has 15,000 self employed sales agents).
Interesting fact: Companies tend to spend money on training their people in direct proportion to their perceived cost (i.e. salary). That is why the CEO gets a personal coach at around $800 per hour, but the poor old sales team gets begrudged a few hundred dollars per head for several days training.
When are they going to wake up and start calculating how much extra profit you make for them by just improving your sales performance by one extra deal per year! Who knows. But then again; who cares! Their loss is your gain. You can now get some help.
Unlike my regular sales tips newsletter, this blog will be shorter, crisper, more frequent; and most importantly we are not going to be inhibited by others opinions. If you want to express your feelings about the quality or lack of training you get from your company, feel free. I will give answers to good questions here and if a longer answer is needed then it will be turned into an article on the main newsletter (which you can also access through my company's main site).
So that is the introduction done. Over to you. What are the burning questions you have or the biggest problems you face in your selling career?
Interesting fact: Companies tend to spend money on training their people in direct proportion to their perceived cost (i.e. salary). That is why the CEO gets a personal coach at around $800 per hour, but the poor old sales team gets begrudged a few hundred dollars per head for several days training.
When are they going to wake up and start calculating how much extra profit you make for them by just improving your sales performance by one extra deal per year! Who knows. But then again; who cares! Their loss is your gain. You can now get some help.
Unlike my regular sales tips newsletter, this blog will be shorter, crisper, more frequent; and most importantly we are not going to be inhibited by others opinions. If you want to express your feelings about the quality or lack of training you get from your company, feel free. I will give answers to good questions here and if a longer answer is needed then it will be turned into an article on the main newsletter (which you can also access through my company's main site).
So that is the introduction done. Over to you. What are the burning questions you have or the biggest problems you face in your selling career?
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