The Sandler Selling Method of Reversing

September 6th, 2010

The Sandler strategy of reversing – answering a question with a question – is one of the more powerful tools of the Sandler Selling System…if used correctly. It enables you to get below the surface of the prospect’s questions, which can take you off track and stall the selling process. Additionally, it allows you to move a conversation in a particular direction, giving you more control over the situation. Also, reversing enables you to plant ideas or “seeds of doubt” without being obvious. Read More

Increase Momentum, Increase Sales

August 30th, 2010

How do you achieve increasingly greater results in shorter periods of time? ………….  Momentum.

What is momentum? The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as “The product of a body’s mass and linear velocity; the force of motion.” When you put things in motion, whether it’s whacking a tennis ball with the racquet or starting a business project, you create momentum. How much momentum you create often determines your ultimate success. Read More

Divide Your Selling Process into Two Phases

August 23rd, 2010

From a big-picture perspective, the selling process can be divided into two broad phases — the Qualifying Phase and the Closing Phase. Read More

3 Bridges you Need to Burn to be Sucessful

August 16th, 2010

“Don’t burn your bridges” reminds you to make sure that you can always go back the way you came. Perhaps to get a reference or a referral from a former prospect, or maybe even go back to work for a company with whom you once worked. This can be good and practical advice. In business today, you need all the allies you can get. Read More

Selling with a System

August 9th, 2010

A sales system is a repeatable process that provides consistent results. Sales people that have them can lay out their sales process and what likely results will come of it. Usually, that is a series of steps followed by a yes or no decision on buying the product or service. The problem is that few sales people have a system. They might have a general outline and an idea of what they’re looking for, but not a system. Have a selling system and follow it, otherwise selling defaults to the prospect’s system which is never efficient and rarely beneficial. Read More

If the Competition is Doing It, Stop

August 2nd, 2010

Successful salespeople are often experts at differentiating themselves from the competition. This isn’t a coincidence. It’s vital because if the prospect has no way of differentiating between sales people, they’ll default to their tried and true method, price. Poor and mediocre salespeople are the ones that cut their price and try to low ball a deal. Successful sales professionals avoid the situation and when circumstances place them in that battle, they usually walk away. So as a rule of thumb, if the competition is doing it, do something else. Read More

The Tipping Point in the Sandler Selling System

July 26th, 2010

Where is the tipping point in a sale?

In traditional selling, the close is the tipping point.  It is relied on as the crucial element that makes or breaks a sale.  Books have been published, articles written, and presentations made to illustrate the many hundreds of closes.  Each is trumpeted as a powerful solution to concluding a sale successfully.  Examples include: Impending Event Close (“the price is going up on Monday”), Ben Franklin Close (“let’s decide this in the same way that a great American made decisions”), Puppy Dog Close (“just hold this and get the feel of it, I know you’ll love it”), God Close (“it’s not between you and me if you buy it, it’s between you and your Maker”), Better Alternative Close (“do you want this delivered on Wednesday or Friday?”), Yes-Yes-Yes Close (get them to say yes to a series of questions  to form the habit), and Enlightened Path Close (“if I can show you a way”).  They all make us wince because of their artificiality.  They all reek of “sales-y-ness.”  Rather than being unique intellectual ploys, they are shallow traps.  Closes like this are a sure giveaway that the salesperson is manipulating the prospect. Read More

Commit to Sales

July 19th, 2010

Being committed takes all the questions out of an activity. If you aren’t committed to doing something, then you always have one eye on your emergency exit while doing it. It leaves an out that ultimately will be a major distraction because you are looking for signs that you aren’t going to succeed… and the second you see one, you begin leaning toward your exit plan. This is a sure recipe for disaster in sales. Read More

Twelve Sandler Steps to Sales Success

July 12th, 2010

This is a collection of twelve simple steps all salespeople should live by.

1.  Being genuinely interested in your prospect’s personal and professional opinions will do as much (perhaps more) to develop rapport as identifying his personality style or discovering if he is a football, baseball, or hockey fan. Read More

Sandler’s Behavior, Attitude & Techniques

July 5th, 2010

Whatever we do, whenever we interact with the world, we do so through our attitude, behavior and technique.

As managers, we must get to know our salespeople well enough to be conscious of how these three dimensions may appear to prospects and how they may affect the sales efforts of our salespeople. And that’s not always easy. After all, when we attempt to understand any of these traits, we quickly move into the realm of psychology or the social sciences. But there’s nothing to fear if we keep it simple. Read More