Bill Rice Internet Marketing > Quick Sales Tips

12 Open-ended Questions That Close Deals

October 14, 2011 by

My dad loves this classic advice and quotes it often:

“We have two ears on one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

~Epictetus (Greek philosopher)

Sales folks always struggle with listening more than we talk. But, it’s not really our fault. When was the last time that you had a sales prospect that started out in a chatty mood?

Listen dont talk

There is a way though. It just takes right open-ended questions, in the right order and you can get your foot in the door and your prospect talking there way into a sale.

In my experience, the key to getting a new prospect to open up is as simple as asking them about themselves. Long live narcissism! We’ve all got a touch of it…use it.

Questions that Qualify Prospects

I hate to say this (it sounds so shallow), but the worst sales conversation to find yourself in is one with a talker that is definitely not a qualified prospect. Admit it. We’ve all been trapped here.

That’s why I always try to start with an open-ended question that gives me some immediate qualifying signals. Here are a few I like to use.

  1. In an ideal world what would this [insert product or project] do for you?
  2. What parts of getting [insert product or project] concern/worry you the most?
  3. We’re all trying to get fast results. When do you think you will be ready to get [insert product or project]?
  4. What are your initial thoughts on [insert product or project]?

Questions that Establish Rapport, Trust, and Credibility

After you’re pretty sure this is a live one, it’s time to put on the charm…or more importantly let them love the attention you’re giving them.

  1. What put you in the position to lead this important initiative?
  2. How do we really make this a shining success on your resume?
  3. How will this project be measured and prioritized versus others?
  4. What frustrates you the most about the current state?

Questions that Gather Information

Okay, you have a qualified prospect and they know your listening and care; it’s time to get the information you need to close the deal.

  1. What prompted you to put this at the top of your priority list?
  2. What are the top three must haves to make this a success?
  3. What’s the internal process to make your project a high-profile focus?
  4. What have been the biggest stumbling blocks to new initiatives in the past?

You have the questions to open up a great conversation. Now silence your urge to lead, prompt, or otherwise interrupt your prospects from giving you the keys and permission to close the deal.

One more great quote we in sales need to remember:

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

~George Bernard Shaw

What are some of the open-ended questions you use? Join the discussion in the comments.

Filed Under: Quick Sales Tips Tagged With: open-ended, questions, sales scripts, social selling


Sales Prospecting with Twitter

April 26, 2011 by

Quick Twitter Sales Tips

  1. Use Google Realtime Search
  2. Follow the Most Productive Twitter Users
  3. Search within the native Twitter interface
  4. Use Hootsuite (affiliate link) to manage prospects with Twitter Lists

Download Sales Prospecting for Twitter Cheat Sheets:

Filed Under: Quick Sales Tips Tagged With: prospecting, social selling, twitter


Wonder Why You Aren’t Hitting Your Sales Targets?

April 20, 2011 by
Winning More Sales with Lead Management

Winning More Sales with Lead Management

It’s really this simple…

  • 48% of sales people never follow up with a prospect
  • 25% of sales people make a second contact and stop
  • 12% of sales people only make three contacts and stop
  • Only 10% of sales people make more than three contacts

And here is the statistical path to sales success…

  • 2% of sales are made on the first contact
  • 3% of sales are made on the second contact
  • 5% of sales are made on the third contact
  • 10% of sales are made on the fourth contact
  • 80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact

Now THE question is how are you going to get there?

Here’s my suggestion, no My Guarantee–60 Day Money Back Guarantee:

Get Lead Management Software

Save yourself a click and call 855-868-7225 and find out more.

Filed Under: Featured, Quick Sales Tips Tagged With: lead management software, sales statistics, sales tip


Everyone Can Close More Sales, But Are You a Better Closer

April 13, 2011 by

Making sales easier

When I started BetterCloser.com, over five years ago, my intent was not to help people close more sales. Rather, my goal was to help make better sales people—better closers.

You see, closing more sales is not a terribly hard problem to solve. You can prospect more, call more, contact more. Simply increasing your volume of sales activity will increase anyone’s sales. The math works. More opportunities in, combined with more activity, will invariably kick out more sales.

However, if you walk around your sales floor and observe your top sales people you will probably notice a couple of things. They tend to…

  • Be more relaxed,
  • Smile frequently, and
  • Move at a steady cadence

This is the difference between more sales and a better closer. A better closer is consistently hitting the number and steadily build a business. Someone scrapping for more sales is simply trying to survive the month.

Here’s a peek into my formula for becoming a better closer:

  • Start your day in control and calmly. I suggest some quite time—time spent in prayer, meditation, exercise, or reading.
  • Add to your shared experiences (database). Prospects naturally gravitate and buy from people like them, people they like. The fastest way to do that is to do interesting things, read daily, and travel regularly.
  • Write daily. Nothing hones your sales skills like writing. It forces you to draft and practice very simple and clear communication. Write sales letters. Use them as call scripts or even try posting them on a blog or mailing them to prospects. You will be amazed.
  • Prospect daily. Prospecting consistently will take much of the roller coaster ride out of your sales pipeline. You should have a disciplined process of prospecting for sales. Know how to find them and get them initiated into your sales pipeline.
  • Make referrals fundamental. Again, this will smooth out the constant feast or famine in your sales pipeline. Asking for referrals doesn’t need to be pushy or needy. Simply asking, being approachable, and making it easy it usually all it takes to get a steady stream of referrals.
  • Talk to people. Every conversation doesn’t need to be about sales. However, every good conversation increases your chance of future sales.
  • Speak with respect, confidence, and optimism. No one likes negativity. Certainly, don’t bring it to your sales process.

What do you do to become a better closer?

 

Filed Under: Quick Sales Tips Tagged With: better closer, social selling


8 Tips For Better Negotiations

February 11, 2011 by
Sales Negotiations

Keep These Sales Negotations in Mind to Land More Deals.

The most successful negotiation techniques can be thought of as an art form. But one can master the strategies and processes involved, to eventually learn to possess negotions excellence. Here are 8 tips for better, stronger negotiations. You can also incorporate them as powerful sales tips. Sales negotiations research has proven this. Two top companies to learn more about these items are justsell.com and eyesonsales.com.

1. Always avoid “standard” boilerplate contracts. You will need to thoroughly read through your written contracts to make certain they are customized and particularized to your specific needs and desires. Standard contracts are inherently not favorable for you. They are always drafted by a company’s legal team and are always in favor of the main client. Look for alternative clauses and paragraphs you can put in for your best success. Ask an attorney if necessary.

2. Once you have your plan for the negotiations, always have a back up plan. Having this allows you to be prepared for most anything that may come up.

3. Realize your bottom line. This is important because if you can’t negotiate right up to your very bottom line, then you’re doing yourself an injustice and disservice. Once you know what the minimum is that you can happily and safely accept, stick to it and constantly strive towards it.

4. Find out the level of your opponent’s authority. Is someone over his head? Or is he at the very top of the negotiations ladder? Once you find this out, you can request to negotiate with some one who possesses the capacity to give you more of the leverage and benefits you’re contractually looking for.

5. Put it in writing. Oral contracts are practically worthless. Get the contract essentials down on paper first before you proceed any further.

6. Don’t ever negotiate against yourself. This means that you need to first wait for a response to your offer before your provide a second offer. Be patient and hear the other person out first before answering positively or negatively.

7. Make sure to ask exactly what you want. Know what it is you want and then don’t be shy. You must be assertive and actively pursue what you know is best and right for you.

8. Perform your due diligence. Make sure to research exactly what it is you’re looking for. Do the necessary legwork and paperwork before you come to the negotiation table. Always be prepared in every negotiations situation. You get prepared by doing your homework beforehand.

If you follow these 8 tips, you can be ensured you’ll have the best negotiations process possible.

Filed Under: Quick Sales Tips Tagged With: negotiating, negotiations, sales negotiations


Cold Calling is Easy if You….

February 7, 2011 by
Cold Calling

Simply Relax and Cold Calling Will Become So Much Easier.

A harsh reality for the sales professional is the necessity of cold calling. Having to cold call is like having to eat your vegetables as a kid. In order to grow big and strong in your profession you have to do it. So instead of making it something you dread, like eating your vegetables when you were a kid, put some ketchup on it and make cold calling fun. Yes fun. Once you make it fun you’ll find it one of the easiest parts of the job.

Relax!

Cold calling can be a lot of fun if your approach is relaxed. Forget your quota, forget the numbers, forget that you need to make president’s club to afford that vacation, and just clear your head of all those external pressures. You may not realize it, but all those pressures come through in your voice when you’re on a call. If you’re going door to door on cold calls, it will show in your voice and body language and that’s double trouble. This external stress translates into a more high pressure and anxious call directed at the prospect. The prospect can tell you’re thinking about what their business can mean to you and not necessarily how it can benefit them. This is no basis for a relationship and if you want to earn a prospect’s business, a solid relationship has to be established.

Once you free yourself to relax, you will come to realize that cold calling is a game. It’s a game about numbers and statistics. You will find out that no matter how good you are, there will always be those who will not take a meeting with you or say “yes” – ever. Instead of homing in on these objections, you will start giving yourself permission to quickly move on to the next call. Then it’s a game about who can get to the “yes” first.

Now some sales managers might frown on such an approach and hammer on and on about overcoming objections. However, a natural by-product of relaxing and allowing yourself to get through to the “yes” is that you will think more clearly during calls. You won’t be so anxious. You won’t be forcing yourself to think of what next to say. Instead, you will be free to focus more on your prospect and your listening skills will improve by leaps and bounds. This will lead naturally to an ability to think more clearly during those calls and overcome those objections.

Filed Under: Quick Sales Tips, Social Selling Tagged With: cold calling, cold calls


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