Anyone who has been in sales for longer than 15 minutes has heard the phrase “buyers are liars” in reference to the games that prospects sometimes play to offset the tactics employed by sales people. I think the answer to the title question falls somewhere between absolute “fact” and total “fiction” depending upon how literal your definition of “lying.”
Most people are fundamentally honest but let’s examine how we all “manipulate” the truth on a regular basis. Let’s say you are 
eating at a restaurant in your local neighborhood when the manager approaches and says, “Is everything prepared to your satisfaction?” Even though the food might not be great most of us will instinctively reply with some version of “yes, it’s good” unless the food is cold or horribly undercooked, etc. The point is, that in the mind of the restaurant manager everything is fine and he moves on to the next table completely unaware that your true feelings about the experience may be more along the lines of “this really wasn’t a great meal, the service was just okay, and I doubt we will return.”
While the phenomenon may be painfully clear what can we do to solve it? It is no more complicated than taking the time to ask a few clarifying questions. In the case of the “restaurant manager” scenario what might the manager have asked to get more specific information? Asking a question along the lines of “thank-you, that is fantastic to hear, what could have made your experiece with our restaurant even better?” is a great way to start the process of “peeling back the onion” on what is really going on. In the case of the restaurant manager a few more questions might uncover a quality control issue that has popped up with a new line cook that he can quickly repair.
One of the most underappreciated qualities of great sales professionals is the ability to “push back” with a prospect or customer and ask some clarifying questions to challenge a statement like “we are happy with our current supplier.” While it is true that no one wins an argument with a customer, asking clarifying questions that allow the customer or prospect to “discover” they may have “exaggerated” a bit can result in more sales.
Chuck Terry is the Executive Vice President and CSO of Carew International and is regular contributor to Carew’s blog – Executive Insights
Carew International is a leader in sales training and leadership development; specializing in comprehensive, proven training programs for sales, sales management and customer service excellence. For over 30 years, Carew has earned its reputation of delivering increased productivity and profitability to our valued clients world wide.
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May 17, 2012
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Although math and science were far from my favorite subjects in school I did pay attention, particularly where I saw an application in the real world of business. One of the laws of physics that I have used throughout my professional career has been the formula for momentum. The equation is momentum equals mass times velocity or, more simply, momentum equals size multiplied by speed. Let’s examine how this simple law is applied with two essential elements of successful new business development.
Prospecting- In today’s world the cold call may not be dead but it is certainly not a great use of time. Referrals through networking are now the most effective means for growing your sales. Effective prospecting now requires mastery of both traditional networking and also networking through social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. In the blogs The New Direction of Prospecting and Social Selling I cover this topic more completely but the “physics equation” application is that momentum equals the mass (size of your personal and professional network)multiplied by the velocity (frequency of contact within your network). Said another way, the effectiveness of your networking is MULTIPLIED as your network grows and you spend more time communicating with them.
E-Mail Marketing- Getting your marketing message out to potential customers through a targeted e-mail campaign is an essential element of what marketing Guru Seth Godin calls Permission Marketing. Building a high quality e-mail list is critical to success and a primary function of a business’s web page is now to capture the e-mail address of interested visitors to the site. Once again momentum equals mass (the total number of quality e-mail addresses) times velocity (the speed and variety of what you communicate in your e-mails). While this may seem obvious it is amazing how many companies don’t fully capitalize on maximizing the efficiency of this medium.
I could certainly continue with examples of how you can maximize the “momentum” of your business development efforts through SEO optimization, blogging, etc. but I think the point has been made. When you maximize the mass and velocity of ANY new business development strategy you will multiply the amount of momentum you build in your efforts.
Chuck Terry is the Executive Vice President and CSO of Carew International and is regular contributor to Carew’s blog – Executive Insights
Carew International is a leader in sales training and leadership development; specializing in comprehensive, proven training programs for sales, sales management and customer service excellence. For over 30 years, Carew has earned its reputation of delivering increased productivity and profitability to our valued clients world wide.
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May 10, 2012
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We have all been influenced by inspirational leaders in our lives and perhaps you are an inspirational leader yourself. I have been fortunate enough to have worked for and been coached by leaders who were able to not only get my best but, in several cases, more than I thought I was capable of. Why is it that some leaders are able to get the absolute best out of those around them? In the blog Motivating Your Sales Team I wrote that people are not motivated by others they 
are motivated by themselves. Inspirational leaders inspire others to motivate themselves at the very highest level.
I would consider caring about the people you lead as an absolute given so I didn’t list it as a separate trait. With that said, in no particular order, here is my list of what I consider the top three traits of inspirational leaders.
Empathetic- Empathy doesn’t mean sympathy. Inspirational leaders can still make the tough calls when it is called for but also have a unique ability to empathize with their team. They are able to understand what is important to each individual at any given time and create a work environment that is most conducive for personal motivation. In some case that might be empowering team members and in others it may be removing some responsibility at the appropriate time. In the blog Perception is Reality I wrote more about the power of seeing things from the point of view of others.
Great Communicator- Not only are all the inspirational leaders I know great communicators but they are able to communicate in ways that uniquely impact each individual. At times it might be a stern conversation that challenges others to push a little harder and at times it might be a word of public recognition for going the extra mile. Inspirational leaders are able to flex their communication style to fit not only the situation but the individual as well.
Great Story Teller- Inspirational leaders have an amazing ability to tell compelling stories at exactly the right time that inspire others to achieve great things. In the blog The Leadership Imperative I devoted an entire blog to this subject alone. The art of storytelling can captivate the imagination and illustrate a vision in unique ways that others can relate to.
Chuck Terry is the Executive Vice President and CSO of Carew International and is regular contributor to Carew’s blog – Executive Insights
Carew International is a leader in sales training and leadership development; specializing in comprehensive, proven training programs for sales, sales management and customer service excellence. For over 30 years, Carew has earned its reputation of delivering increased productivity and profitability to our valued clients world wide.
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May 2, 2012
Short URL better sales, better selling, Business, Business Growth, Business skills, close more sales, Customer Relationships, Effective Presentations, improved sales, Leadership, leadership ideas, Leadership traits, Motivation, professional training, Sales Force Management, Sales Leadership, Sales Management, sales management training, sales mentor, sales success, Sales Team, Sales Training, Selling, selling skills Building Company Morale, Business, Business Presentations, Creating Value through the sales team, customers, Effective Presentations, positive energy, Sales, Sales and Leadership Insights, sales growth, Sales Management, Sales Presentations
eating at a restaurant in your local neighborhood when the manager approaches and says, “Is everything prepared to your satisfaction?” Even though the food might not be great most of us will instinctively reply with some version of “yes, it’s good” unless the food is cold or horribly undercooked, etc. The point is, that in the mind of the restaurant manager everything is fine and he moves on to the next table completely unaware that your true feelings about the experience may be more along the lines of “this really wasn’t a great meal, the service was just okay, and I doubt we will return.”
While the phenomenon may be painfully clear what can we do to solve it? It is no more complicated than taking the time to ask a few clarifying questions. In the case of the “restaurant manager” scenario what might the manager have asked to get more specific information? Asking a question along the lines of “thank-you, that is fantastic to hear, what could have made your experiece with our restaurant even better?” is a great way to start the process of “peeling back the onion” on what is really going on. In the case of the restaurant manager a few more questions might uncover a quality control issue that has popped up with a new line cook that he can quickly repair. 
