Wow, I struck a chord last week. About 10% of you responded in some way. Very cool. Last week we talked about the wisdom of living on purpose and staying in your strength zone. The second life changing principle I’ve learned from top producers is authentic engagement:
Top Producers are powerful one on one engagers:
In other words, they show up authentically and build trust and rapport with prospects before seeking to serve them.
Increasingly in these tough times, authentic engagers are getting the business because people are becoming more cynical. What use to work, aggressively pursuing deals with people you don’t know, is not very effective in this market…..We’ve been seeing a significant down turn in the response rates on direct mail and other direct response mediums across all financial services. Powerful one on one engagers make great impressions and then systematically add value by listening deeply for who a person is and what they most want.
The key is to show up fully present without pushing an agenda. Be genuinely interested and naturally curious. Let your curiosity drive the questions and become a world class listener. God gave you one mouth and two ears for a reason. Listen 80% of the time and talk 20%. If you speak more than they do, you lose. Hear what people are saying and what they are not saying. Only 20% of communication is words, 80% of body language, voice inflection and what their eyes are saying. Always remember this, “Listening provides ever present access to value.” -Coachu principle #1. When you are in the hands of a Top Producer, you are in the presense of greatness and you know it, because the conversation is fueling new possibility thinking, new insights and next steps.
Key Action:
I strongly recommend that all professionals, sales managers and owners read the Book Spin Selling by Neil Rackham.It is the most successful, documented and proven sales approach of all time…and here’s the good news, SPIN selling is not just for closing deals, it will help you become a more influential person. Spin is an acronym for asking Situational Questions, Problem Questions, Implication Questions and Needs Payoff/ROI Questions:
Having coached over 100 sales people in last three years, I have become a huge fan of SPIN selling and would entertain opportunities to coach you around implementation. The first step is to develop a list of questions for your ideal target market. I recommend coming up with 10 questions for each category or 40-total. Then practice, practice practice…..You can do some role playing, but the best way to learn is by doing……Just do it, put your self out there and you’ll grow in your comfort and confidence. Sales is more about finding needs and making your value proposition compelling, than it is selling features and benefits…..Learn to develop the compelling context (the big why behind using your service) and a compelling vision for the relationship, all before asking for the business and your close rate will soar.
I would be delighted to help you identify your SPIN selling questions for your target market and then role play with you. In the process of working together, I can help you ease into that ideal role and modality that brings more enjoyment, natural energy and results.