Avoid Words and Phrases that are Sure to Cause Resistance by Art Sobczak

Greetings!

It's difficult enough generating interest on calls, yet many salespeople make it worse by saying things that are sure to create resistance.

While fine-tuning my own openings and sales presentations, and those of sales reps at seminars and workshops, I not only look for words and phrases that will create interest, I try to screen out anything high on the P.R.C. Scale-- that's the Potentially Resistance-Creating Scale.

In opening statements, for example, your goal is to create interest, and spark desire in them to want to continue the conversation. It's all very forward-moving. Anything that could potentially create resistance blows your tires out before you leave the garage. Even if you spark some interest, the resistance might overwhelm it.

Here are words and phrases to avoid, all high on the P.R.C. Scale.

Telling People What They Should Do, Know, Or Think.

For example, "And I'm sure you're aware..."

"Of course you'll agree..."

"And I'm sure you're certainly familiar with us..."

As I was sitting here tapping away at my computer, a call center rep trying to push corporate credit cards called and launched into her pitch:

"... and of course you have read about our credit card in the top business magazines and seen the TV commercials on CNBC and Fox Business..."

I nosed in, saying, "No."

She asked, "No, you didn't hear about it, or no, you don't want it?"

"Both," I replied.


Making Unsubstantiated Puffed-Up Claims That Create Doubt.

Buyers are skeptical. Many are just downright negative, looking for the downside of everything.

Therefore when prospects hear claims that could be questioned, they are often treated with a raised eyebrow.

For example, "We're the top company..."

"We're the leading supplier of..."

"We're the most respected distributor..."

If it's important, and it's true, back up your claims.

"According to the Independent Testing Association, we're the supplier with the highest rating in the area regarding order fill rates, meaning you have the best chance with us of getting the parts you require, the day you need them, without having to wait for backorders."


Using Technical Jargon.

Granted, you might need to get into technical specs--with some people. Others don't care how the drill was wired; they buy it because it feels good in their hand.

Once you've lost someone by speaking in terms they don't understand, they might feel it's not worth the hassle to go back and get clarification. This obviously derails the forward-momentum process. Using techie terms also might cause the other person to feel ignorant or inferior.

While I was shopping for a small video camera, the techno-wizard sales clerk spewed babble that was atmospheres over my head. He lost me. I nodded in mock agreement, but he might as well have been speaking Swahili.

I just wanted to know if I could get good quality video suitable for the web with a variety of available lighting in typical office settings. (He didn't get the sale.)

Immediately Talking About Products/Services/Company In The Opening.

"... and I'm calling today to introduce our company and products to you."

Buyers only care about the RESULTS of what you are or have.


Saying You're Calling To "Tell Them" Something.

Give yourself extra P.R.C. points if used in conjunction with the previous point. As in,

"... and I'"m calling today to tell you about our products ..."

Using "Eraser" Words.

These erase the impact of what preceded them in a sentence, and include "but" and "however."

A sales rep said to a customer, "Well, yes we do have a better price, but you'll have to buy two cases to get it."

Instead, use "and" in place of the eraser:

"Yes, you can get the better price, a discount of 15%, by getting two cases."

Scrutinize the words you use like a lawyer picking apart clauses in a contract. Ask, "Is there anything here that someone could potentially resist, or object to?"

If so, slice it out. You'll find your calls progressing more smoothly and quickly.

Continue having your best sales week ever!

About the Author:
Art Sobczak, President of Business By Phone Inc., specializes in one area only: working with business-to-business salespeople--both inside and outside--designing and delivering content-rich programs that participants begin showing results from the very next time they get on the phone. Audiences love his "down-to-earth,"entertaining style, and low-pressure, easy-to-use, customer oriented ideas and techniques. He works with thousands of sales reps each year helping them get more businesses by phone. Art provides real world, how-to ideas and techniques that help salespeople use the phone more effectively to prospect, sell, and service, without morale-killing "rejection." Using the phone in sales is only difficult for people who use outdated, salesy, manipulative tactics, or for those who aren't quite sure what to do, or aren't confident in their abilities. Art's audiences always comment how he simplifies the telesales process, making it easily adaptable for anyone with the right attitude.

Contact Info
Art Sobczak
Business By Phone Inc.
13254 Stevens St.
Omaha, NE, 68137
402-895-9399
ArtS@BusinessByPhone.com
http://smart-calling.com/

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Managing a Prima Donna in Business to Business Sales
by Kevin Davis

Most sales managers I know have a love/hate relationship with the prima donnas on their sales teams. They love the star player’s passion and hard work. They hate the self-centered behaviors that demoralize or discourage the rest of the team.

That leaves sales managers with a dilemma: If they come down hard on a prima donna, that salesperson may just take his/her talents elsewhere. Not good. But a sales manager can’t afford to ignore the situation, either, because prima donnas are often engaged in behaviors detrimental to the team.

A simple truth in sales management is that what you don’t confront, you condone.

What can you do then? At least part of the solution is for you to look in the mirror and ask, “What possible role did I have in allowing this situation to develop?” And, more importantly, “What changes do I need to make as a leader, going forward, to take advantage of my best people without letting them turn into prima donnas?”

In answering the first question, many sales managers admit that they have taken a hands-off approach with their prima donnas, simply leaving them alone for weeks or months at a time. “Hands off” is a nicer way of saying a “lack of management.”

The sales managers will also admit that often they don’t communicate performance expectations, or set standards, on anything other than production. And a “standard” is only a standard if you coach to it on an on-going basis. So, naturally, your top producers (and everyone else on the team) think that sales production is the only thing you care about.

To change the environment that created the prima donna, start by making a list of specific inter-personal “success attributes” that you would like your entire team to adopt. It’s easy to do if you think about what your prima donnas are doing that you don’t like, and write down the opposite behaviors!

Some that I came up with are to “criticize privately, compliment publicly,” “attempt to solve problems yourself before seeking help,” and “Supports others in their attempts to deal with change.” See, it’s easy.

Share this list of “success attributes” with your team, starting with the prima donna. Explain to the prima donna that you’d like him or her to take a leadership role in adopting these behaviors as an example for the team, because everyone looks up to them.

At least, that’s what you tell the prima donna. And don’t worry that they will see through what you’re trying to do! People with bad attitudes don’t usually recognize it in themselves. They are almost always blind to the ways that their own behavior is disruptive to others.

I’m suggesting that you can use their ignorance to your advantage. Don’t tell them that they, personally, exhibit these behaviors. Instead, talk individually to a prima donna about how these new success attributes would be important for the entire team to adopt.

Afterwards, talk about the attributes with the rest of the team.

If you still have problems with the prima donna after you’ve taken both of these steps, you need to escalate.

Have a heart-to-heart positive confrontation with your prima donna. Provide specific examples of their detrimental behavior and discuss its impact on the rest of the team. Then ask them, “if roles were reversed, how would they feel to be on the receiving end of that behavior?” Communicate the importance of team work, and the important role that they have in the overall performance of the team. Be very clear and specific about your expectations of their personal behavior going forward.

Passionate, hardworking, experienced and talented people deserve to be treated, in some ways, differently. They consider this special treatment a form of recognition. But in other ways—determined by you—they must be treated exactly the same as everybody else.

As a sales manager, the challenges you face are entirely different from the challenges you faced when you were a sales representative. But if you want to create an elite high-performance sales team you must step- up, and overcome this problem. You must actively manage this situation, and manage everyone on your team to your expectations—
even a peak performing Prima Donna!

In so doing, you communicate to your entire team that success is more than a number. Now, that’s Sales Management Leadership!

About The Author:

Kevin Davis, president of TopLine Leadership, is the author of Slow Down, Sell Faster! Understand Your Customer’s Buying Process and Maximize Your Sales, available wherever books are sold. His company provides custom workshops based on the “Slow Down, Sell Faster!” sales model, as well as a Sales Management Leadership workshop for sales managers. Contact Kevin through his website at www.toplineleadership.com.

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