I recently came across a great article by sales blogger Art Sobczak in which he writes about his “unbreakable” rules of sales. Like personal beliefs and guidelines, sales rules may vary from person to person, and for others’ consideration, Sobczak shares his own list:
- Never start a call without a Primary Objective, which is defined as, “What do I want this person to DO at the end of this call?”
- Always treat screeners with respect. Treat them as you would the buyer.
- Always have a “value statement” in an opening statement. It must answer “What’s in it for me?” for the listener.
- Always get them talking as quickly as possible after your opening.
- Never think about presenting a product, service, or what you can do without questioning first.
- Don’t agree to a follow-up call unless you get a commitment from them as well.
- Never wonder later if you should have asked for the sale; If you’re hearing agreement signals, ask.
- Always listen more than you talk.
- Never dial the phone until you have planned exactly what you’ll say in your opening, voice mail message, and have prepared your first several questions and your responses to their possible answers.
Do you have a set of guidelines that you strongly adhere to each time you sell? Do you agree or disagree with any of Sobczak’s rules?
Friday, Jul 31, 2009
Jessica Helinski