Why asking “I am curious” is disingenuous I’ve talked before about the need for salespeople to be curious, so it may come as a surprise when I tell you not to say you’re curious. To be curious is a mind set. To say, “By the way, I’m curious,” is another thing entirely that can feel disingenuous because the question is hiding a deeper motivation, and … Read more
4 Ways to Ensure Asking Questions is not an Interrogation I recently talked about the need to use a checklist during your sales calls. A checklist of questions will help guide and bring purpose to your sales conversations, but it does bring a risk of sounding like an interrogation. We discussed this issue in one of my recent Software Sales Bootcamps. #1 Pay Attention You … Read more
The Open Diagnostic Probe in the Perfect Discovery Call The open diagnostic probe serves as an alternative to a premature presentation. Presenting too early directs the conversation to the seller’s solution and almost always leads to a premature disqualification by the buyer. A generic presentation convinces the buyer that seller’s solution is not a fit for their unique, specific needs. Instead, asking the buyer to … Read more
A Holiday Reminder of the Mutual Agenda I was wrapping gifts for the holidays and received a large box with several gifts from one store for my wife. As I wrapped them, I said, “Boy I really need some gift boxes. These are hard to wrap without gift boxes.” As I reached for the last gift, it was not a gift, but a bunch of … Read more
What to Say if a Sales Call is Not Going Well What to say if a sales call is not going well. Extensive review of sales recordings proves that most buyers willingly put a need on the table when you start a sales call with a Mutual Agenda. In those rare cases where they do not, it is effective to say something like: “I am … Read more
Zombie Sales Deals: Dead & Still on Your Forecast Zombies are terrifying because they can’t die, they don’t know they’re a problem, and they can take you down with them. A zombie sales deal might not be quite as scary, but having too many of them on your forecast and on your mind can hurt both you and your company. What do I mean by a … Read more
The Surprising Power of Questions “Top-performing salespeople ask questions differently…” This is a quote from The Surprising Power of Questions by Alison Wood Brooks and Leslie John, Harvard Business Review May-June 2018. The quote is based on analysis of call recordings by Gong, a tech company that provides a sales call recording and analysis tool. The article is packed with research by various groups on … Read more
Start a Sales Call Strong Mutual Agenda The first step in the Software Selling System is to establish a Mutual Agenda. This sales tip is a quick reminder of the five elements of this sales skill. Timeframe Begin by confirming how much time both parties have for the conversation. The Buyer’s Goal for this Conversation Ask the buyer what their goals are for this conversation. … Read more