sales tips Archives

Follow the Sales Cycle EXACTLY! Here’s Why…

For the best results, it is important to know and follow the sales cycle exactly as it is written. Overall, most of you agree on and implement certain steps at the right time. But as some go along in their careers, they start to relax and do their own thing…

Then, they wonder why their sales are inconsistent!

That is because the sales cycle builds upon itself. Jumping around or not fully completing steps weakens your position with the customer…

AS A RESULT, SALESPEOPLE WHO DO THIS HAVE THEIR CLOSING RATIO AND COMMISSIONS SUFFER.

For that reason, I decided it would be helpful to explain the theory behind the steps of the sale. And, why they are laid out in that particular order.

After all, knowing why something is the way it is creates more certainty and understanding about it.

So, let’s get into it so you can start making it work for you.

The Sales Cycle in Order (And Why Each Step Counts)

As I mentioned, simply knowing or going through the motions of the sales process is not enough. That’s why the number one requirement for sales training should be knowing those steps like the back of your hand…

AND IN THE PROPER SEQUENCE!

Take a minute to review the video below if you have any doubt that you can. (Or, feel free to refresh and test your memory.)

Now that we have that out of the way, we can break down the sales cycle into its nuts and bolts…

Greeting

Look, I am not going to insult your intelligence by overexplaining this one…

You greet the customer first because it would be awkward to do it in the middle of a conversation!

That being said, that does not mean you half-ass the customer greeting.

Do it with a great attitude, full attention, and intention, then move to the next point in the process.

Fact-Finding

At this point in the sales cycle, the order of the steps becomes absolutely non-negotiable…

Because if you miss or mess up the qualifying stage you’ll either:

Select the wrong product for the buyer and have to re-present. (Best-case scenario)
Frustrate the prospect — as well as yourself — and lose the sale.

Additionally, trying to fact-find later in the game makes people feel like they are not being heard — which affects rapport.

Once you flesh this out, it’s time to build value.

Product Demonstration

I already stated that you present your product after fact-finding so you show the buyer the right one for them. But, there is another advantage to this step’s position…

YOU KNOW WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO THE CUSTOMER AND THEREFORE CAN SHORTEN THE SALES CYCLE!

That means more deals inked in less time. And who wouldn’t want that?

Just make sure that you are highlighting what the client has told you they need, and you’ll be golden.

Then, you are going to start making things official with the prospect…

Proposal

The issue most salespeople have with this part of the sales process is not doing it at the wrong time…

BUT RATHER NOT DOING IT AT ALL.

The reality is that you should write up a proposal for every person who you attempt to sell to.

For one, people believe what they see, not what they hear. A sales proposal lays out all the terms of the deal and helps the customer feel confident in buying.

On the other side of that, this is ideally done after you’ve shown them the correct inventory. After all, a proposal for something that won’t solve the problem is worthless…

Also, in contrast to popular belief, you write up your terms before the negotiations in the sales cycle.

Let’s go into further detail about why…

Negotiations & Close

Throughout the early stages of the sales process, it is all about emotion and excitement to get your customer to close.

But during the negotiations and close, it is strictly calm logic. All of this is reflected in the rules for handling objections in negotiations.

AND YOUR PROPOSAL IS YOUR GREATEST WEAPON AT THIS PHASE OF THE SALES CYCLE.

Your write-up has all the relevant terms of the deal — which justifies the price. This also gives the customer and yourself room to add or remove product features while saving face.

At the end of the day, you are trying to help your buyer solve a problem.

Sometimes, you need to tweak the terms to get the deal done. A well-written proposal just makes that an easier and smoother process.

Although this has covered the entire theory behind the sales process’s order, there’s one more thing…

The root cause of why sales professionals don’t adhere to it.

Why Sales Rookies& Professionals Alike Switch Around the Sales Cycle

There are only a couple of reasons why you would not follow the road to the sale as it is laid out…

You don’t know the order of the sales cycle.
Or, you are weak in several areas of it so neglect them.

The solution to both of these problems is a strong sales training curriculum. Even if you learn these fundamentals at the beginning of your career…

You need to refresh yourself continually to stay on the top of your game.

With that in mind, Cardone University has built-in accountability and a gradual increase in difficulty. This makes it ideal for wherever you are in your sales career.

Nevertheless, sales is a teachable skill and produces predictable results if you follow the well-known path.

Do that and you’ll be great.

— Grant Cardone

Disclaimer: This content is intended to be used for educational and informational purposes only. Individual results may vary. You should perform your own due diligence and seek the advice from a professional to verify any information on our website or materials that you are relying upon if you choose to make an investment or business decision. Investment, real estate, and business involve great risk and there is no guarantee of performance or results.

We are not attorneys, investment advisers, accountants, tax professionals or financial advisers and any of the content presented should not be taken as professional advice. We recommend seeking the advice of a financial professional before you invest, and we accept no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage you may incur.

Tired Of Sweating the Cold Call? Do This.

by Grant Cardone

Cold calls have turned into one of the most hated ways to contact new leads in business…

But the truth is at some point in your career you’re going to need to talk to a stranger cold.

That’s guaranteed.

The only reason people are afraid to make the cold call is because they don’t know what they’re doing. You’re scattered when you don’t have structure when making a call.

But when you’re not scared to hit the phones…

You can only increase your chances of growing sales and becoming the best salesperson you can be.

Now…

Are you ready to master the cold call?

Why The Cold Call?

I find it insane that so many people are terrified of the cold call when all you’re doing is calling a new potential customer.

They’re just not expecting it.

In reality, the only reason we think calling someone out of the blue is awful is because growing up we are taught that…

We have to be quiet…

We can’t bother anyone…

And especially not to talk to strangers.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret…

THE TOP TRAIT OF SUCCESSFUL, EFFECTIVE SALESPEOPLE IS THEIR ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO CALL STRANGERS.

And I’ll be the one to say it. Cold-calling someone without a plan is going to feel much colder than talking to a stranger on the street.

Not only does fear get in the way of the call, but a lot of sales reps will underestimate the power of a good cold call.

Even if you don’t close, an effective conversation over the phone will help you:

Learn who’s the decision maker in the company
Figure out what the prospect needs/wants
Set an appointment

You can do all of this and, with good sales training, get closer to closing over the phone.

But before you can do that…

You need a strategy for the cold call.

The Game Plan

The cold call process has five elements that when done correctly, will take you and the customer from cold to closing.

The sooner you begin to understand the process of a good phone call, you’ll be able to take hold of a client’s attention and point them toward the close.

The cold call process follows these five steps:

The Greeting
The Reason For Calling
Qualifying The Lead
Making The Appointment
Closing

During the greeting, you only want to say your first name and the office where you’re making the call. It’s essential to get these out of the way first, not just for manners, but to ensure your client isn’t hung up on who they’re talking to.

Next, avoid the small talk and tell them the reason for calling as soon as you can. Here, you can cut to the chase and make a big claim about what you’re selling so you can catch the client’s attention immediately.

Then, qualify the lead. Here is where you’ll figure out what the customer wants or what problem they need solved. Bonus points if you find out who the decision maker in your customer’s business is…

(If it’s not who you’re talking to, you find out who wears the pants so you can actually close the deal)

As soon as you can, you want to make the appointment. This way you can move along the sales cycle and create a sense of urgency for your client. Always offer to meet the same day so you can convince them why they NEED your product.

Then comes every salesperson’s favorite part: Closing. Ultimately, the better you get at the cold call, the more likely you are to close over the phone. Simple as that.

Hit The Phones

I’m going to keep it real…

Mastering the cold call is not something that is going to happen overnight…

And it’s definitely not something that’s going to happen after your first call.

The more you can practice the call and drill down the essential parts of the process, the easier it gets over time…

AND THE BETTER YOU’LL BE AT SALES.

Mastering the cold call is not easy, but thankfully, I have an entire course about it on Cardone University, for anyone who wants to strengthen that muscle.

To become the best salesperson on your team, it’s essential to know how to handle cold calls. I promise you with consistent effort and discipline…

It’ll become as easy as picking up the phone.

Be Great,

Grant Cardone

Disclaimer: This content is intended to be used for educational and informational purposes only. Individual results may vary. You should perform your own due diligence and seek the advice from a professional to verify any information on our website or materials that you are relying upon if you choose to make an investment or business decision. Investment, real estate, and business involve great risk and there is no guarantee of performance or results.

We are not attorneys, investment advisers, accountants, tax professionals or financial advisers and any of the content presented should not be taken as professional advice. We recommend seeking the advice of a financial professional before you invest, and we accept no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage you may incur.

7 Lead Response Strategy Mistakes

by Grant Cardone

Every day, businesses miss out on sales because a salesperson didn’t follow up with their leads or they forgot to give the prospect the information they wanted. I see it happen time and time again. You have to be on top of your lead responses every single day to ensure you convert 100% of your leads. Increase your chances of winning over leads by NOT making these seven lead response strategy mistakes.

1. Slow Responses

Studies suggest that more than anything else, there’s one thing that can get you to be more effective with a digital response. You have a 100% better chance at converting a lead online with speed. Speed is power. Respond to your lead and do it quickly.

2. No Defined Follow-Up Process

The way you respond the second time to a prospect should be different from the first. Figure out your follow-up schedule, how you will contact them, what will you communicate, how will you approach your prospect and so on. Having a solid process gives your team predictability, consistency and allows you to scale.

3. Assuming Your Lead Has Not Done Their Homework

Always assume your new leads have done their homework and are ready to buy. They read product reviews, company reviews, see your competition, and have questions, etc. Focus on correcting misconceptions: what they know, what they think, what they don’t know, and what they’ve looked at and not looked at before you start to convince them of your product and company.

4. Not Giving The Info Requested

One of the biggest lead response mistakes you can make is not responding to their questions or providing them with the exact information they requested. People trust what they see, not hear; that’s why they search the internet. Online buyers are informed AND misinformed, so it’s your job to give them the detailed information they need to make the best buying decision.

5. Forget They Still Need To Be Sold

Remember, it takes about eight tries to get back into contact with your prospect after they have visited your website. You cannot just throw an ad up online, hoping for a flood of leads to come in, respond to them once and think the job is done. People still need to be sold. To be sold, the prospect must be reassured and convinced they’re making the right decision at the right time.

6. Assuming The Lead Is The Decision Maker

Assume that there is more than one person based on the one lead. Maybe someone in their environment is interested in your product/service. Find out who the decision-maker or influencer is. Companies that have 100 – 500 employees usually have up to 7 decision-makers. Know who has influence, who might influence the purchase or change the direction in some way.

7. Reply On Only One Form Of Communication

Use all the forms of communication out there; video, text, phone, email, DMs, and more. Find out a variety of ways you can locate your lead and follow up with them. Texting during a sales call can increase the closing ratio by 328%! Use every form of communication possible.

If you want to increase your closing rates by improving your lead response strategy, check out my Internet Lead Response Strategies course in Cardone University.

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