Winners win

Here is a 20 point list that discerns the difference between winners and losers. You can learn why winners win and losers lose very quickly by checking this list.

1. Winners have dogged determination. Losers lack the ability to see any project through to a satisfactory conclusion.
2. Winners never give up, give in or surrender. Losers quit the moment things get the slightest bit difficult.
3. Winners make exceptional use of available time. Losers waste time engaging in useless activities.
4. Winners plan and map their route to success. Losers consider plans belong to builders and maps belong in glove-boxes.
5. Winners take responsibility for all outcomes. Losers shun responsibility and prefer to place blame on others.
6. Winners commence a task at the earliest opportunity. Losers procrastinate, delay and run out of time.
7. Winners learn from their own mistakes and the experience of others. Losers make the same mistakes over and over again.
8. Winners are committed to projects. Losers display whimsical interest.
9. Winners make things happen. Losers watch things happen.
10. Winners are pro-active. Losers are re-active.
11. Winners have vision and imagination. Losers are backward looking and lack initiative.
12. Winners encourage and inspire others. Losers criticize and ridicule others.
13. Winners are methodical and organized. Losers are haphazard and slipshod.
14. Winners seek information and embrace new knowledge. Losers ignore better methods, concepts and ideas.
15. Winners ask: "How can I do that?" Losers state: "How do you expect me to do that?"
16. Winners invest in income producing assets. Losers waste money on depreciating consumer goods.
17. Winners develop 5, 10, 20, 30 years of experience. Losers repeat one year of experience 5, 10, 20, 30 times.
18. Winners continually push existing limits and boundaries. Losers feel comfortable operating below their self-imposed ceilings.
19. Winners take calculated risks. Losers take hazardous gambles.
20. Winners are inspired to do more to be more. Losers conspire to do less and not be noticed.

The Successful Sales Call

ENSURING A SUCCESSFUL SALES CALL

It's always good to have a plan for your sales visits that can serve as a quick reminder of the essentials. You can use this checklist as a review before and after each sales call to make sure you cover all the bases. Leaving a sales call and wishing you had remembered to ask a specific question or show the prospect another product idea is a horrible feeling; using this checklist may help you avoid that. Edit this list based on the type of sales cycle you're involved in.

Sales Call Checklist:-

 Preparation Prior to Sales Call

• Research the account prior to the call?
• Learn something about the person and their business before the meeting?
• Send an outline of the agenda to the client before the meeting?
• Have three value-added points prepared?
• Bring all materials, brochures, contracts, etc.?
• Answer the three important pre-call questions:
  A. What is the goal of the call?
  B. What do I need to find out during the call?
  C. What's the next step after the call?

Greeting and Introduction

·         Observe the prospect's office décor (e.g., trophies, awards, pictures and so on)?

• Find out about the prospect's personal interests, hobbies, family and so on?
• Find out the names of contacts in the account and write them down?
• Bridge to the business topic smoothly?
• Listen more than I speak? (Ideally, you should spend 80 percent of your time listening and only 20 percent talking.)
• Ask the customer about their business goals?
• Ask the customer what challenges the company is facing?

Qualifying

·         Find out who the decision-makers are by asking "Who else besides yourself might be involved in the decision-making process?"

• Ask what process they normally go through when considering a new vendor?
• Find out how and why they made the decision for their current product or service (assuming they are replacing a product or service)?
• Find out what their time frame is?
• Find out if funds have been allocated--and how much?
• Find out their specific needs?
• Ask if they could change something about their product or service, what would it be?

Surveying

·         Ask open-ended questions (who, what, where, when, why, how, how much, tell me about it, describe for me)?

• Ask about the corporate structure?
• Ask about the prospect's role at the company?
• Ask what's important to them?
• Ask what's interesting to them and then focus on that?
• Ask what risks they perceive?
• Ask how we can help solve their problems?
• Ask what they think about our company?
• Ask what they like and dislike about their current vendor?
• Ask how industry trends are affecting them?
• Ask "what if?" questions?
• Ask what they would like to see from a vendor and salesperson in the area of support after the sale?
• Ask what their short-term and long-term goals are?
• Ask how I can become their most valued vendor?
• Ask what is our next step?
• Establish a specific follow-up schedule?
• Parrot the prospect to encourage him to expand, elaborate and go into detail about each answer?

Handling Objections

·         Listen to the entire objection?

• Pause for three seconds before responding?
• Remain calm and not defensive?
• Meet the objection with a question in order to find out more?
• Restate the objection to make sure we agreed (communication)?
• Answer the objection?
• Complete the six-step process?
  1. Listen
  2. Define
  3. Rephrase
  4. Isolate
  5. Present solution
  6. Close (or next step)

Presentation

·         Prioritize the prospect's needs?

• Talk about benefits to the customer?
• Use layman's terms?
• Link the benefit to the prospect's needs?
• Verify each need before moving on?
• Present myself, company and product in a positive light?
• Re-establish rapport?
• Ask if anything changed since our last meeting?
• Pre-commit the prospect?
• Give a general overview of the product or service?
• Keep the presentation focused on the customer's needs?
• Involve the customer in the presentation?
• Summarize the prospect's needs and how our product or service meets those needs?

Closing

·         Get the customer to identify all possible problems that might be solved by my product or service?

• Get the customer to identify the value of solving the identified problems?
• Get agreement that the proposed solution provides the values identified?
• Ask for the order ("Why don't we go ahead with this?")?

Customer Maintenance

• Write thank you letters for appointments, orders and so on?
• Earn the right to ask for reference letters and referrals?
• Establish a schedule for follow-up calls and customer visits?
• Ask for referrals ("Do you know three people who could benefit from my product and service like you did?")?
• Send thank you notes to lost accounts?
• Ask what are three important things we can do as a vendor to keep our relationship strong?

This checklist will help you stay focused. Every time you schedule a sales call, run through this list before-hand to make sure you're prepared--and after the visit to see what you can do next time to make the call run more smoothly and increase your chances of success.