Turbocharge your sales

Seven strategies of sales champions

by Dan Kuschell

Those who love sales consistently outperform the sales wannabes and earn anywhere from five, 10, 20 and sometimes 100 times more money than others on the team.

What do they know that you don’t? How do they close the big deals with seemingly no effort? If you’re ready to join the ranks of the sales champions and increase your sales 200 percent in 30 days, then follow these proven steps.

Commit to your goals
Write down your sales goals for this week, this month, this quarter and this year. Use specific numbers that challenge you but that are attainable. Post these goals prominently in your office and commit to meeting and exceeding those figures. Use this commitment as your foundation as you proceed with the remaining steps.

Ask involvement questions
Your No. 1 goal is to find the prospect’s need and then fill it. Sales champions use their time to find out what their potential clients really want. 

Some great questions they ask are:
• What has you interested in our product or service?
• How would you feel about having the chance to be operating/owning/using our product or service within the next few days?

These questions will help you identify what your clients really want and will give you the best opportunity to custom-tailor your offer to fit their needs. 

Maximize your time
Your most valuable commodity is your time. Amateurs spend 80 percent to 90 percent of their precious time prospecting. Champions, on the other hand, develop systems that maximize their time and enable them to spend 80 percent to 90 percent of their time doing what makes them money: namely, asking for the commitment, order or sale.

Since studies show that there is a 1-in-16 chance of closing a cold lead, and a 1-in-3 chance of closing a warm, qualified lead, you need to spend your time nurturing relationships and building a funnel of warm leads through referrals.

Ask your current clients for referrals at the point of sale, so you’re striking while the iron is hot. In addition, ask for referrals from prospects who don’t buy from you. It’s a simple idea that yields great rewards. 

Prepare for objections
The most common objections you’ll face will be related to time, money and fear. Here are a few simple steps to handling objections.

Receive the objection: Allow your prospect to complete his or her train of thought before offering a rebuttal. Never interrupt.

Acknowledge and clarify the objection: Endorse the fact that your prospect has offered a great idea and a valid point. Then ask, “How do you mean?” Allow the prospect to explain his or her idea completely.

Answer the objection: Once you’ve enabled your prospect to narrow down the objection, you can easily address it. Unfortunately, this is when many salespeople lose the sale. Amateurs dance around the issue consciously or unconsciously and never get back to asking for the commitment. But sales champions realize that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. They not only answer the question, but they also focus on following up with a closing question. 

Create a win-win sales close
Sales champions create value in their product or service to move forward with their proposition. Here are a few strategies they use to close the deal.

Trial close
Ask, “Did you want the deluxe package, basic package or a single item to get started?” Give your clients three choices, not just two, and watch how your sales soar to new heights.

Assumptive walk-thru close
Ask, “Let me walk you through this so you get a complete understanding of how this is going to work for you, fair enough?” Then, walk your potential client through the steps of your process, getting him or her to visualize a simple, effective means to move forward. 

Finish with: “… and most important, if you have any questions, I want you to call me so I can either help you answer them or put you in contact with the right people who can – saving you time and money. So please, call me so I can walk you through it. Can I count on you to do that for me?”

Address close
Ask, “Are we going to ship this to your office or to your home address?” Always give a choice with an A or B.

Method of payment close
Ask, “Are you going to use a credit card, debit card or a check?” Again, it is best to give three options. 

Be an opportunity seeker
Always ask others what would make their job or life easier. If your product or service would be a fit, explain what you offer and how it would help. You have a responsibility to impact millions of people’s lives. How many times per day do you ask for the order, sale or commitment? Your answer is an indication of how many people’s lives you touch each day.

Give unlimited follow-up
Implement strategies to regularly communicate with your clients so you can build trust, loyalty and additional selling opportunities.

Here are a few methods champions use:
• thank you cards;
• e-mails;
• voicemail messages;
• birthday cards;
• holiday cards;
• newsletters; and
• personal phone calls.

The key is to maintain communication at least once every three to four weeks. Over the course of several months, consistent follow-up can build your funnel and allow you to spend 80 percent to 90 percent of your time working with warm, qualified leads who trust and like you. 

Commit to becoming a sales champion and you will soon be on your way to winning the greatest game of all. When you retire, you can leave a legacy of being either an amateur or a champion.

Which will you choose?

back to top                                          back to online exclusives