Robin Singh

As a sales leader, there’s a simple way to help the salesperson check their beliefs when they are potentially getting in the way (head trash). When Ben said there could be negative consequences from using the technique that Terri suggested, she could have asked Ben the following question, in a nurturing manner.

Try, Need to and Can’t. These are three words that any sales coach worth their salt will not allow to pass during a coaching conversation without probing. Why? Because these words are almost always code for a salesperson doing what salespeople do best, influencing their manager’s and coach’s to let them slide.

If you have salespeople, chances are they have sat through quite a few of your virtual sales training meetings. The salespeople we work with tell us their top 3 complaints about virtual sales training meetings are that: A) They’re often disappointed they don’t learn anything new. B) They get bored on the calls as the training is not interactive enough and C) They feel like it’s hard to retain the material because it’s only presented to them once, but not reinforced in the future.

We sometimes forget that Sandler’s Up-Front Contract is not only a tool to run a prospecting or sales call, but ANY business or personal interaction you may have. We would encourage you to remind your team to practice using UFC’s in their personal life right now, as well as with customers on non-selling calls.

If you’re Sandler-trained, chances are, you and your team (and perhaps even your family), already use DISC day-to-day to improve your communication and how you adapt to one another. If your assessments haven’t been reviewed in a while, now might be a important time to review them to remind your team to be mindful of overuse, and also to be on the lookout for customers and family members who are overusing their DISC styles. And remember, one caution, when we adapt away from our natural style(s), it burns a lot of mental calories. Be prepared to be a little mentally worn out from adapting. But if you are worn out, you’ll know you’re doing it right.

For some salespeople, the vagueness of their initial prospect meetings carries through to their eventual presentations. They fail to establish clear connecting links between the elements of their proposed offer and the specific aspects of the prospect’s requirements. Instead, their presentations focus too narrowly on their product or service, their company’s capabilities, and in some cases, on themselves.

When you first meet with a new prospect, how do you position your product or service? How do you characterize its various features, functions, and advantages? Which elements do you emphasize as having the strongest potential appeal to the prospect?

Rather than treating the customer service department as the “cleanup crew” (any mistake down the line, and the cleanup crew is sent in to do damage control and “fix it”, begin to think of these employees as what they are: business people.

It's extremely difficult to establish bonding and rapport with a prospect by means of the written word alone.  Use email to take the conversation offline and book more appointments and meetings.

The CPA’s world brings with it challenges that are different than those experienced by people selling other products and services.  Many CPAs benefit from a systematized, methodical approach to sales.  Watch the video to understand your next steps for business growth.