Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. Albert Einstein

A nurse in an intensive care unit for neonatal babies notices something wrong with one of the babies. She can’t pinpoint it exactly, but she immediately urges the doctors to prescribe a course of antibiotics.

The next day, tests show that her recommendation was correct when they revealed a potentially fatal condition.

She doesn’t know exactly how she knew, but her intuition – or her emotional decision — saved the baby.

"The theorists say decision-making is a logical process," writes Jeremy Hardie, former chairman of WH Smith Group, "but new research shows emotion is just as important."

Decision-making is a cognitive process, one which gives us a subconscious choice between logic and emotion. It might not seem that way in the middle of a heated argument or when faced with sudden danger, but the feelings that arise when we make an emotional decision from our "adaptive unconscious" are a subtle and sophisticated form of pattern recognition. These gut reactions, in other words, are a form of thought, and not just a knee-jerk reaction.

What does this emotional decision-making have to do with sales? How important is it for a sales person to pay attention to the first response from a customer? It is crucial for sales people to understand emotional decision-making simply because it explains how the brain works and how decisions (particularly buying decisions) are made. When a young woman walks into a car dealership and sees the shiny red convertible (even though she’d planned on a mid-size sedan), which decision-making process will operate in her mind first?

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"We are usually convinced more easily by reasons we have found ourselves than by those which have occurred to others." - Blaise Pascal.

Is strategic questioning part of your sales process? Successful sales people involve the client by asking questions, then listening to the client’s answers. A key aspect in a successful sales person’s process, drawing the client into the process works far better than spouting a packaged sales pitch.

A sales person who does 80% of the talking, immediately touting the memorized features of their product, without involving the client, merely turns into a caricature of the manipulative salesman. A sales person who asks questions forces them to take the talking down to 20%.

Think about a physician – who wouldn’t dare give a diagnosis or health directive without asking questions first. First, to find out what’s wrong, but also to give the patient a sense of control. Asking questions has a positive effect on the patient. And a positive effect on a potential client. Both the doctor and the sales person need to try to pinpoint the most pressing priorities and problems, then find ways to solve and fulfill those needs. 

Start your sales conversations with questions that are easy to ask and easy to answer, then escalate.

1. Ask for Permission

"Can I ask you some questions?" Right up front, let the client feel a sense of control in the buying process. Questions help to focus their thoughts and feelings.

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In these days of seldom speaking to a human when we make a phone call, we need to have a successful strategy for dealing with voice mail.

Since business people receive dozens of voice mail messages a day, their time is too valuable to spend it listening to some sales person ramble on.

 

Your voice mail message must be the one that generates a response. A call back.

 BEST VOICE MAIL PRACTICES

1. Plan what you’re going to say before you call; write it down, or at least a few notes.
2. Introduce yourself and your company first.
3. Make the message concise and crisp; 30 seconds or less. Speak slowly and enunciate.
4. Ask them to make the next step: "Please call me at……"
5. Give your phone number twice, or once very clearly and slowly.
6. Be unique. Create curiosity or get their attention. Compel them to call you back.
7. Refer to them personally: their company or their role in it.
8. Mention who referred you to them.
9. Use a conversational tone.
10. End the call with a "Thank you," always appreciated and never out of place.  

More on Voice Mail Strategy

 

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You may not be a world leader but wouldn’t you like to connect to others in the best possible way — with your clients, your employees, your boss, those in your personal life, even with strangers? And, at least in business, a better connection will reward you with a more competitive edge than the next guy. A better connection with others will also help you maximize the potential in every relationship you have.

Zig Ziglar, popular self-help author, says that "You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

Here are a few ways to connect:

1. Find common bonds (schools, affiliations, past companies, common technology).

2. Show genuine interest in what people have to say.

3. Remember names and personal details.

4. Ask questions that go beyond business.

5. Create memories with people and make each interaction enjoyable.

6. When given a chance to meet or entertain, do it uniquely (an unusual restaurant, etc.)

7. On the phone, ask personal questions (where they live, long-term goals).

8. Send handwritten notes and cards as thank yous.

9. Build connections with everyone at the client site – not just your buyer.

10. Talk about your own life. Share your perspectives. Tell your stories.

Connecting with others takes more work than a handshake. John Donne writes: "No man is an island, entire of itself…." We can’t help it; we humans are social beings who require not isolation but connections with others, and enhancing that need will make for all-around better relationships.

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It is almost impossible when meeting acquaintances, friends of friends, business associates, to not be forced to give your "elevator speech." If you are not sure what an elevator speech is, it is just a clever name for a mundane task: answering the ubiquitous question "what do you do?" Nonetheless, while mundane, the elevator speech is quite important; who knows what possible role the person you give your speech to will take in your life: perhaps you have found your next client, or employer, friend, partner, or an important contact for further networking?

Here are a few tips to help.

1: Keep it succinct and interesting

A successful elevator speech will be a descriptive statement that provokes questions and interest.

The first obvious reaction to the question of "what do you do?" is to quickly give your label for your profession; however, I think this is a mistake. Instead, frame what you do in a more interesting way: instead of saying you are a lawyer, say that you try to help the disenfranchised and under-represented get a fair-hearing. Explain what you do in terms of benefits and who it is you are helping.

2: Keep your audience in mind

Did you meet this person professionally or in your personal life? While it may be okay to be highly informal at the bar, this off-hand style will probably not be met well at important business meetings. That said, you don't want to be too formal either, since this will make you seem stiff and less personable.

3: Practice and polish

Since you will be asked this question often throughout your life, and the answer is so short, there really is no reason to not have a good answer ready. Practice your speech so that it starts to sound natural and effortless, without any verbal filler or awkward phrasing.

4: Don't be over the top

Finally, some people in an attempt to come across as interesting may overdo it. For example, to make sure that they don't fall into the trap of pigeon-holing themselves, they will give vague answers such as: "I make people's dreams come true." This, however, sounds more cliché than it does interesting and will often turn your audience off.

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The first call is the hardest, especially if it’s a cold call. But cold or warm, remember the potential client’s time is valuable so be brief and be sure you’ve done your research.

1. Listen to the client. Don’t start with how thrilled they’ll be with your product or service.

2. Confirm what you heard by paraphrasing the client’s words. Make sure you understand what they’ve said before you try to move on.

3. Ask strategic questions. Find out what they want and how you can help them.

4. Summarize what you heard them say – their answers and ideas. Summarize either on the phone or with an email following the call. Use their words specifically. It sounds simple, but it works.

5. Suggest options: 1) Solutions to their business challenges; 2) Enhancements through opportunities for improvement in their company. Options you can help them with via your product or service.

6. Ask the client what they see as a logical next step. Ask and listen. Don’t push them into what you think they need and what you can offer them.

7. Find out when you can meet with them. Suggest a specific time: "How about next Tuesday after lunch?" Don’t be pushy, though; you can always call back. It’s better to be realistic and rely on the client’s statements or goals.

8. Don’t give up. Persistence pays off.

 

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