BECOME A SALES LEADER

Donna J. ScottExecutive Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Characteristics of a Successful Leader:

• Motivating

• Encouraging

• Smart

• Professional

• Visionary

• Flexible

• Objective

• Fair

Steps to become a Sales Leader:

• Relating

• Discovering

• Networking /Outreach

• Advocating

• Advertising

• Supporting

Master the following skills….

Defining The Art of Selling:

• To give up property or goods to another for money or other valuable consideration

• To develop a belief in the truth, value or desirability of: gain acceptance for

• To persuade or influence to a course of action or to the acceptance of something

The Most Successful Sales Approach:

Relating

Discovering

Advocating

Supporting

One Question to Consider:

Would you consider driving from Los Angeles to New York without a map?

Making a trip without a map can cause you to lose your way, make unnecessary stops, take a lot longer to get to the destination and worse yet, maybe never reaching the destination at all.

The Key to Success:

• No trust

• No need

• No help

• No satisfaction

Reasons People Don’t Buy:

The Process of Relating:

The foundation for your sales success begins with your ability to communicate and relate to the potential client.

Target Success:

The Three P’s

Purpose

Process

Payoff

Purpose Process Payoff

Clients are more comfortable and you remain in control of the sales process when you:

• Have a purpose• Have a process you intend to follow that both

you and the client are comfortable with• Explain the payoff to the client and know the

payoff for yourself

The Three P’s for the Telephone:

Purpose: The reason or reasons I am making this call

• Set up a face to face meeting• Answer a question and set the next step• Establish the interest of the prospect in order to understand

what the next steps should be• Share some important or exciting information

(urgency/benefits)

The Three P’s for the Telephone:

Process: I will make the telephone call effective by following a plan

• Plan a Greeting• Use Relating Statement(s)/Re-acquaintance remarks• State the Reason for Your Call• Set the Next Step• Get off the Phone

Your time is valuable and you need to make the most of each and every minute of your busy day, so make the most of each call

The Three P’s for the Telephone:

Payoff:

How will this call benefit you and how will this call benefit your client?

• Forward movement in the process• Stronger rapport with the prospect• Better understanding of the prospect• Establishment of expectations and next steps• Ability to update important data within your lead database

Always Put Yourself in the Client’s Shoes:

Think like your client… Be your client• What do they want?• What do they need?• What concerns might they have?• What have you learned from past clients?

The Staircase to Success:

How to Establish Credibility

Intent

Commonality

Competence

Propriety

The Art of Discovery:

A communication process utilized during the sales process consisting of questions and answers enabling

you to better understand your clients needs, wants, and desires.

Discovery of the Client:

When speaking with your client:• Speak clearly• Make eye contact• Smile• Shake hands• Be outgoing, don’t just blend in• Be sure all clients are comfortable – They will be more

responsive if they feel they know you!• And one of the most important parts in building a

relationship… LISTEN!

The Basics of Discovery:

• Who are they?• What are they here to learn?• Why did they come in today?• When do they feel they will want/need

our services?• Where do they live now?• How did they hear about us?• Establish the fundamentals before you

jump into extended Discovery

S.E.E.K. to Discover:

• Situation – current situation

• Expansion – what buyer wants

• Exploration – who’s involved, what buyer needs

• Knowledge – mutual agreement on buyer’s desires

Know Your Clients:

Personality Type

DriverAnalyticalExpressiveAmiable

Mapping a Call Strategy that Works:

• Review the lead notes and history• Pay attention to status code, last contact, hot

button, objections and any profile information • Determine what the next logical step for that lead

would be • Jot down a few notes to keep your discussion on

track• Decide how you intend to open the call

Mapping a Call Strategy that Works:

• Think of reasons the next logical step will benefit your client…and you

• Determine what the second best option of a next step would be and be prepared to ask for it

• Determine how much time the call should take before you pick up the phone

• Control the process

After Hello, Then What?

• I was just thinking about you• I have a great idea that I want to share with you• I was concerned about• I have great news• I thought you’d like to know• You’re in luck• You were the first person I thought of when• I was hoping you could help me with• Your input would be very helpful to me• I am working on updating our lead base and was

wondering• I happened to notice

Speak Professionally:

Don’t get Sidetracked by the Weather!

• Be specific• Speak clearly and slowly• Listen carefully to what the prospect says• Use numbers whenever possible• Make the benefit to the prospect clear• Confirm a definite time and date for next steps• Ask well thought out questions

Ideas to add some “kick” to your calls:

• Buy a headphone so calling is easier and faster• Pull up your scheduled activities for tomorrow and

plan for them• Have fun with the phone, have fun with the clients• Don’t be afraid to say “NEXT”• Put a mirror on your desk and smile when you speak

on the phone

Buying Conditions:

Internal FactorsCan be identified and reasoned withEmotional or feelings basedPast experiences

External FactorsEconomyNatural disastersAvailability of cash

Advocate the Close:

A process of utilizing information obtained through the discovery process to promote the benefits of your

service to the client in order to fill the need and close the sale.

Solution, Application, Benefit

• Identify the solution to a problem• Apply a feature , service or amenity that can be

applied to something the client wants or does not want

• Illustrate the benefit to this specific client• Features and benefits are not the same thing

• Listen• Share• Problem Solve• Clarify• Acknowledge Agreement and Next Steps

Listening to Hear:

The L.S.C.P.A. Method

How to Prepare for Anything:

• Write out a list of questions that your client may ask you • Write a list of answers to the questions• Answer the questions aloud to yourself and assess how it

sounds• Practice on a live person and get objective feedback• Do a final run-through of your presentation before you meet

with the client to do any last minute adjustments• Immediately after any presentation write down any/all issues

or concerns you or the client had with your presentation. Revise your script accordingly so it’ll be stronger the next time you utilize it

• Don’t be afraid to ask your prospect how you did

Have the Tools You Might Need:

• Collateral• Forms/Agreements• Inventory/Availability• Credibility Information• Competitive Information• Local Market Information (real estate/taxes/costs of living)• Calculator and tape measure• Refreshments• References (residents, local business professionals, local

government officials, realtors, movers, decorators)

The Next Destination:

Know what your next step is before the meeting• The check

• A home visit

• An event

• A follow up meeting to answer questions or review information

• To complete the admission paperwork and process

• A thank you note or phone call even if the client isn’t interested to request referrals

The Devil is in the Details:

• Look people in the eye• If you say you will follow up on a question or request

by a certain time do it• Comfort is crucial, check the a/c the heat and even

the smell of the area in which you’ll be meeting• Shake hands• Smile• Know your product or service better than anyone…

be the expert

How Do I Look?

• Do you look professional?• Do you appear knowledgeable and prepared to do

business?• Do you have all of your paperwork prepared with

clean copies of all the necessary information?• How does your sales package look?• Is the area in which you are having the meeting

clean, inviting and comfortable?

Overcoming Objections:

Seizing the Opportunities• What is an objection?• Fear• Tension• Unresolved questions or

concerns• Curves in the road• Never be afraid to

ask….you can’t lose what you don’t have

• One simple word: NEXT

Closing Methods:

• Either/Or• Mini Max• Take away close• Give to get close• Ben Franklin Method

(Yes/Maybe)• The Last Chance/Price

Increase

Supporting your Client, the Sale and your Teammates:

A process of sustaining the buying decision during the sales process and beyond.

Customer Focus:

• Define expectations• Stay in touch • Honor commitments• Incorporate in-house

resources• Foster a sense of community• Address issues as they occur

Strive for Excellence:

• You only have one opportunity to make a first impression

• You will be more confident and in control of the process if you rehearse your answers, especially to questions you consider difficult

• Listen to what the client is and isn’t saying• Take copious notes

The Results:

• Less steps from inquiry to deposit• More effective meetings• More referrals• More sales• More sales and more occupancy

Networking and Outreach:

Expanding your prospects through Community Organizations and Business Associations

Networking and Outreach is an essential link in the chain of selling. We, as sales professionals, are constantly looking for additional opportunities to sell our products and services. We can not always depend on walk-in-traffic, advertising or even word of mouth to proved constant stream of potential clients that we need in order to be successful.

Networking and Outreach:

The Advantages of Networking and Outreach• Increased Efficiency• Increased Stability• Getting to the “Out of Reach Clients”• Public Recognition

The list of opportunities is endless!

Networking and Outreach:

Set your goals

Educate Organizations about you and your product Develop presentation geared for each group Invite organizations, business people, press

personnel and community leaders to events in which you are hosting

Develop your networking follow up log Place collateral in as many venues as possible

Networking and Outreach:

Set your goals

Develop contacts that can aid in the selling process Develop a list of networking categories Develop a list of business/organizations under each

category Determine your initial method of contact

Networking and Outreach:

Plan your work - Work your plan

The most effective networking occurs when a strategic plan is in place and there is a clear understanding of what the results of networking activities should be.

There are some key mistakes sales professionals can make when networking:

Focusing on themselves Looking at networking as actual “prospecting”

Failing to follow up

Networking and Outreach:

Focusing on themselves

Always take the passive approach – Never focus on yourself.

Use the 80/20 rule:

Spend 80 % of your time listening&

Spend 20% of your time asking questions

When focusing on someone else, most sales professionals become more relaxed. Therefore it becomes muck easier to capture more details, more leads and more opportunity!

Networking and Outreach:

Looking at networking as actual “prospecting”

Networking should create sources by identifying people with similar clients or needs and establishing a means to refer business to one another. Most sales professionals look at each person they encounter as an actual “prospect” as opposed to the opportunity that creating a relationship with that person could be.

Networking and Outreach:

Failing to follow up

Don’t be a card collector! A huge stack of cards doesn’t add up to anything… but failure! The successful networking professional takes the initial meeting and follows up with each contact until they become a true prospect or an active referral source.

After every networking event, make a note of the date, the event, names of key contacts and an action plan for follow up. Make phone calls, write thank you notes or send an article of a special interest to the person.

Advertising:

The Most Common Methods of Advertising

• Direct Mail• Print• Internet/Yellow Pages• Signage• Radio/Television• Special Events

Advertising:

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Advertising

Regardless of the method you choose, advertising has several benefits. It also has several drawbacks.

Benefits and Drawback of Advertising

Benefits DrawbacksAllows you to reach a lot of people An impersonal form of communication

Allows you to repeat your message many times

Cannot be tailored to address the specific needs of an individual customer

Increases visibility of your home. Advertising is expensive

“The fruits of tomorrow are in the seeds of today.“

- Chinese Proverb