Time for sales trainingVery few people pay much attention to something as small as 30 second blocks of time. Considering that it passes so quickly, it’s really insignificant…right?  Well, if you stop for a minute (no pun intended) and think, there are lots of things that can be accomplished in approximately 30 seconds. Here are a few:

– Swim a 50 meter freestyle race

– Almost complete a 500 meter speed skating race

– Run 200 meters

– Complete about 2/3 of a lap at Daytona Speedway

– Run the bases twice on a baseball diamond (if you’re in pretty good shape)

– Produce 72 million red blood cells (without your body’s knowledge or assistance)

Shifting gears to the universe of selling, most people realize the most critical time in a conversation is when first impressions are formed. I recently read a research report stating this occurs during the first 20-30 seconds of the encounter.

Sales Training Guide

Despite the importance of first impressions, much of traditional sales training focuses on the end game; closing. Many believe that a strong close will lead to a sale, however, experience shows that the opening is far more important in determining the outcome than the closing attempts. When a positive initial perception is created, prospects tend to trust sellers more. Salespeople typically begin their appointments by saying various things in different ways, and here are six of the more common ones:

Small Talk generated by the rep“How about that World Cup final?”

Spider Questions weaving a web “If I could prove our product would reduce the background noise, you’d be interested, right?”

Superiority Assertion on what’s beingoffered“I wanted to see you to show you how my brushes can eliminate glass streaking.”

Significance Claims about the seller’s firm “Today I’d like to make the case for Galaxy Corp. as the ‘Midwest’s Finest’ and your smartest choice for…”

Solicited References from customers“We service three other homes on this street, and I want you to know why they like us so much.”

Statement of Purpose – “My purpose today is to ask you a few questions in order to see if you have anything in common with your neighbors who are experiencing higher than expected cable TV bills.”

With those six choices in a lineup, folks in the know typically agree that a statement of purpose is the most effective opening, because it is a succinct phrase that informs your prospect why you’re getting together. It encourages conversation, leading to a dialogue, which is the most important part of any sales relationship.

If you really want to maximize your effectiveness with this approach, follow your statement of purpose with something along the lines of, “After our short meeting today, if we determine I’m not the one who can help you, I’ll leave and promise not to pursue you further, fair enough?”

Time Really Does FlyAssuming that first 30 seconds goes well, you should know that people will willingly buy what they need from salespeople who also understand what they want. It’s important to remember that needs are rational, visible, product-specific requirements based on the facts, whereas wants are below the surface, emotional, perception-based desires that are not always voiced. If you don’t understand the wants mindset of your prospect, you can’t possibly understand any hidden agenda they may have.

For example, when you’re selling to self-employed individuals, you need to understand their desire to be independent and call their own shots. But when you’re dealing with corporate employees, such as accountants, they will nearly always seek out low risk solutions.

Credit for this next statement goes to the Brooks Group, an outstandingsales training organization in North Carolina. They believe that, people buy more of what they need from people who understand what they really want and who sell to them in the way in which they want to be sold. You should probably read that quote slowly about three times and enter it into your memory banks.

Statistics show that if you make an equal number of sales attempts on wants and needs versus just customer needs, you will sell three times as often, with an 11% higher average sale in dollars, and do it in a lot less selling time.

So remember that your statement of purpose is only the beginning, but provides a great foundation for successful sales calls, and offers a much greater chance for making that first 30 seconds count.

Would you Speak Your Mind and contribute to the discussion by commenting below about an interesting personal experience you had while beginning a sales call?

If you are responsible for providing coaching and training for your team, think seriously about your answer to this very important question: Would you like to have your next 116 sales meetings planned for you, ready to present, without having to invest your time to personally prepare them? I’m serious. Click here to find out how that is possible…and very inexpensively I might add.

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