“Been There … Tried That” Do you sell a product or service that has similar products or services available from other sources?  If your answer is “Yes,” I am certain you have heard a prospect say something that sounded like this: “We have tried that and it did not work.”  Of course what the prospect is saying is that they have tried something “similar” to your product or service and were dissatisfied with the results. There is a wonderful “word track” that has been working for salespersons for many years that you might want to try here.  It would go as ...

Three Basic Reasons Why Prospects Buy In this article I will not be addressing why people buy essentials, such as food and medicine.  People buy food because they need to eat.  People buy medicine because they are ill.  This article is more about the three basic reasons why people buy non-essentials, such as furniture or jewelry. The three basic reasons why prospects buy are: fear, recognition and self-actualization.  Let’s begin with the definition of each of these three motivators as applied in the case of buying motives.  Fear is the primary motivator in a purchase when the ...

Have you ever noticed the “pitch men” on the television commercials?  The next time you see one, do not dismiss the commercial.  Pay close attention!  If you listen carefully, you will likely hear some “great sales techniques.” For example, have you ever heard one of these “pitch men” saying something like this?  “If you order two boxes of our “Super Suds” dishwasher detergent today we will give you a third box free.”  Or perhaps you have heard something like this.  “Call within the next 10 minutes and we will include ABSOLUTELY FREE our handy dandy, super ...

Many years ago a business colleague, we shall call him John, was attending a training seminar featuring the greatest sales trainer of all time, Doug Edwards.  During his training Doug Edwards taught what is known as “The Benjamin Franklin Close.”  John was young, had some sales experience and had great potential.  However, another characteristic of John at the time was his cockiness.  At this point in the seminar, John raised his hand as if to ask Doug a question.  When Doug recognized him, John said that the “Ben Franklin Close” did not work.  Doug asked why he thought so.  ...

Sometimes when we do a good job of giving a Feature, Advantage and Benefit presentation we just don’t get the excited “buy in” we are looking for from our prospect.  There could be any one of several reasons for a less than exceptional reaction.  For the purposes of this article, I am going to concentrate on just one reason and explain how to fix it. Read the following benefit statements aloud. “Mr. Prospect, the new management skills that your managers will have at the end of each monthly session will help them improve productivity and profitability.” “Mr. Prospect, ...