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. John ...
The great sales trainer, Larry Wilson, taught that before we could sell our prospect, we needed to “warm them up.” He recommended using an ember. Now don’t get the wrong idea! He did not mean we were to set them ablaze. In this case Larry used ember as an easy to remember acronym. E.M.B.E.R. stands for “Establishing a Mutually Beneficial Empathic Relationship.” Some salespersons today might say that we need to create a “Win Win” relationship with the prospect. For both the salesperson and the prospect to believe that the purchasing ...
The great sales technician and trainer, Doug Edwards, said “people buy emotionally and then justify their purchase logically.” Salespersons have been proving this statement true for decades through their own experiences. Since we know that our prospects are very likely to have their emotions involved in their buying decision; that should affect how we present the benefits of our product. As professional salespersons, we know that a presented benefit tells the prospect what the product “helps them gain” or “helps them avoid losing.” Should we present our benefits positively or negatively? The answer is “Yes.” Studies over many years have determined ...
As salespersons we know that occasionally (really more often that we like) we are going to get an Objection. The question is, “When do we handle those objections.” For many years professional salespersons have followed a practice of handling objections at four different times in the sales process. Understanding exactly which objections should be handled at which places in the sales process is another of those great sales techniques. The four times to answer an objection are: (1) before it comes up, (2) immediately when ...
Do Great Closers Have a Closing Instinct? Yes! How Did They Get It? What must we know even before we meet our prospect that will help us make the close of the sale more natural and comfortable? Tom Hopkins can probably still hear his mentor, Doug Edwards saying, “All great salespersons have a ‘closing instinct.’” When asked if these great salespersons were born with these “closing instincts?” He said, “Of course not! They got their ‘closing instincts’ by closing too soon and too often rather than closing too seldom and too late!” (That is an excellent phrase to ...
What Causes a Qualified Prospect to Buy … and to Buy Now? A prospect buys all products/services on emotion! However, there must be a “logic safety net” in place when he reaches the “Buy Zone,” so he can justify his emotional decision. What causes a qualified prospect to buy and buy now? The answer is: a professional salesperson has taken a prospect into the “Buy Zone” and then closed. What is the “Buy Zone?” The “Buy Zone” is that point in time when our prospect has bought our ...
Why Doesn’t a Qualified Prospect Buy Now? It is not uncommon for a thoroughly qualified prospect to stall on making a buying decision after he has heard a perfectly delivered feature, advantage and benefit presentation on a correctly priced product/service that is exactly what he wants/needs. Read on and find out why? Often after a prospect has heard a presentation and has been asked to buy, he puts up some resistance to buying at that time. Very often what he says has a tendency to cause the salesperson to lose momentum and ultimately bring the sales process to a halt. ...
Zig Ziglar, one of the most well known sales authorities of all time defined selling. Zig said, “Selling is the transference of feelings. If I can get my prospect to feel about my product or service the way I feel about my product or service, he will not only want it … he will demand it.” To persuade someone, it is not nearly enough to get them to think as we think, it is imperative that we get them to feel as we feel. Getting a person to feel the ...
Is Everyone a Prospect? Yes! Really? Sales and income are lost when a salesperson does not know how to: find the persons who should buy his product/service; recognize when a prospect has an interest in his product/service; identify the level of interest; create or increase the level of interest so as to produce a qualified prospect. Is everyone a prospect? Yes! Really? Of course! He is a prospect for someone. Whether or not he is a good prospect for us is what we must determine. Each of the various sales areas requires the ability to identify prospects for ...
[caption id="attachment_193" align="alignright" width="225" caption="It is a Warning, NOT a stoplight."][/caption] Many years ago, I can recall as a new salesperson, how disappointed and frustrated I was when confronted with Objections. Fortunately, very early in my sales career, my company sent me to a sales training course. It was taught by a man named J. Douglas Edwards. I was to learn that he is considered to be the greatest sales expert ever. Doug Edwards actually created many of the great sales techniques that professional salespersons use today. Tom Hopkins, ...
