The major problem facing sales professionals today is an extended and unpredictable sales cycle. As I explained above, it’s a vicious cycle that ends in last minute decisions, often with your competition the winner of your sale. Here are a few ways to avoid and or deal with the sales cycle.

• Take the sales cycle seriously. Of course there are going to be exceptions, but they are not the rule. Everyone looks for ‘ripe fruit’ – the prospective client who must make a buying decision now – but that’s the exception and it’s mostly the result of luck not sales skills.

Although there are the lucky sales, they should never be thought of as the norm. The extended sales cycle is the standard working environment for all sales professionals.

• Connect with what counts. Relationships are critical to be sure, but because of the Internet, buyers are much better informed and they can spot incompetence much more quickly. Customers know when someone is just trying to sell them something. The other side of blowing smoke is being blown away by a potential client who demands knowledge and expertise from their suppliers and are willing to settle for nothing less.

The goal is to impress the prospective client with what you know, not where you take them to lunch.

• Focus on the potential client. Even though the question seems basic to sales, but sales professionals rarely ask: “What do you want to accomplish?” And, even if it is asked, they almost always come across in a less then genuine way. As if the salesperson is really only interested in getting the answer and moving on to his or her presentation.

Finding out what the potential client wants is one of the keys to the sale. How can you give a meaningful, powerful and compelling presentation if you have not taken into consideration what the potential client wants to accomplish?

The test is how the potential client feels after the presentation. Was the focus on what the sales professional wanted to get across or was it on obtaining the necessary information to make an informed proposal?

• Patient follows through. The anxious sales professional says “I need sales now!” Well, who doesn’t? But the questions miss the essential issue. What sale professionals need are customers and customers don’t come quickly. Rather, they occur over time, by patience.

Those salespeople who say they need to make a sale are letting the cat out of the bag. They are telling the world that they haven’t identified the need of the potential client or cultivated a relationship with that prospect.

These salespeople are like the hunters of big game, they want to be driven, in a Hummer, to the exact spot where the animals gather, shoot them, bag them, then be driven back to the lodge to ‘tell their big game adventure.’ That isn’t hunting and it isn’t sales. Both require careful planning and massive amounts of persistence and extraordinary patience.

• Communicate competence. Some sales professionals like to talk about their products or services are innovative, cutting edge and far above the competition. Potential clients prefer to see a salesperson that is innovative and cutting edge.

A marketing consultant was asked to prepare a brochure. He asked the client: “Why do you want a brochure and what are you going to do with it?” By digging deeper, the consultant found that the company’s sales force was actually looking for help with prospecting and the thing that came to mind was a brochure. Needless to say, the brochure was scraped and a prospecting program was implemented.

Another key to making sales is coming up with the right solutions to the right problems.

• Plan for the long-term. ‘Making numbers’ is a Damocles sward over every salespersons head. Translation, it means, the urgency of the immediate demands total attention. Today, that is something that never changes.

The solution is to identify, carefully cultivate and manage a substantial number of prospective clients over the long-term. The more precise and efficient you are with this process, the greater the flow of sales you will enjoy.

• Counsel the customer. The president of an insurance company called a salesperson in and wanted her to help them promote a new business initiative. After working on it for a month, she less than enthusiastic about the assignment. She asked herself, “Why do I feel this way?” The answer was easy; the president was clearly interested in only selling the product. The shortcut to success ended in a short circuit for the operation.

The sales task is to covet the customer relationship more than the order. The privilege of being able to provide helpful, valuable assistance to a customer is what creates sales.

• Stay on track. Staying on track is another key to long-term sales success. It’s easy to fall prey to the latest quick fix sales gimmick and when that fails, find another one.

The answer is to stay on track, stay with sound principles and understanding the sales environment. Focusing on the prospects, communicating your competence, planning for long-term and being the customer’s trusted advisor are some of the ways you can stay out of the sales cycle that can turn the best salespeople into desperate salespeople.

“The better your relationships the shorter your sales cycle and the more money you will make.” Dan Brent Burt

How to be wealthy right now:

1. Define what wealth means to you – exactly what it will take for your to feel wealthy.
2. Lock that definition firmly in place. Don’t keep raising the bar.
3. Make sure you definition is achievable.
4. Create a plan that is achievable.
5. Make it a must for you by listing the reasons you must be wealthy.
6. Finalise your plan and work out the details.
7. Follow through on your plan by taking immediate action toward it’s attainment.
8. Make yourself responsible. Let experts coach you, but don’t abdicate your responsibility.
9. Don’t give up when the going gets tough.
10. Make your life a business and expect a year-end profit.
11. Don’t let other people’s emotions control or cause you to deviate from your asset allocation.
12. Get good coaching.

Finally, remember that real wealth comes from an abundance in all areas: mental, emotinoal, physical, and spiritual. The real key to unlocking wealth is just one thing… gratitude. The moment you feel grateful is the moment you feel rich.

“THE WAY TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS IS FIRST TO HAVE A DEFINITE, CLEAR PRACTICAL IDEAL – A GOAL, AN OBJECTIVE.  SECOND, HAVE THE NECESSARY MEANS TO ACHIEVE YOUR ENDS – WISDOM, MONEY, MATERIALS, AND METHODS.  THIRD, ADJUST YOUR MEANS TO THAT END.” – ARISTOTLE

Professional sales is a great business to be in if you can be successful.  Some people think that they are too shy, that sales people have to be gregarious to succeed.  That just is not true.   You do need to be assertive, courteous, honest but not pushy.  The thing that helps successful professional sales people is that they really believe in their product and that it will aid the consumer in some way.

Professional sales people are knowledgeable about their product or products.  Knowledge will increase your motivation and self-assurance.  You need to be able to answer any question a consumer has.  If you do not know an answer, tell the consumer you will find it out quickly and get right back to him or her.

You might want to advertise to a specific group or to a general audience.  You need to develop your sales pitch.  There will always be a ”Doubting Thomas” or some one that likes being the “devil’s advocate”.  They ask ridiculous questions and seem to want to have a debate with you.  Be polite and courteous but if the conversation is condescending and is not going anywhere, excuse your self.

Professional sales people get to know the consumer, they are friendly.  The more you know about the buyer the better chance you will have a successful sale.  Ask the consumer what they are looking for in a product. This is called asking probing questions.  If you are genuine and friendly the consumer will not feel like you are too personal.

Professioaal sale people know who their competition is.  When your buyer brings up your competitor’s product you will be prepared to prove why you have a better deal.  Figure out what their motivation to buy is.

A professional sales person knows how to manage their time.  For instance, do not waste too much of your time with someone who is not really interested.  Identify obstacles that waste your time. Learn time management techniques such as list making.   Structure your time.  Spend a certain amount of time with each prospect, if they are buying, spend a little more time, if not, move on.

Professional sales people have a good marketing plan.  They have strategized and know who their prospects are.  Do some research to determine if there is a demand for your product on the market.  If you are using Internet marketing use eye catching, proactive web site techniques.

A successful professional sales person has a good attitude, motivates people and gets things done.   This person makes him or her self invaluable to their employer. Professional sales people have a strategy and they execute their plan.

This is in response to a comment I received about the “Smash the God Belief” article I posted a couple of weeks ago.  Thanks for your patience while I got organised to make this post.

I’ll often in a position in my work when people will attempt to waste my time.  They’ll drain my productivity if I let them.  So I use this “sales” policy and approach when dealing with them and also with others who wish to discuss other subjects I’m not interested in.

I question and qualify before I invest my time and efforts in them.

If there’s something positive for me to gain from taking the discussion further, then I’ll proceed by gaining something first before I give anything in return.  This is a method of qualifying them.  It’s not good “debating” technique (ie, answering a question with a question), but it’s a great way to get control of the conversation back.

The reason why is this: If someone’s talking to me, they’ve got the impression I’ve got something they need.  I then know that I’m (or my knowledge) is of value to them and therefore there’s grounds for us to trade.  Otherwise, I’m not interested, and they don’t talk to me.

If they do present themselves with a question, I qualify them by asking them to clarify their question, their wants, their needs and often what specific problem they are trying to solve with their approach.

By doing this I gain the best position to find a solution to their problem/question.  Remember, I’ve already established the fact they [think they] need me for something by the fact that they’re talking to me in the first place.

I make my decision based upon the clarification questions I ask.  If there’s something I can gain from the exchange, then I’ll continue.  If not, then I redirect them, politely, to a more likely solution.  (I’ll sometimes even ask them to provide me with something in return for the recommendation.  ie, referrals, or a small purchase, or a free subscription so I can continue to make them similar offers etc).

The point is, nothing I do I do for free.  Including verbal exchange.  In fact, a verbal exchange with a devout religious fanatic would bring little value to me as I’m not in the business of conversions.

To succeed in a down economy, you’ll need to step up your sales game. Here are eight adjustments you need to make to keep selling during these tough times.

The affects of the 2008 economic stimulus package presented by the President and Congress are long gone and there’s talk of another one. The news about the $700 billion dollar “bailout” and global recessionary trends are dominating the headlines. Add to that the distress caused by election year politics and we, as professional salespeople, have been challenged to remain focused and productive in a slowing economy. Economists are predicting a tough calendar 2008 fourth quarter and a sluggish 2009, but our role in sales dictates that we need to attack rather than react.
Selling in a tough economy requires extra effort, better planning, more control of your sales cycle and tenacity. Remember one thing: The top 2% of all salespeople automatically turn up their activity a couple more notches when things get tough. By doing so, they’re the ones who’ll be standing tall when the economy turns around. The top 2% do this because:

Below are eight ideas to help you sell like a “top 2 percenter” in a tough economy:

Double and triple your call activity
Honestly, your competitors do not have the stuff to compete under these circumstances. Average salespeople buy into the “woe is me” philosophy and decrease sales activity. The top 2% know that an economic slowdown is an opportunity to edge out competitors.

Re-allocate your field time
Work more with your “A” accounts and in lieu of your “B” and “C” ones. Your purpose should be two-fold: 1) Your top producing accounts have the capacity to buy more from you; that’s what makes them “A” accounts; and, 2) You’ll be securing your position with these accounts from potential attempts by the competition to wrest them away. Don’t allow that to happen! Remember, this business cycle is affecting your competition too and they’ll be aggressively looking at your “A” accounts as a source of new business.

Examine prospecting efficiency
Both rookie and veteran sales professionals tend to let their prospecting slide when times are good. As a result, their prospecting skills and prospect targeting abilities get rusty. This is a good time for you to hammer out your prospective customer dimensions. In other words, delineate what your ideal prospect looks like. Then, identify key prospects in your area and proceed to develop your capture and execution plans.

Fire stalled prospects and move on
Your income and success depend upon calling on true prospects and current customers who can (and will) do more business with you. Assess the prospects you are calling on and don’t be afraid to “fire” them, particularly if your extra effort is not showing any results. Remember that you have a business objective for every call you make. If you don’t, your call will be reduced to a social nature and you don’t get paid for those.

Go the extra mile for customers and increase value-added activities
You need to be creative in low or no-cost ways to help your accounts cut costs or stimulate new business. Go out of your way for your top accounts. Now is the time to establish yourself as a source for best practices. Share ideas on how your other accounts have benefited.

Make every call count
Be prepared to make the most of every call. What value are you deriving from each customer visit? Who is controlling the call – you or the customer? Experience and research have demonstrated that formal pre-call planning generates more successful outcomes for all sales activities. You should never take sales call effectiveness for granted – especially in tough economic times. The days of “blowing through” a call are over. The simple fact is that you are paid to move the customer to the next stage in your sales cycle. In today’s economic climate, you’ve got too much at risk not to plan for success.

Now, more than ever, craft a strategy to overcome such objections as:

Write a long list of discovery questions that will uncover hidden opportunities.

Plan to succeed
You will not survive an economic slowdown by simply hoping that you sell more or your current customer base buys more. Account planning, territory planning, and pre-call planning are the keys to efficient selling in a down economy. It’s time to review account plans or develop them, if you haven’t already. Account plans are your road map to selling more to your “A” accounts. It may be time to reassess pricing or bundling in order to pick off some of your competitors’ offerings.

In addition, you should ask yourself the following questions:

Reassess your priorities
This is not the time to perfect your golf swing or take extended time off. This is the time to dig in and take charge of your sales activities. By doing so, you’ll be able to survive the current tough times and will be positioned to reap the benefits when the economy bounces back because you’ll be ahead of your competitors who didn’t!

Jim Kasper is the founder and president of Interactive Resource Group. Mr. Kasper has over 26 years of practical experience in direct sales, sales management, sales training, and marketing. Contact him at www.salestrainers.com or call 800-891-7355.