Ask the Coach

A: The days of showing up at a sales opportunity and “winging it” are over. Even natural sales talent is no longer enough. Clients reject salespeople who don't have a plan. Here are some sobering statistics:

• 82% fail to differentiate themselves from competitors. They lose the business, fail to sell value or don't get their price.
• 86% of salespeople ask the wrong questions. They miss opportunities and end up wasting client time while appearing unprofessional
• Only 18% of salespeople close without discounting price. This develops a habit of reducing prices, which destroys profit margins.
• 95% of clients say salespeople talk too much. This bores clients, causing them to avoid the salesperson in the future.
• 62% do not earn the right to ask closing questions. They fail to position the sale properly and don't gain commitments.

(Source: The Sales Board survey of 16,000 buyers, 300 salespeople in 25 different industries.)

Help your partners understand that the sales call is about more than the immediate sale. It is also one more of the many impressions that formulate the client's opinion of your firm and you.

A: Here's how to stay in control of the Q&A session:

• Raise your hand and ask, “Any questions?” That sets the ground rules. Questioners now know to raise a hand to be acknowledged, and you exercise control by picking the questioner.
• Select questioners one at a time to prevent people from talking all at once, and to reinforce the message that you're in control. It is more polite to use an open, extended palm instead of a pointing finger to make your selection.
• Look directly at the questioner and listen for the issue behind the question. Ask yourself, “What is this person after?” If you don't understand the question, ask for clarification.
• When the questioner has finished, break eye contact. Look out over the audience before you speak, signaling that your answer is of interest to everybody.
• Restate or rephrase the question. Restate a simple question so that everyone can hear it. Simplify a more complex query so that everyone can understand it. Recast a hostile question in neutral language.
• Look back at the questioner when you start your answer, and tie the answer to your presentation. This allows you to check on audience reaction-and to restate the main points you've made.
• Raise your hand to recognize the next questioner. This gesture indicates that the previous question has been answered and that you will take the next one.
• Finally, don't conclude with Q&A; there's too much risk of having the final question be a contentious one and end the meeting on a negative note. Finish with summary remarks that reestablish a positive atmosphere. Establish control and make Q&A work for you.

A: According to a survey sponsored by Hewlett Packard, “80% of senior executives become involved in key purchases early in the decision cycle.” Participants ranked all but one of the methods salespeople commonly use as “ineffective.” For example:

• 80% of respondents would “never” or “only occasionally” grant interviews to someone making cold calls. (Whew! Now we all can relax.) A letter sent before a call is not likely to improve the odds of getting an interview.
• Outside referrals are also no guarantee of an interview. Over 50% of respondents prefer not to be introduced to sellers by people outside the executive's organization.
• An inside recommendation is the most effective means of getting on an executive's calendar. Eighty-four percent of respondents indicate that they would “usually” or “always” grant a meeting with a seller who was recommended by someone inside the respondent's firm.

Just one caveat to that encouraging third bullet: Don't assume that getting a meeting is, of itself, valuable. What the study doesn't say is what percentage of those interviews are granted as courtesies to their organizational peers. This puts a premium on cultivating an internal Guide who, for reasons of self-interest, wants you to make this sale. Cultivate as many Guides as possible to assure access to those who can say, “Yes.”