No Bull Business Blog

It's OK not to be polite

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Executive Phone Skills for Business - A guide to clear, concise and effective business conversations. 

 

Saying you're sorry is almost always the polite thing to do. But when it comes to business, don't apologize for calling someone.

 

You wouldn't be calling them if it wasn't important, so don't start the conversation apologizing for "bothering" them.

 

It immediately weakens your position.

 

The reason you're calling them is because what you have to say is important - to them and to you. It's business and you wouldn't have "bothered" them if you didn't need to.

 

So exchange pleasantries and cut to the chase.

 

DIGGING DEEPER

The phone is a critical tool in business, yet most people make the most of their phone calls. There is a guide that will help. Read the executive report: Executive Phone Skills for Business - A guide to clear, concise and effective business conversations.

No Bull Quote

"Don't find fault, find a remedy."
- Henry Ford

Do ya think Eliot Spitzer asked for a discount?

It didn't take long for the jokes to start flying about now former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his sex scandal.

But No Bull admires how Shamus Brown, the sales guru, turned Spitzer's woes into his own sales pitch. Brown's EGOPOWER e-mail newsletter just arrived with the subject line: "Do Ya Think Eliot Spitzer Asked for a Discount?"

Before you think Brown was just after a cheap laugh, he actually used it to make a point about sales. An excerpt from his e-mail:

Do ya think he got a discount?

I sure hope so.

But some how I doubt it.

You see, some people just aren't that price sensitive.

In fact many premium customers use price as a proxy for quality.

Tis true.

Many of us have a built in belief that the higher the price is, the more quality there is in the service.

I think it's pretty obvious that Eliot thought this way.

It's a good reminder for your salespeople. Customers are always hammering them about price, but the truth is, most customers believe that you get what you pay for. And they really don't want second best.

DIGGING DEEPER
Every salesperson has heard it. "Your price is too high." So how do you turn price-conscious prospects into value-loving customers? This Executive Report can help: Overcoming Objections - Value vs. Price.

Why optimists sell 37% more!

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Conquering Cold Calling: What Is and Isn't Working:

Attitude drives behavior. That's why pessimists don't last long in sales.

Optimistic salespeople sell an average of 37% more products and services during cold calls than their negative counterparts. How do salespeople maintain a positive attitude while dealing with gatekeepers who won't let them through or prospects who hit them continuously with the "satisfied with present supplier" excuse?

Here are five tips that may help:

1. View success in the long term and failure in the short term. Success is the long-range goal. There'll be failures along the way. Failure is always short term. The best salespeople experience momentary setbacks. It's how you process those experiences that determines whether you learn or limit yourself.


2. Reframe what you hear and see. Perception is how you choose to interpret events. If prospects tell you they're happy with their present suppliers, do you place them in the "do not call category"? Or do you accept the statement as a challenge and vow to show why they should do business with you? Whenever you get a negative message during a cold call, ask yourself, "Is there another way to perceive this situation?"


3. Remain focused. Lock in on your goal and lock out distractions. Focus is positive tunnel vision. You may not be able to control the feelings and statements of prospects, but you can control your reaction to them. You may not be able to control the outcome of your presentations, but you can control your input. You may not be able to overcome all of the objections prospects may come up with during a cold call, but you can prove them wrong about their negative impressions with your own positive attitude and behavior.


4. Practice positive mental programming. This is how you talk to yourself and how you program your thinking. Concentrate on those things that will help, not hurt you. Does it really help to obsess on negative news about your industry or the economy? Or is it better to stay positive and go out and increase your cold calling efforts? One study shows salespeople reduce their cold calling efforts by 38% during tough times. They make cold calls at 62% of their "good times" calling rate. If you increase your cold calls by 25%, you have doubled your exposure in your industry. That's positive mental programming.


5. Read inspirational stories of others who have persisted in the face of failure. It helps to know that others have walked the path before you. Fuel yourself emotionally, spiritually and mentally. Surround yourself with motivational quotes and slogans. Paste them on the refrigerator. Keep copies in your briefcase.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
More than 40% of salespeople experience cold call reluctance at one time or another. To get help, you're invited to check out these two Executive Reports: Conquering Cold Calling: What Is and Isn't Working and Cold Calling: Cracking the Voicemail Barrier.