Need Sales? Get Leeds!

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

This blog title may sound familiar – it's a 70's song title from the group Chicago…

Daylight Savings Time starts this Sunday for most of the USA. I've assembled some helpful tips to keep in mind when dealing with customers or prospects across the country.

1. Keep in mind that 48 of the 50 states follow Daylight Savings Time (DST). The  exceptions are Arizona and Hawaii, along some of the Native American Reservations, and the U.S. Territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
2. When making phone calls across the country, maximize your results by considering the time zone you're calling. For example, west coast salespeople may want to start their day by calling the east coast. Since it’s coming up on lunch time in the Eastern Time Zone and nearly half of their work day may be over. (If you specialize in calling back east, you may want to alter your work day and get an early start – vice versa if you're calling from east to west.)
3. Never assume that the number you are calling is physically located in that area code or time zone. With the portability and mobility of today's wireless technology, many people keep their established cell phone numbers when they relocate (in addition to traveling). For example, one of my neighbors here in Scottsdale has a 310 area code (Los Angeles) for his work/cell number. He relocated here from L.A. a couple of years ago and his number is well circulated among his client base. If you're not sure about someone's location ask what time zone they're in. This is very common today, and in the near future area codes as whole may be totally blurred or irrelevant.
4. When making a phone appointment, always use the customer's time zone as a reference point. To reduce confusion (especially if you're in AZ or HI), you do the math. For instance, I look forward to speaking with you on Wednesday at 10:00am your time (or Central Time).
5. If you're in one of the areas that does not participate in Daylight Savings, using the name of your "standard" time zone can be very confusing and can create many issues. For example, if I schedule a conference call and state that it starts at 8:00am Mountain Standard Time (since AZ isn't on DST), my call participants may think I really meant Mountain Daylight Time and I'll be an hour late. If you're located in AZ, I suggest that you eliminate the confusion by adopting Pacific Daylight Time as your time zone (as opposed to repeatedly explaining to people that we're really still on Mountain Standard Time).
6. Take advantage of the additional hour when calling your customers in the European Economic Community during this period of DST.
7. In the last few years, DST has been extended by 3 weeks. The time will change back to Standard Time on November 3, 2013.

Have a great sales day!

Ever peel your banana from the bottom?

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Ever peel your banana from the bottom?

Like most people, most of the time, I peel bananas from the stem at the top. Every once in a while, you get that stubborn stem – the one that breaks off, the one that's not ripe, the one that's too ripe, or the one that defies nature and just isn't there.

You have 3 choices when this happens to you (and it's only banana remaining in the bowl):

            1.  Fight with the banana, and attempt to win the battle. This may involve demonstrating
            some patience to work with the problem. Or, you can use a tool to assist your efforts (like a             knife).

            2.  Step away from the banana, and try it again another day. You avoid the situation today,             but the problem will still exist later.

            3.  Try peeling the banana from the bottom. This involves creativity and being open to             change. (I heard about this approach from an acquaintance, and just laughed it off.)

Then it recently happened… I encountered a challenging banana stem. So, I opted for option 3 above (instead of the usual option 1). It worked - it was a successful peel!

This methodology could be applied to making sales calls. Every once in a while, change it up and try something different. Add another approach to a prospecting call, a data gathering question, or proposing a benefit or solution. We can never have enough sales tools in our sales toolbox.

Have a Successful Sales Day & "Bottoms Up!"

Is an Upgrade Always an Upgrade?

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Is an Upgrade Always an Upgrade?

The short answer is… not always. It’s all how the upgrade is perceived. On a recent business trip to San Diego, I was offered a complimentary "upgrade" to a full-size car. I thought this was a nice gesture, and since I was in a hurry – I didn't question it, or even give it a second thought.

There it was waiting for me… a dark gray Ford Crown Victoria. Nice and roomy, and I can't remember the last time I drove a car with a front bench seat. As I loaded my luggage into the trunk (which was huge), the thought crossed my mind that this car looked like a cop car. Yes, the preferred police car in many departments is the Crown Victoria (and the San Diego P.D. and the C.H.P. are no different – although they tend to be black and white).

Since my flight arriving from Phoenix was delayed, the timeframe to make my appointment was on the tight side – but I felt I could still be on time. The traffic on the northbound I-5 was fairly light, so I was feeling confident. Then it happened… the cars around me started slowing down. They were going "below" the speed limit. I was thinking "what’s up with this?" I noticed the cars in front of me were slowing down, but when I passed them – they sped up. They too thought my car was a cop car. This slow down – speed up traffic pattern repeated itself all the way to my exit. It almost made me late for my appointment. If I were in the mid-size car I had reserved, I would have time to spare. Turns out… this wasn't really an upgrade for my needs.

I'm sure the car rental person thought he was being nice. They had a fleet of these Crown Vics, and had run out of the car size I had reserved. At this point a mini-van would've been a better option for me.

I suggest offering options to your customer if you want to "upgrade" them. For example, I recently heard about a story that comes from the hotel industry. A person checked into a hotel and there was a delay at the front desk. The guest was offered an upgrade to a suite. It was a nice gesture, but since it was already in the evening of a one-night stay, the guest may have been more appreciative of a complimentary breakfast or internet access - and stay in the same room type they reserved.

If you have multiple options when it comes to an upgrade, listen to your customer
and tailor your upgrade to meet their needs. 

Have a Successful Sales Day!

Anchor appointments can help you “gain” additional time in your day

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Anchor appointments can help you "gain" additional time in your day

Let's face it – most of us aren't making money while we are driving to and from sales meetings. In larger metropolitan areas especially, many sales people waste huge amounts of time in their cars (or using public transportation) and are seeing fewer customers or prospects.

I suggest dividing your sales territory into specific areas or quadrants, and scheduling specific days to be in those areas. When laying out your schedule in this format, you can target accounts you need to visit in a proactive basis. Yes, there are occasionally going to be those days when you have to drive from one end of the metro area to the other based on customer need; however, these occurrences can be dramatically reduced with effective planning. Start with setting up a primary appointment in the area (an anchor appointment) and build your schedule from there. Ultimately, this technique is most effective used when a sales professional can spend an entire day in a single office building or business park (and never need to move their car).

I have found that customers are very understanding when you share with them the day(s) you will be in their area. Of course, if it's an emergency situation or a customer schedule issue – you make that work. Also, if you haven't scheduled that particular day yet – this could be your anchor appointment.

The results are more productive time management (so you can focus on what's important to you), higher quality appointments (since they're planned and thought out), and a reduction of your expenses (like gas at $4/gallon).

Have a Successful Sales Day!

Take Care of Your Customers and Watch Your Business Grow

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Take Care of Your Customers and Watch Your Business Grow

Finding new customers can be a challenge at times. The old saying, "retaining an existing customer is at least 10 times more profitable than finding a new customer" is very true. So, how do you increase your customer base? While "hunting" for the new client can be very exciting, maintaining the existing client can be very rewarding for many reasons.

First, satisfying a current client allows you to extend your business relationship while you have the ability to potentially cross-sell and up-sell (generating additional revenue). Second, you may enjoy the benefits of being referred to additional customers. Let's face it – happy customers will tell other people about you.

I recommend that you review your customer list to see where the business has come from (creating a family tree of sorts). You may find that some of your customers are referrals from a referral (from possibly another referral). This is about as cool as it gets! Reach out to these referring customers, let them know how much you appreciate them, and never take them for granted. 

Have a Successful Sales Day!

Listen More by Talking Less

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Listen More by Talking Less

How to get the most out of your questions to customers...

When asking questions, it is very common to ask "closed-ended" questions which often result in a "yes or no" answer, or a single word answer. This is the main reason that sales people end up speaking an average of 78% of the time, and only listening 22% of the time during a conversation.  If we want as much information as possible to help our customer with solving a problem or a need, we need to flip these numbers and begin listening 78% of the time. The key is to ask "open-ended" questions to probe for information.

I'd like to share with you two tips for asking "open-ended" questions: First, try to limit your questions that begin with "do", "can", "is" or "are". The answers to these questions will often be a single word, forcing many sales people to make the mistake of asking more closed ended questions (the interrogation technique). Second, focus on questions that start with "How" or with a first letter of "W" (i.e. What, Why, Who, Where or When). These questions will allow your customer to expand their answers so you can quickly and accurately determine their need. The result is your customer will be doing the talking, while you are actively listening, taking notes, and asking follow-up questions for more information.

Examples of some open-ended questions that will create great dialog:

• How do you measure success?
• What issues or challenges are you encountering?
• Where do you see your business expanding?

Try this technique, and let me know how it works for you.

Have a Successful Day!  

What Sales People can learn from Surfers

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

 

What Sales People can learn from Surfers

 

Watching the waves in the ocean can be mesmerizing. After each wave hits the beach, another one shortly follows. Then you watch the surfers sitting on their boards out beyond where the waves break. They patiently wait for that perfect wave for a great ride to the beach. These waves are few and far between but when the right one comes, the surfers paddle to be in the right position to catch it. Ten, twenty, or even more waves may come and go, before the surfer feels it is the right one.

                 

When there is not a lot of activity in the ocean, surfers need to consider the options below to maximize their surfing effort:

 

1. Consider getting out into the water earlier, and possibly spending more time out there.
2. Consider riding waves that are a notch below the perfect one, just to keep it going.
3. Consider the surfing options at other beaches, where the conditions may be better.
4. Prepare their equipment to be more effective (wax their boards).

 

There are a lot of similarities here that sales people can learn from in a challenging economy:

 

1. Make more sales calls.
2. Work on smaller projects, while keeping an eye out for the big one.
3. Consider prospecting in multiple market segments or new geographic areas.
4. Stay prepared, and always keep your sales skills sharp.

 

Have a great sales week!

What Sales People Can Learn from Professional Hockey

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

What Sales People Can Learn from Professional Hockey

From an accountability standpoint, the NHL (National Hockey League) has the right idea for penalties. You have a penalty called against you - and you sit in the penalty box (for a minimum of 2 minutes). Meanwhile, your team continues to play with 1 less player (creating a Power Play for the other team) during the penalty time. Power Plays can (and should be) a major advantage for the team with 1 additional player. While Hockey is an extremely physical sport, I'm sure this form of accountability makes players think twice before they commit a penalty.

Goofy "penalties" in the world of sales can hurt your customer, your team, and you. Accountability issues from Salespeople can have a negative impact for a long time on their company. In Hockey, 2 minutes can be an eternity – but in business this could translate into years (definitely eternity). Play the sales game by the rules, and enjoy the "sport."

Have a great sales week!

Avoid the Slimy Approach to Sales

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Avoid the Slimy Approach to Sales

Effective consultative sales is solving customer problems and fulfilling customer needs. During the prospecting stage of the sales process, we are trying to get the attention of a potential customer to see there may be mutual interest. The goal of prospecting is to move to the next step of your sales process (professionally and with integrity).

Based on my survey through social media, the slimy approaches below received the most chatter: 

1. Using the saying "wait there's more."
2. Sending the same e-mail over and over again.
3. Phone stalking by calling multiple times per day and not leaving messages.
4. Sending mis-leading mail packages (i.e. using fake overnight delivery or fake government-looking envelopes).
5. Leaving mis-leading phone messages (i.e. like you know the person, or calling under false pretenses).

Bottom line – take the high road! It will lead to a better sales experience for you and the prospect, and you'll be doing your share to get slime out of the sales profession!

Have a great sales week!

"No" is the Second Best Response.

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

"No" is the Second Best Response.

The best response you can get in the sales world is a "yes." However, the second best answer is a "no." What can drive sales people crazy is either no answer/response or some sort of delay from the person they’re trying to reach. This could be because the prospect may not truly understand how you can assist them, they're not a qualified prospect, they're busy and have other priorities now, or they're just trying to be nice and don't want to say "no."

By the way, if you do get a "no" - it may just be "no" for now, not "no" forever.

When we get a delay, it may be that there is not a sense of urgency for the prospect. Re-focus your conversation on why and how your solution will create a tangible (quantifiable) benefit for them.

If you think they're just trying to be nice (and just won't say no), find out what they like the best about your proposal, and how they think it would benefit them. Solving customer problems and fulfilling customer needs are critical to your successful sales efforts.

Hearing a "no" from your customer may not be the best answer you can get, but it will certainly save you time, save you frustration, and help keep your sales pipeline more realistic.

Have a great sales week!