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Watch What You Say and Where You Say It

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

Watch What You Say and Where You Say It

Note: I had another topic planned for this blog post, but had to delay it since I wanted to share this afternoon's observance with you in a timely fashion.

Today, I was at the Doctor's office waiting for my appointment. A medical supply sales representative and her manager came into the office a few minutes later and loudly made their presence known. The sales rep hovered around the desk while a patient was signing in (not cool), and then made her pitch to see her prospect.

While waiting for the Practice Administrator (Office Manager) in the waiting area, the rep and her manager openly discussed their strategy for the sales call. During this conversation, there were periods of laughter, updates on company gossip, as well as re-caps and opinions from the other Doctors they had visited.

None of the patients in the waiting area were amused by this humor and we weren't interested in the inappropriate stories, gossip, and opinions of other Doctors. One thing was for sure – everyone in the room knew who they worked for, and probably had formed an opinion of their company. (If any of us knew the people they were discussing, it could've created additional issues.)

I've also witnessed and overheard very specific conversations in restaurants/coffee shops. For situations like these, I recommend you keep your voices down, keep your conversations general, and be careful with company names or contact last names. Better yet, some of these conversations should probably occur in private. As with life in general – be aware of your surroundings. We've all probably heard of people being burned in (or by) careless situations like these.

Mike's Upcoming Sales Skills Workshops for December

1. Creating Your Effective Networking Commercial!

After learning some tips to develop an effective 30-second networking commercial, we will work on your specific message. Your opening statement will create customer interest and assist you with developing networking relationships that are critical to your business development.

Date/Time: Thursday, December 11, 2008 from 3:30pm – 5:00pm

Location: Arizona Small Business Association at 4130 E. Van Buren St, Ste 150 - Phx

Investment: ASBA Members - $30 or Non-members - $40

Register today at 602-265-4563 or rsvp@asba.com.

2. Sales Management 501: Creating Accountability to Achieve Sales Results

Date/Time: Friday, December 12, 2008 from 8:30am – 11:30am

Location: Arizona Small Business Association at 4130 E. Van Buren St, Ste 150 - Phx

Investment: ASBA Members - $59.00 or Non-members - $69.00

Register today at 602-265-4563 or rsvp@asba.com.

Have a great sales week!

Understanding the difference between Needs and Wants

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

Understanding the difference between Needs and Wants

In prior blog posts as well as my newsletter (shameless plug – click on this link to see how to subscribe), I've shared my definition of sales as "solving problems and fulfilling needs".

But what about wants?

Needs and wants are both motivating factors for our customers and prospects. Needs are very tangible and quantifiable, while wants tend to be based more on emotion and are harder to measure. For instance, if you have to travel from point A to point B, you may have a basic need for a car. Any car that will get you to the desired destination can fulfill this need. However, you may want a Ferrari as your mode of transportation. With this being said, most automotive buying decisions are based on wants. Both cars can do the job, but one can get you there faster!

As another example, your proposed product may save your prospect 10% on their production costs – which fulfills a need. The want on the other hand may be for the prospect to "look good" in the eyes of their boss. Both the want and the need can be satisfied by asked good open-ended questions and probing for the root issues.

As sellers, we must be able to address our customer and prospect needs, while we also have to satisfy their wants. Please also consider that what may be a want from one person, may be considered a need by another person. This is some real deep psychological stuff, but it definitely drives buying behavior.

Earlier this week, Thrive Marketing did a great job of also discussing this topic, and how you should consider wants in your marketing mix.

This is an important and complex issue. Please feel free to post a comment to this blog post about your views and experiences.

Mike’s Upcoming Sales Skills Workshops for December

1. Creating Your Effective Networking Commercial!

After learning some tips to develop an effective 30-second networking commercial, we will work on your specific message. Your opening statement will create customer interest and assist you with developing networking relationships that are critical to your business development.

Date/Time: Thursday, December 11, 2008 from 3:30pm – 5:00pm

Location: Arizona Small Business Association at 4130 E. Van Buren St, Ste 150 - Phx

Investment: ASBA Members - $30 or Non-members - $40

Register today at 602-265-4563 or rsvp@asba.com.

2. Sales Management 501: Creating Accountability to Achieve Sales Results

Date/Time: Friday, December 12, 2008 from 8:30am – 11:30am

Location: Arizona Small Business Association at 4130 E. Van Buren St, Ste 150 - Phx

Investment: ASBA Members - $59.00 or Non-members - $69.00

Register today at 602-265-4563 or rsvp@asba.com.

Have a great sales week!