MOST of the people who are in need of what you sell don’t even know they have a need. Therefore, they will not seek help on their own. If you are to be successful you must identify your target market and then begin to contact those people.

The most effective way is to pick up the phone and call these people to see if they have any interest in talking with someone who does what you do. This approach is not complicated or difficult. The key to being successful in this approach is to have an effective 30 second commercial that identifies 3 to 5 “pains” that you help people fix or improve.

“My name is _________. May I take 30 seconds and tell you why I called and you can tell me if you want to talk any further?” (Most people will say OK. Some will not. Don’t worry about it. Just hang up and call someone else.)

“I work with clients who are

Frustrated…
Upset…
Concerned…
Angry…

Once you have completed this ask them “Are any of these things important enough for you to spend two minutes talking about ?” (If they say yes continue by asking “Which of these issues is the most important?”

Get them talking and you will help them discover for themselves that they may need what you have.

If you will use this approach you can make 35 dials per hour, contact 5 to 7 people, and make a least one appointment. The beauty of this approach is that it is quick and inexpensive

We live in a world full of uncertainty, fear and anxiety. Stock market crashes, terrorists attacks and wars are all part of our daily lives. Our fear and anxiety is constantly being nurtured and reinforced by every print and electronic media we encounter. Tragedy is brought to us in real time “live” and “up close and personal”. Information that used to take hours or days to reach us now reaches us in real time. We have become what some futurists are calling victims of “psychic distress.”

Nowhere is this more evident than in the world of marketing and selling. Because buyers have been bombarded with so much hype, over promotion and razzle -dazzle they have become jaded, skeptical and cynical of everything they hear and see. They take nothing at face value. Their belief is that a marketer is guilty until proven innocent. They believe that anything that you tell a salesperson can and will be used against you. As a result, they hesitate to share any information or reveal anything of substance about their situation. You can’t really blame them can you?

What are some of the most common fears buyers have about the selling process:

1. Fear of making a mistake.
Buyers are afraid that even though buying from you today looks like the thing to do, they’ll regret that decision tomorrow, next week, or next month. They fear buying something that they don’t really need or paying more than they should. The higher the price and the more choices they have to pick from the greater the fear.

2. Fear of losing respect of self and others.
Many people have a need for the social approval of others. They are afraid that someone: a spouse, friend, peer, co-worker or a boss will say something like, “I can’t believe you bought that” or I can’t believe you paid that much for that”.

Some buyers fear that the wrong decision might mean a loss of promotion, or prestige. Worse they fear it could result in termination. As a result, they delay and drag out the process hoping that they won’t make a mistake.

3. Fear of the unknown.
Regardless of assurances and guarantees from you, buyers may be more content to stick with a painful status quo than to opt for an uncertain future. They may not like what they currently have but the future is too big a question mark to take any risks. This fear is especially pronounced for buyers whose job may not be assured or for those who lack self-confidence.

4. Fear of losing control.
Like all people, buyers want to feel that they have choices and are in control. They want to establish the agenda and control the timing. They are comforted by being able to delay purchase decisions as long as they can. Once they feel that they are losing that control their fears skyrocket.

Some these anxieties are obvious; others are subtle. You’ll increase your influence and credibility once you help your buyers discover and confront their fears, show that you are sensitive to those fears, and help them come to discover that your product or service will eliminate their fear and provide them with peace of mind.

In a complex sale, one in which there is more than one decision maker, you have four types of buyers: the Economic Buyer, the Technical Buyer, the End User and the Coach. Each of them has their role to play. The EB is concerned with the bottom line. The TB is concerned with product performance. The EU is concerned with how will this make my job easier or better. The Coach is concerned with helping you get the business. (They are your inside salesperson.)

All four of these have the capacity of “killing ” the deal. All four roles can consist of individuals or groups. Some of the players may serve in more than one role. All four of them have to be sold individually. Each of them has different “pains” or concerns. In order to make the sale, the sales person has to: identify whom the players are, develop relationships with each of them, approach and sell to each of them individually and collectively.

Failing to do this is dangerous and costly. The fallacy sales people make in situations like this is to focus on product and price. In complex selling it is NEVER about product or price. It is about process and relationship. This is the art of Strategic Selling. It is what separates the great producers from the good producers.

Stage One – Unconscious Incompetent

This is the stage where you are oblivious. It could be said, “You don’t know that you don’t know”. At this stage you are unaware and unskilled.

Stage Two – Conscious Incompetent

This is the stage where you become aware that you are unskilled. At this stage you come to “know that you don’t know” that your skills are lacking. This can be very uncomfortable and perhaps intimidating.

Stage Three – Conscious Competent

This is the stage where you are becoming more skilled and comfortable with the new behaviors or skills. It seems like hard work because you have to “think about” everything you are doing. It requires a lot of mental energy and can be exhausting. At this stage you are beginning to “get the hang of it”.

Stage Four – Unconscious Competent

This is the stage where you can execute “in the moment”. You no longer have to think about your response to any situation. You are running on autopilot. You now own the new behavior or skill. It usually takes two to five years of constant practice and study to get to this stage. Less than 10% of sales people ever achieve this level.

Stage Five- Master

This is the stage where you begin to develop new skills, attitudes and behaviors that have not yet been taught or discovered. You become a guru or pioneer. Less than 2% of sales people ever reach this level. It takes five to ten years of intense study to reach this level.