Travel Tips from a Road Warrior

Warren showcases a piece in the Wall Street Journal on the “business of language.” Listen in as Warren explains how english fluency in China is allowing highly skilled Chinese professionals to compete for coveted U.S. jobs, and why U.S. workers have become far too complacent to compete in the global marketplace.

For the central topic, Warren takes experiences from his twenty years on the road (mostly in the sky) to impart tips on how to make business travel less stressful.

Warren Is On the Air Today!

9/29/2005

Warren is on the air today! Click the flashing “Playing Now: Stream Live” button in this entry when we’re live at 9am Pacific, 12pm eastern. Today’s show topic is “Travel Tips from a Road Warrior.” You can access the live World Talk Radio stream at any time, but Warren will not be on until noon eastern.

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Innovation

How often have you heard someone moan and complain that their boss doesn’t listen to, or use, their ideas? Is it remotely possible that they’re not presenting their ideas in a conducive manner? What can you do to make sure your ideas are heard and used?

1. Realize that innovation comes from the bottom up. Innovation is not a "top-down" phenomenon. It comes from the bottom-up; from the people closest to the action. Receptionists, staff, customer service reps and salespeople are the ones dealing with customers every day. They know what customers want and need. While the top executives at General Motors were deciding what kind of Chevys, Buicks and Pontiacs people wanted to drive (even though they themselves didn’t drive them), Toyota knew the best way to find out what customers wanted, was ask the people who not only build the cars, but drive them: the workers on the assembly line.

2. Tell the person directly, instead of complaining to other people. Negative people are not listened to for long. Remember, others can’t help you and they don’t enjoy hearing you complain.

3. Prepare a solid plan of attack. But, don’t attack your listener. People will buy into your ideas only if you show them how they will benefit from them. Don’t just sell an idea, SELL A SOLUTION. Remember, everyone, including you, wants to know the same thing: what’s in it for me.

4. Tell them again, and again, and again, if need be. "I told them my idea and they didn’t do anything about it." I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that one. My response is always the same. Do you do everything everybody tells you the first time they tell you to do it? Don’t give up. If the idea is that good, keep trying. Instead of complaining, see if there’s something you can do to help implement the change.

Building An Extraordinary Organization

Building an extraordinary organization begins with a strong commitment at the top and works its way down. Listen to Warren speak about how to create a “Culture of Excellence” at every level of your organization.

Warren gives you tips for creating “Zero Tolerance Customer Service,” and learn why letting your people set their own goals and objectives could energize your organization.

Overcoming Objections

Do you need help overcoming objections in the sales process? Click here.

Also see the entry Overcoming Objections: Part II and Overcoming Objections: The Perfect Turnaround.

Salespeople hate when clients and prospects throw objections at them. Far too often it stops them in their tracks. But this should not be the case. Objections are part of selling and are really just an opportunity for the salesperson to show how valuable their product and service is.

The reason salespeople hate objections is because they're not prepared to hear them and turn them around. If they were, they would realize that they hear the same basic objections 99% of the time.

If you're prospecting for appointments by telephone have you ever heard:

1. “Could you send me information?”
2. “We have someone else we've been using for years.”
3. “I'm too busy and can't see you this week.”
4. “Your prices are too high.”
5. “I'm not the right person.”

How about these; most commonly heard during face to face appointments:

1. “I've got to think about it.”
2. “I can get it cheaper.”
3. “It's not what we're looking for right now.”

I'm sure there are others, but these are the most common. We've all heard those hundreds and thousands of times. Yet, so many salespeople, when confronted with these objections act as if they never heard them before and stumble through their turnarounds and do you know why?

BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT PREPARED!!! Yesterday I wrote an entry titled, “Professionals Practice: Do You?” In it I wrote that successful professional salespeople work off a script when on the phone. The script, which they practice so it no longer sounds like a script, also contains the most common objections they hear, along with the turnarounds they will use for those objections.

If you are truly a professional, what you need to do is write down the most common objections you hear, on the phone and in person, along with the turnarounds you will use to counteract those objections. Practice them; know them by heart; learn them so well that you never have to think about them while you're selling. They just become second nature.

By doing this, you've out-prepared the prospect, which gives you a better chance of winning. Believe me, the prospects of the world are not out there writing down new and better objections in order to stump you.

There are only a couple of turnarounds you need that cover most any objection. For instance, there's the “Repeat, Reassure and Resume,” turnaround. In other words, repeat the prospect's objection, reassure her it's a great objection and then just keep on going, because you don't want to talk about the objection, you want to talk about the appointment or the sale.

For example, you're on the phone, trying to sell an appointment and the prospect says, “Could you send me some information?” Of course you could, but do you want to? NO and why not? Because they won't read it and even if they do the information doesn't do a better job of conveying the benefits of what you do better than you can. SO SAY THAT!

Reply, “Of course I could send you some information, I would love too (Repeat, reassure), however, when I come and see you I can do a much better job than the information can of showing you how our company can save you time and increase your productivity and sales. Can we get together next Tuesday at 3?” (And, you “resumed.”).

Always discuss what you want to discuss, not what they want to discuss.

Professionals Practice; Do You?

Do you need help selling? Click here.

As a professional salesperson, have you ever said to yourself after a phone conversation or face to face sales call with a prospect, “Gee, I wish I have would have said ________. Next time someone says that to me, I’ll be ready.” Then next time comes, and guess what, you’re not ready. Do you know why? Because chances are you’ve never scripted out your phone or face to face presentations. Besides, even if you have, I’ll bet you don’t practice.

Professionals not only practice, they practice constantly. Professional athletes, musicians, actors and actresses practice every, single day for hours on end. Professional sales people hardly ever practice. Far too often when asked if they’ve scripted out their presentation, salespeople will say, “I hate using a script, it sounds like I’m reading from it. It doesn’t sound natural. I like to be spontaneous. I’m the kind of salesperson who is much better when they can ‘wing it.’”

Do you know why most scripts don’t sound “natural?” Or, why they sound like someone is reading from it? It’s because those scripts haven’t been rehearsed. Let me ask you this: have you ever gone to a Broadway show? Do you think they used a script? Of course they did. Did it sound like a script? Of course not, and do you know why? THEY PRACTICED!!! They practiced for hours every day.

How about this scenario: you pay about $100 per ticket for you and your spouse to see a Broadway show. Just before the curtain goes up, the actors and actresses come on stage and announce, “We’ve just received this script today and haven’t had a chance to practice it. But don’t worry we’re professionals; we’re just going to wing it, so sit back and enjoy the show.”

What would you do? I know I’d be the first one at the box office demanding my money back. Your clients and prospects might not be paying money to hear you “wing it,” but they’re sure paying with their time, which is something I bet they hate to waste.

Planning out your presentation and practicing it on regular basis is what allows you to sound natural and be spontaneous because you don’t have to think about what you’re going to say next while you’re speaking. When Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra was asked what he thought about while he was hitting, he said, “I can’t think and hit at the same time.”

Most clients and prospects will throw the same questions and objections at you all the time. Yet, by not preparing ahead of time, each time you hear those objections you’ll act as if it’s the first time you’ve ever dealt with them. By preparing and practicing on a regular basis, you’ll be able to instinctively respond to the expected without thinking and therefore have more of your mind free to handle the unexpected.

The benefit to you of course is better closing ratios. The benefit to the customer is they get to save precious time listening to shorter presentations delivered by more polished professionals.