Specialized Training Services, Inc.

In This Issue a Sales Lesson some philosophy, a bit of humor and an invitation to an excellent workshop on Storytelling for Sales Professionals.

Lesson #1
NO DEMOS OR PROPOSALS WITHOUT A COMMITMENT.  Most sales training is product knowledge based. As a result, most salespeople are anxious to tell the prospect what they know about the product. The telling usually takes the form of a product demonstration, detailed proposal or lengthy diatribe on the features and benefits of the product or service. Salespeople feel very comfortable talking and telling about their products and services because it is what they know the most about. Have you ever walked away from a demo or proposal meeting feeling like the prospect was never going to buy, and all your effort was just a waste of time? If you don’t have a verbal contract with the prospect that they will say yes or no following the closing pitch, then why do one? “No Demos or Proposals without a commitment!”

A Little Philosophy
It was Frederick Nietzsche who first coined the phrase “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.  I don’t think Frederick needed to make cold calls but those of you that do should take heart from this phrase.

Perhaps a Chuckle or two…
A young rabbi was an avid golfer. Even on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, he snuck out by himself for a quick nine holes. On the last hole he teed off, and a gust of wind carried his ball directly over the hole and dropped it in for a hole in one. An angel who witnessed this miracle complained to God, “This guy is playing golf on Yom Kippur, and you cause him to get, a hole in one? This is a punishment?” “Of course it is,” said the Lord, smiling. “Who can he tell?”

Most salespeople know that people buy emotionally, and then justify their decision intellectually.  So, the goal of any good salesperson is to create a scenario in which the prospect is emotionally engaged with you and, also with the notion of how your product or service will enhance their life or business, right up until they write the check.  Storytelling as a sales technique allows you to paint pictures, evoke emotions, and connect with your prospect in a subtle, enjoyable and effective way. This 3 hour workshop will show you how to integrate storytelling techniques and tools into your existing sales process.   You will leave with at least one story to address your most common sticking point in a sales call, tips for creating third party or spontaneous stories during the sales call, and general strategies for weaving storytelling throughout your sales process . But be advised – your storytelling skills might not only make you a better salesperson, but a better party guest as well!
Location: Lennox Tech Enterprise Center
150 Lucius Gordon Dr.
West Henrietta, NY 14586

SEATING IS LIMITED
Registration - $49.00 – Call Specialized Training Services – 585-413-3053
Meredith Maslich, MA is the owner and President of Possibilities Consulting, a fundraising and philanthropy consulting firm, based in Washington, DC.   Meredith is the Chair of the Board of Directors for SpeakeasyDC, a non-profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling, where she performs and teaches. When Meredith began to integrate the skills and techniques of storytelling into her sales calls she immediately saw an increase in her closing ratio and began sharing her technique with other sales professionals.

Hi Jesse,

Thanks for the input, I am glad you like the site. Are you currently involved in selling or negotiating.

Repeat of the successful Business Growth Conference:
“Blow-Through Your Revenue Targets” - March 6th

If you’re looking for ways to boost your marketing, sales and lead-generation results - and who isn’t? – this unique, information-packed, one-half day marketing conference and peer networking event should be of interest to you:
Blow-Through Your Revenue Targets Thursday, March 6, 2007 –
7:30-8:00 AM for registration & networking plus continental breakfast.
8AM – 12 Noon presentations.  12:00 – 1:30 PM Lunch and networking at the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) Eisenhart Auditorium at 657 East Avenue.
Details and registration information: www.GrowMoreBusiness.com
As a business owner, chances are you’re under more pressure than ever to improve sales results and ROI. And here, at this fast-paced, informative one-half day conference, you’ll get all the tips and tools you need to do just that.  Telemarketing, direct mail, marketing strategy, identifying and training super-salespeople, dynamite sales tools and more– this Blow-Through Your Revenue Targets conference covers it all.
Blow-Through Your Revenue Targets features presentations from top marketing, prospecting and sales experts like Alan Sartain, Howard Maslich, Michele Gleber and Bill Brennan.

Please visit: www.GrowMoreBusiness.com to see presenters’ bios and what you’ll learn.
Simply put, Blow-Through Your Revenue Targets is where you’ll get real-life success stories and proven, tested ideas for growing your business. A small sample of the many actionable ideas you’ll take away -
* How a publishing firm increased its annual revenues by more than $1,000,000 in less than a year.
* How to generate a steady flow of highly-qualified sales leads.
* How to build a prospect attraction system that causes prospects to seek YOU out…and much more.

ONLY $49 - MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE - Registration for this fast-paced, information-packed business growth conference is only 7 card stud lowonline poker cheatingvideo poker strategyfree texas holdem poker game,free texas holdem download,texas holdemonline poker gamblingonline poker download7 card stud gamemultiplayer video pokerpoker casino gamepoker software developmentplay poker gameonline poker cheatfun game home play pokerfree texas holdem poker gameomaha poker,omaha holdem poker,hi lo omaha poker ruleholdem money play poker texasfree video poker gameonline poker lawtexas hold em tipplay money pokermultiplayer pokerfree video pokerplay texas holdem onlinelive online pokerno limit texas holdem rulefree on line poker7 card stud highwireless credit card processing equipment,wireless credit card processingbusiness credit card application,application bank business card credit nacapital one secured credit cardwashington mutual credit card applicationcard credit online wageringalaska airline credit cardcard credit hsbc,hsbc retail services credit card,hsbc rs credit cardconsolidate credit card debt consolidatecard credit high risk ukapply credit card on linecredit card balance transfer dealcard compare credit free review search,compare credit card,compare visa credit cardcredit card onlinecalculator card consolidation debt creditaspire card credit payment visa,aspire credit card payment,aspire card credit paymentmbna credit card applicationcash back credit card,cash back rebate credit card,best cash back credit card offerbalance card credit introductory transferapplication card credit instant onlineapplication card credit unsecured,application card credit online unsecured,unsecured credit card applicationcredit card debt consolidation,card consolidation credit debt keyword? ?,card consolidation credit debt management ?card credit free onlinecredit card account,discover credit card account,credit card without bank account $49. What’s more, if you’re not completely satisfied with the value provided, we will gladly refund your investment.

Register today: www.GrowMoreBusiness.com
I hope to see you there, in the RMSC Museum, on March 6th!

This month’s slight edge story comes from a client Mary Martinez. Mary is in the business of selling advertising. One of Mary’s big challenges has always been learning the amount of money her prospect is comfortable spending on the project they want. Typically she would listen hard to the needs, wants and challenges the prospect was up against and figure out a way to help them grow their business through an advertising program. Then she would deliver a proposal with a quote for the cost and this would be the first time there was any mention of money to the prospect. Well, as you can probably guess, especially if you have been in any of my training or coaching programs is, that about 60% of the time Mary would here “I love it, but the price is to high, it’s just out of our ballpark” Well, after some negotiation and sales coaching Mary learned that the budget step is part of the upfront qualifying information that must be gleaned prior to any solution demonstration.

As many of my readers know the most important step is to understand the problems and challenges that the prospect is facing which we call “getting the pain”. We call it pain because we want to emphasize that the problem really needs to sufficiently disturb the prospect so that it hurts enough to take action and get it fixed. Actually Mary was pretty good at that. What she didn’t realize is that people buy ways to avoid or eliminate their pain. When the pain step is finished, it is time to ask the prospect how much of a budget they have set aside to fix the problem. However, you do it the money needs to be agreed to, upfront. The slight edge moment is when Mary asked her prospect, upfront, if they could handle the price and they agreed. Mary told me that all her pressure was gone and she couldn’t believe that all she needed to do was to ask and they told her. I know it really sounds simple, but most of the time simple is exactly what the Slight Edge is.

Now for a little seasonal humor:

It’s Passover and a Jewish guy is eating his lunch in the park. A blind man sits down next to him, so the Jewish guy offers him some of his lunch—a piece of matzoh. The blind man takes it, fingers it a moment, and says, “Who writes this crap!”

A notable quote: “Seek to understand, before you seek to be understood” St. Augistine

If you haven’t already, contact me about Spring Training!

Talk to you next month, until then good selling.

This month’s Slight Edge story comes from Ted, a computer software salesman I have been coaching. Ted was in a very competitive software sale to a large company. There were two other competitors and the deal was worth about 100k gross. Ted was a student of NLP which is a psychological theory focusing on techniques of bonding and rapport.. One of the key principles of the teaching is that people are most comfortable with people like themselves. Ted was particularly interested in the concept of favorite phrases. These are the phrases that folks use to emphasize certain points they want to make. For example: an old teacher of mine used to say “let’s get down to brass tacks” when it was time to buckle down and get some work done. Ted noticed that the CEO he was selling to had a favorite phrase that he used when he wanted to emphasize the correctness of a decision he had made. The phrase was “you can bet your paycheck on it” Ted had made a note in his journal after hearing this phrase from the CEO 3 or 4 times over the course of the many meetings he had with him. When Ted’s final solution presentation to his prospect was over, the CEO looked at Ted and asked “will this really get us the results that you are projecting”? Ted’s reply was “you can bet your paycheck on it”. Ted did get the business over the other two competitors. Did he get it because of his diligent observation and subsequent use of the Boss’s favorite phrase? We will probably never know for sure. But what we do know is that Ted’s use of that specific language at a most critical moment, more than likely provided Ted with that Slight Edge that helped earn him, about a 20k commission.

As discussed in a recent issue of the Harvard Business Review story telling can be a very powerful mode of communication. The fundamental strength of using stories, is that it allows the listener to be IN the story – it provides a time and place, it lets the listener identify with the teller and it evokes emotion.
Part of the reason storytelling is an effective tool is that it is an affable, relatable, emotion evoking and hopefully, entertaining method of communicating information. When people are relaxed and entertained they listen better, and remember more. When you tell a story, you have your voice – a human voice – story telling humanizes you, the process and the product. Stories also lend authenticity by being easily identified with.
The implications for selling seem obvious, the salesperson tells a good story the prospect identifies, understands, feels good and gets emotional. Story telling would seem to be an elegant method of communication that all who need to persuade should know how to do. Yet, I have given it little thought until now. Better late than never, I have learned that story telling can be learned.
After consulting with a story telling trainer – yes there is one! I learned that a workshop can be developed to coach the following:

• How you develop a story, as well as how to tell a story.

• Participants learn how to develop a creation story, and up to three third party stories, as well as go over tips for developing a story on the spot, evoking emotion, and capturing the attention of a group, and using stories for presentations.

• For sales people and business executives, stories can help to break through barriers built from stereotypes and unconscious conceptions of salespeople. They also help to break down beliefs that salespeople and executives have of themselves.

The good news is that with only a few hours of training and some practice, you can learn how to craft and tell a powerful business story. ( You’ll probably also find you tell better social stories as well!)
If you are interested in learning more about telling stories please email me directly or through the weblog.

Today’s slight edge story comes to me from a client who sells a very technical product to large fortune 500 type companies. A project engineer was in a technical meeting with his customer when  he heard the following question “ I understand the cost savings we are now getting and why, but how can this solution apply to our service area? I was wondering if we could automate that as well?”. The engineer’s first impulse was to give a very accurate and technically correct answer. Instead he said “That is a great question, before I answer it, I was wondering if you could tell me why that is important to you?”
Well, that was the Slight Edge moment in this story, because the customer gave the engineer enough detail about the problem that the solution was decided and the deal made right then.

The principle that the engineer executed in this Slight Edge example is the principle of understanding why people buy, which is to avoid or eliminate pain. Most of my clients are interested in moving away from the commodity model and into the solution model, whenever possible. The margins are a whole lot higher when a solution is crafted and tailored to the customer’s problem. The challenge then becomes discovering what the pain is and how bad it hurts the customer. A very good pain indicator is when your customer asks you a technical question, the question itself is often an indicator of underlying pain. The right move is to not answer the question, but rather ask a question back to uncover the real problem. Hence the slight edge opportunity. It is very challenging coaching engineers and other technical professionals in this methodology since being the answer people is what they get paid for and what they generally love to do. The slight edge opportunity comes when the technical professional hears the question and recognizes a sales opportunity and suppresses her natural desire to answer and instead asks a question to learn about the underlying problem.

Remember it’s about small moves that change the dynamic of the interaction and more often than not put profit dollars in your pocket. Tell us your Slight Edge sales or negotiation story by following the blog directions below. I look forward to hearing from you.

In Today’s humor corner:  A Crises in Faith

A man stumbles into a deep well and plummets a hundred feet before grasping a spindly root, stopping his fall. His grip grows weaker and weaker, and in his desperation he cries out “Is there anybody up there?”
He looks up, and all he can see is a circle of sky. Suddenly, the clouds part and a beam of bright light shines down on him. A deep voice thunders, “I, the Lord, am here. Let go of the root, and I will save you.”
The man thinks for a moment and then yells, “Is there anybody else up there?”
(Cathcart &Klein)

A Notable Quote on Ambition – All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upward on the miseries or credulities of mankind. – Joseph Conrad

The Lesson:

Second and third effort, or why I call this newsletter the Slight Edge.

Sales is a game of inches. There are these moments in sales calls, when the salesperson is faced with a decision to let it go or to make a move. These decisions are critical and can add up to defining success or failure in the sales profession.

An example I recently heard from a client, selling specialized printers to a niche vertical market, went like this:
Prospect: “I will be needing those printers.  What does your pricing look like?” Salesperson: “You will be getting the pricing on your computer screen within a couple minutes”
Prospect: “I see it, they look good. So, have a nice weekend and I will be calling you over the next several weeks to order”

This was the defining moment for this sales transaction. The salesperson easily could have said “sounds great.”  (as his mind trailed off into his own weekend plans) Instead, he made the choice to make a move on the prospect. He said, “Well, we have a bunch in inventory that we bought at that price and when they’re gone the price could change. Would you like me to put your name on some?” The prospect replied “Sure, put me down for 5.”  With that, this salesman opened a new account and closed an order for $12000. The slight edge here was the choice to make the retort instead of giving up.

This salesperson was a good performer.  The thought process is different for better sales performers. The average or worse performer thinks” Well, he will buy it anyway I am sure, so why press now?”. The top performers think, “No reason for this guy to wait.  Too many things can happen to screw this order up, I am going for it now. The order I get now, beats any future possibility.”  This shows a greater intensity, or focus on goals.

In this month’s newsletter I wanted to keep it simple and focus on the one small moment, when you have the choice, to make a response that could change the whole dynamic of the sale and give you that slight edge! At the bottom of the newsletter page you will read instructions to participate in my blog. Please tell me your slight edge story.  You know, that sale you were involved in, when you made the move that turned the sales dynamic completely around for you and became your slight edge.

A notable thought:  Thoughts are things, and powerful things at that, when mixed with purpose, persistence and a burning desire for their translation into riches or other material objects. (Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich)

A bit of logic loop humor:  An Irishman walks into a Dublin bar, orders three pints of Guinness, and drinks them down, taking a sip from one, then a sip from the next, until they’re gone. He then orders three more. The bartender says, “You know, they’d be less likely to go flat if you bought them one at a time.”
The man says. “Yeah, I know, but I have two brothers, one in the States, and one in Australia. When we all went our separate ways, we promised each other that we’d all drink this way in memory of the days when we drank together. Each of these is for one of my brothers and the third is for me.”
The bartender is touched, and says, “What a great custom!” The Irishman becomes a regular in the bar and always orders the same way.
One day he comes in and orders two pints. The other regulars notice and a silence falls over the bar. When he comes to the bar for his second round, the bartender says, “Please accept my condolences, pal.”
The Irishman says, “Oh, no everyone’s fine. I just joined the Mormon Church, and I had to quit drinking.”

Salespeople face big a risk every time they ask a prospect or customer to make a decision or a commitment. What is that risk? The risk of uncovering the truth, yes, the truth hurts but it will set you free. Many salespeople perceive great risk in hearing the most dreaded word in sales- the word “NO”. This appears to be such a risky situation that salespeople will go to great lengths, wasting both time and energy, to avoid hearing the word “NO.”

Why do salespeople run from the truth of the NO? It is my belief that the reason is based on a misunderstanding of what the word NO really means. In my New School of Sales and Negotiation we study a process called Decision Based Systematic Negotiation.

When people make decisions they have reasons to justify it. It’s the reasons behind the decision that helps the salesperson understand the motivations and future actions of the prospect. A decision is a yes or a no, either one will provide feedback that helps the negotiator or salesperson see the world of the other more clearly.

The lesson is, face the truth and encourage your prospect to give you “No” decisions instead of maybe or I want to think over. Maybe’s tell you nothing about anything, that is why it is called a stall or a decision not to make one. This reminds me of a poem:

Mights are in your hair, Maybes in the air,

The only way to go is with a yes or with a no.

Yes I wrote this corny little ditty to help remind me to do the right thing, back in the day.

Change your perspective and see every yes and no as stepping stones toward the truth and you shall go to the bank!

Now a Little Philosophy:

From the The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda

Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question. Does this path have a heart? All paths are the same, they lead nowhere. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, the path is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn’t. One makes for a joyful journey, as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong the other weakens you.

And some humor: From Plato and Platypus by Cathcart and Klein

Two men are making breakfast. As one is buttering the toast, he says. “Did you ever notice that if you drop a piece of toast, it always lands butter side down?”

The second guy says, “No, I bet it just seems that way because it’s so unpleasant to clean up the mess when it lands butter side down. I bet it lands butter side up just as often.”

The first guy says, “Oh, yeah? Watch this.” He drops the toast to the floor, where it lands butter side up.

The second guy says, “See, I told you.”

The first guy says, “Oh, I see what happened. I buttered the wrong side!”

If you’re looking for ways to boost your marketing, sales and lead-generation results - and who isn’t? - this unique, information-packed, one-half day marketing conference and networking event should be of interest to you:

Blow-Through Your Revenue Targets Thursday, October 18, 2007 –

7:30-8:00 AM for registration & networking plus continental breakfast.

8AM – 12 Noon presentations. 12:00 – 1:30 PM Lunch and networking at the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) Eisenhart Auditorium at 657 East Avenue.

Details and registration information: www.GrowMoreBusiness.com

As a business owner, chances are you’re under more pressure than ever to improve sales results and ROI. And here, at this fast-paced, informative one-half day conference, you’ll get all the tips and tools you need to do just that. Telemarketing, direct mail, marketing strategy, identifying and training super-salespeople, dynamite sales tools, creating killer websites and more– this Blow-Through Your Revenue Targets conference covers it all.

Blow-Through Your Revenue Targets features presentations from top marketing, prospect development and sales experts like Alan Sartain, Howard Maslich, Michele Gleber and Bill Brennan.

Please visit: www.GrowMoreBusiness.com to see presenters’ bios and what you’ll learn.

Simply put, Blow-Through Your Revenue Targets is where you’ll get real-life success stories and proven, tested ideas for growing your business. A small sample of the many actionable ideas you’ll take away from Blow-Through Your Revenue Targets -

• How a publishing firm increased its annual revenues by more than $1,000,000 in less than a year.
• How to generate a steady flow of highly-qualified sales leads.
• How to build a prospect attraction system that causes prospects to seek YOU out…and much more.

ONLY $49 - MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE - Registration for this fast-paced, information-packed business growth conference is only $49. What’s more, if you’re not completely satisfied with the value provided, we will gladly refund your investment.

Register today: www.GrowMoreBusiness.com

I hope to see you there, in the RMSC Museum, on October 18th!

You’re invited!

I would like to personally invite you to spend a morning with Jim Camp, best selling author of two books on Systematic, Decision Based, Negotiation.

Are you ready to take your negotiation and selling skills to the next level? Would you benefit from knowing:
• The most dangerous negotiation and how to master it.
• What can be managed in a negotiation and what can’t.
• The five most critical tools to being successful in negotiation.
• The six characteristics that must be in place to be a great negotiator.
• The great secret to successful negotiation and the million/billion dollar deal.
• The greatest strength of a great negotiator.
You’ll learn these critical answers and more at The Camp Group’s Negotiation Workshop. And you won’t believe the price!
It’s FREE but attendance it limited so please sign up immediately and if you like encourage a guest to sign up as well.
Place: Hyatt Regency downtown Rochester
Date: July 16
Time: 8:00 continental breakfast served, program ends at 12 noon.
To register you must go to www.startwithno.com and click on 8-city workshop tour in the upper right corner, then fill out the information and a seat will be reserved for you.
Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to meet and learn from one of the world’s greatest Negotiation minds. Sign up today and reserve your seat. Feel free to pass this on to someone you feel could benefit by learning how to be a stronger negotiator.
See you there!
Howard