Advanced Sales 101: “GOING FOR THE NO” Knowing When to Walk Away Increases Revenue (… and Inner Confidence)

“You must be fully prepared to lose a great deal in order to make a great deal.”    – Unknown

 

Either through spending more efficient time with prospects or finessing the sale (through all avenues known to humankind of getting the holy yes), the fine Art of Closing would not be complete without knowing when to go for the final-final sh*t-or-get-off-the-pot moment during negotiations. My sister, a great sales coach, calls it Going For The No.

It is scary to do. Mostly because we don’t always know if we can trust our own internal timing and tempo. Maybe we mis-judge a prospect’s comments about money, and bring up the subject too soon (or too late!) for their liking. These are the tiny-random things that unfortunately orchestrate many make it or break it moments in the sales life cycle. Closing with a Going For The No approach works, sometimes more than other techniques. And here is, I think, why…

During the point when your instinct knows it is time to Go For The No, you have most likely already spent a substantial amount of time with the prospect. No doubt, you have already offered free stuff, free time, free advice in one form or another. By the time your gut says go for it, the prospect will probably be more approachable because s/he knows that you (your services / products) are of value, and you have therefore earned the right to play a little hardball.

The entire vetting process for the prospecting life cycle needs to be seriously analyzed and handled with alert observation. This is the MOST important time. Not only because, as Frank Herbert, author of the Dune series, said: “Beginnings are such delicate moments,” but also because mistakes at the front-end of any endeavor are usually not fixable further down the line. The process of beginnings: of gathering the correct information, at the right place and time, with the best people, with all the tools needed to do the job right first time around… is where  sales professionals can save a lot of time and resources right now. The first moments when your gut knows this is a dead-end street, make a swifter choice to walk away sooner than later. Go For The No before walking out the door, just to be sure, but yep, decide to walk away.

Overall revenue can increase if we do two things: decrease costs, increase sales. So, think about the hours you have wasted not closing a sale, when you knew on some gut level that this prospect was a bit off or problematic … if you had walked away sooner than later, you would have been free to continue filling and maintaining your more valuable pipelines. Your time becomes more effective, as your pipelines lead you to prospects that are HOT rather than just WARM. You get the picture, right? And at the end of the sales life cycle, Going For The No before walking away offers the prospect a chance to jump in and spend the money, because they like you and they like what you are selling. Starting today. I read an article that stated approximately 32% of the prospects in their study said Yes when the sales pro Went For The No before walking away. This doesn’t prove anything, but it is certainly food for thought.

The courage to Go For The No, and the finesse needed to pull it off are maybe lacking in each of us. But it is possible. My heart pounds way faster when I am doing it, and I feel the testosterone in my body pumping through the veins as I play hardball with a touch of humor, adding facts and figures if needed… whatever it takes.

• And sometimes, I say to them: This is what’s called: Going For The No in sales, Mr/Ms Prospect, so I would like to know if you are, indeed, interested in moving forward with the project?
• Or I might try something like: Based on (X number of hours) of work with me on this project, would your answer today be a yes or would your answer today be a no?

Very often, you will see how much they actually do value you and might be inclined to close the deal. Try it. It has worked for many.

As we all know about negotiations – having absolutely nothing to lose puts one in the highest position of power. Going For The No and knowing when to walk away also create a level of inner confidence and ease that nudge prospects towards trusting you. More yes moments come from it. Note: if you are uncomfortable saying No in your life, in general, then you might be more challenged doing this in your sales / prospecting job. So, learn how to say No, too.

Another, more politically incorrect way to say all this is simply: don’t let anyone dick you around. In the end, you have a great service or product they want. Going For The No when you are finally done going back and forth, lets your prospect know where you stand. It shows a solid backbone, too. Be willing to walk away and move on. With or without them. Professionally and diplomatically state the truth about this, and then onwards. You don’t need to be around business people who (consciously or unconsciously) suck time and energy out of your precious work life, no matter how impressive their suits and credentials are.

Spend more time with prospects whose voices brighten up when they talk to you, then watch your revenue (and inner confidence) grow.

For more info, please visit: www.VeloCityCoachingServices.com

SOLVING PROBLEMS & MAKING DECISIONS: Six Sigma, Zen & the Art of Paying it Forward

“If you tell the truth, then you don’t have to remember anything.”  – Mark Twain

We begin with a contradiction: in order to be High-Caliber Project Managers, Leaders, Parents, Citizens… we must keep an eye on all the details around us, while at the same time maintain a distance, have an overview, see the big picture, be a visionary. Both skills are vital so that an effective, workable solution to a conflict or problem can be reached. As well, there are two main approaches to solving problems and making decisions: one is free in which ideas flow easily, whereas the other is concrete, in which systems are in place and outcomes are guided.

We all have our own methods, and we are sure to bring those tried and true approaches and guiding beliefs into our environments. However, it is even more important to have the choice, and then take on the situation with the most appropriate technique for finding a solution and then reaching a wise decision, in that particular situation, for those specific people and problems to solve.

It’s all about energy. That’s right, energy. It flows in action, reciprocation and contribution. It is about internal abundance, and is based on the idea that our gut instincts know what is so. Simple. When we don’t listen to our intuition, we betray ourselves, and then “bad things happen.” When we listen to our gut, we honor ourselves and then life starts to rock! Whoo hoo! Sound familiar?

Personal and Professional Toolboxes need development in order to create more choices, when the time comes, for handling difficult decision-making situations. Once again, being able to actively contribute to and participate in various approaches, behaviors, communication styles, etc. gives us more choices. When we are in the position of having to handle another roadblock, we can go forth and put out the fire with grace, awareness and speed. Even engage in preventing issues in the first place! Wow what an effective and efficient concept!

TEN EFFECTIVE WAYS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS & MAKE DECISIONS… here are suggestions on how to begin the sometimes impossible tasks of solving problems and making the right decisions. Using only one method will certainly not work, especially with today’s more diversified work environments!

• Brainstorming Wheels – free flow of ideas
• Timed Writing Practice and Outlining – stream of consciousness information
• Conflict Speed Circles – task oriented free flow of ideas
• Pro and Con Lists – advantages and disadvantages, ratio of good vs bad
• Decision Trees – flow chart of possible choices connected to possible outcomes
• Prioritize Options – from one to ten, focus on the most important to the least
• Worst / Best Case Scenarios – risk management, forecasting, dealing with fears, roadblocks and what would happen IF situations / handling focused best practices
• Information Collection, Surveys, Interviewing and Analysis – deals with consensus and mediation, fact-finding and initiative implementation
• Autocratic and Hierarchical Decisions –top down decision-making through an organization, strictly adhering to the status quo
• JC Penny, NASA and Six Sigma (DMAIC): Definition phase – who, what, where, when, why, how much, how long… / Measurement phase – x and y factors, process and results, charts and graphs / Analysis phase – statistical tools, prioritize factors, redefine importance, redefine risks / Improvement phase – quality, quantity, ratios, timing and follow-up feedback / Control & Correct phase – change and reduce variations and influences

OF COURSE… If we REALLY want to deeply solve personal, professional, local and global problems and make the right decisions to make stuff happen, then probably the MOST EFFECTIVE METHOD is to help someone else get that which YOU wish for. For example: If I want to have a smooth and affordable relocation to New Orleans, I would then offer a free event called Relocation Strategies: Should I Stay or Should I Go? with the intention of helping others find smooth transitions for themselves. We help others first, and then we allow it to happen to us.

I am not a Buddhist but I have spent many many many hours meditating and studying the concepts and ideologies. They like to count things out. Eight Fold Path, Four Truths. And they truly believe that if we give to others first, that which we would like to create for ourselves, then it seems to work out back to us. Karma. Reciprocation. Physics. God. Science. Magnetism. Fate. Chance. Whatever it is, it does seem to work. In short: SOLVING PROBLEMS & MAKING DECISIONS is then mostly achievable in the easiest way via doing for others first. Simple.

Then we are able to help the situation along. Think about it. We create great things for others, and then guess what happens? Great things happen to us… So, WHO can you help today with an issue that you yourself have? If you want to lose weight, for example, find someone to help who wants to be healthier, or wants to learn how to cook healthier munchies – and then teach them how to cook the best darn healthiest veggie burgers ever, and go do laps at the local pool together! What have you got to lose? Try it and see what happens. You might just be amazed at how your own problems and decision-making skills change for the better… and with so little effort, while connecting to others who need support.

At the very least, your world around you will be a little kinder.

For more information: www.velocitycoachingservices.com

CLARITY IS EXPENSIVE: Working Hard vs Working Efficiently

“We always seem to have enough money to fix a problem,

and we never have enough money to prevent one.”  – Unknown

Stress is now the number one factor for employee absenteeism. Stress is also cited as one of the top three factors regarding: divorce, depression, financial calamity, addiction, lethargy and chronic pain. Reduced work-force numbers, lean management practices, and the overall state of the union are contributing to companies needing to re-think their Working Hard Paradigm. Right now, EFFICIENCY needs to be King, but we humans still seem to be holding on to the past called Working Hard. And we are tired.

Companies want employees to either create revenue or reduce costs. Either way, more now than ever, the bottom line is money. Cash flow. At the very least, breaking even and keeping the doors open and the staff employed. Someday, we will once again experience our working environments from a more gentle, peaceful place, but right now, we need to focus on the financials. There are many ways to help companies create revenue and reduce costs, and integrity, long-term thinking, effective systems, and actual leadership need to be considered.

Information and expertise available on this topic are abundant, and yet companies and their employees are still not allowing their everyday work practices to morph into a more efficient structure. We still copy too many people on emails, invite too many people to meetings, include too many agenda items which are not relevant, and spend too much time wasting our precious resources with ineffective and inefficient systems. Instead we have become addicted to the rush of putting out fires, because in  many cases there were no workable systems in the first place!

Sound familiar? Three of my clients right now are in new positions at new companies. They are trying to navigate their way into the chaos of the new cultures and inefficiencies of their new work environments. And they are not happy. They are grateful for the work they now have, but are deeply concerned that their companies are going to tank because of a lack of organization and procedures, with an abundance of unhappy and confused co-workers. The ambiguity and consequent lack of clear expectations are tangible, and they report that nobody seems to know how to fix it. Inspired by their stories, we offer these seven points to consider for creating more clarity, efficiency and ultimately, less stressed out work environments!

Seven Points to Consider for Creating Clarity in the Work-Place

ONE: Systems clarity is worth the short-term pain for the long-term joy: create systems, processes and procedures, and then document them. Too many companies have their best ideas inside someone’s head. Spend the time and resources on getting your systems organized and in writing. Keep each process to one page each, no matter how complex it is. People tend to space out after one page. If you really need more pages, then keep each item categorized and formatted to fit one page. The best information is succinct.

TWO: Setting up clear expectations, goals and targets can be expensive. What do you explicitly expect from your staff, your managers, your company, your clients, your vendors, your outsourced professionals? Write it down, document this and make sure that everyone knows what this is. If you are a consensus-style company, you can create a simple 10-question survey and get valuable feedback first. Spend the money. No, really… spend the money. If you don’t have it, there is probably someone at your company who has this talent for documentation.

THREE: Transparency is the new black! And scary for many old-school companies who still believe that information is given out as medals of power. Let the information flow. Tell your staff, teams, managers, and vendors how you are doing. You don’t have to get into numerical detail, but an overview via checking in and letting people know your state of the union is very useful. This actually creates the kind of knowledge that people can use to become more efficient. For example: share with your staff that you would like to make meetings more efficient. Get their ideas via a 5-question survey. Take the top five most applicable suggestions and implement them into the next meetings. Share with your staff what was not working before and what is functioning better now. Encourage this kind of Efficiency Ideas Forum to flourish.

FOUR: Authentically talk about your company, the daily operations, the people in it. Do what is known as Walk-Arounds with the key people in your company and ask for a Walk-Around from your Managers. Make sure that everyone is connected to the main targets and that what is said is done and what is done is clearly understood. Take the time to set up processes at the front end. If you don’t get the buy in from the team, either you are not being authentic and credible, or there are bottlenecks and glitches in your system and the people who are in it, or… both. Everyone already knows what’s working and what’s not working. Never underestimate the power of what people already know. If your expectations are clear, high, and achievable,  people will jump on board.

FIVE: Professionally and respectfully confront and reward behaviors. This is key. If this does not happen, then no amount of training, coaching, influencing or negotiating will help. The negative and positive of work environments – whether this entails the people, processes, practices or plans – need to be addressed. If this is too difficult for you, then hire someone to help. If you tend to avoid the positives and/or negatives of your work environment, then you might not be a good fit for the company. And if you own the company, you might be “play-acting” at business, and not taking it seriously enough. Sad to say, this is all too common.

SIX: How might you, personally, be wasting time, money and resources? We are all too eager to talk about those “difficult people” out there. What can you do today, this week, this month, this year to create more efficiency in the workplace? If you find yourself resisting this suggestion, then you might have a resistance to change – or your company does – and you have perhaps given up. And if the company tanks, you are also a part of its demise. Give up the blame game for a week, take out a mirror and see what happens. Personal responsibility is at the core of positive and intelligent change.

SEVEN: Integrity is when our thoughts, feelings, words and actions are in alignment. Are yours in alignment? How can you make them more so, and would this create more efficiency and clarity at work? And can you professionally model this and in turn, encourage others to follow this level of integrity as well? What might you be able to say and do, to help those around you get inspired to create this, too? If this kind of integrity is present at your workplace at least 75% of the time, you will probably be a part of creating less stress, more fluid communication, and ultimately more clarity and accountability around you. Does this sound impossible? Talk to the people at Ben and Jerry’s or Google or Levi Strauss. These companies are not prefect, but they are examples of this kind of excellence. Ready to make a difference? You are on your way.

For more information: www.VeloCityCoachingServices.com