Problem: Since closing rates are in the 15-20% range nationally, one of the biggest concerns that management and salespeople alike have is a desire to increase closing rates.  Although there are several reasons for this problem, one of the most overlooked is the tendency for salespeople to make proposals without knowing what will happen when the prospect gets the proposal.  This is like rolling the dice and hoping for the best.

Diagnosis: The traditional focus on closing has been to make sure we “ask for the business,” memorize a few good “closes,” or some other tactic.  We’ve been told that we must qualify, make a presentation, and then close.  We think th ...

Problem:   Stan always felt uncomfortable in those first few minutes when meeting a prospect for the first time.   He sensed that his prospects felt the same way when he met them.  He wondered how his anxiousness affected his prospects and what impact it had on his sales calls and his income.

Diagnosis:  You’ve heard this one a million times, but it’s true.  You have only 7-10 seconds when first meeting someone to make a favorable impression.  People will form an impression of you when you first meet and anything less than perfect starts you out with one foot in the hole making it difficult to regain rapport and credibility.  ...

By Jim Lobaito

The strange thing about value is that most of us could not say what value is, but we do know it when we see it.

My sons took judo lessons when they were younger.  They made it to the yellow belt level before other interests took over.  After high school they took the path that most of us do by joining one health club and quitting, joining another health club and quitting, etc.  They would join the club depending on what special was being offered.  Then, at age 19, my youngest son was diagnosed with type two diabetes.  You have heard about the import ...

By Jim Lobaito

In 1997, I was asked to go to Moscow, Russia.  Capitalism was just taking off and one of the first commercial radio stations was looking for some sales help.  I jumped at the chance to go to the heart of where communism started with Karl Marx’s grand experiment and work with a free enterprise business!  I worked with the sales team and tried to show our new free enterprise friends how capitalism worked.  In addition to working all day, I planned a few side trips.  Growing up watching the Soviets parade their weapons through Red Square, I had to see it.  I signed up for one of those packaged guided tours and, as fate would have it, I ran into a Moscow citizen who offered me a private tour.
...

Problem:  Marcia was a successful life insurance agent, but she suffered from insomnia every time she made a sale.  When we asked why, she replied that about 40% of the time, when she closed a deal, the new “client” would call her the next day (but usually not during working hours) and leave a voice mail backing out of the deal.  Typically, they would say that they had had second thoughts and decided, after all, that they really didn’t need the policy.

Diagnosis

Problem: Darrell sold complicated software solutions to manufacturing companies. His was a complex sale in that several fact-finding meetings were typically required and the presentation often was to a group of 4-5 senior company executives. Trying to get a commitment with so many involved was difficult. He always felt like he missed presenting some important information.

Diagnosis: Selling to groups or committees is more challenging than selling to an individual ...

Problem:  The majority of Pamela’s prospects were Fortune 1000 companies that were headquartered outside her geographic territory.  Unfortunately, most of the people who had final decision-making authority on her product were at headquarters and she often had to deal with local decision influencers who could not make the final decision.  She was frustrated by this situation and usually just made her presentation locally, hoping for the best.  As a result, her closing rates were in the 20% range and her sales cycle was exceedingly long.

Diagnosis:  Obviously, Pamela understood the importance of speaking directly to the final authority, but travel budgets and other considerations often prohibited that from happening.  However, the real problem was that she lacked an effective strategy to d ...

Problem:  One of the biggest challenges that salespeople face is getting appointments.  People are constantly bombarded by marketing messages via the media enticing them to purchase.  Prospects receive daily calls from salespeople who want to see them, so it’s no wonder that they treat most requests for meetings with skepticism and suspicion.  This unfortunate fact of life makes the salesperson’s job that much more difficult.

Diagnosis:  Basically, the prospect isn’t clear as to why she should see you.  She’s been promised so much from so many over the years, but the results have typically been less that promised.  You are viewed as an unwelcome intruder who must fight an uphill battle just to get the appointment.

&l ...

Problem: Larry was a salesperson with 3 years experience selling printing services. He was constantly busy doing proposals and following up on the many prospects who regularly called him for quotes. Clearly, he had developed great relationships with his prospects and customers. While his sales manager was happy with his efforts (the company measured salespeople partially on their pipeline, which was the number of proposals outstanding), he was concerned about Larry’s closing rate. To make matters worse, Larry seemed to have a severe time management problem and was just not able to find time to prospect for new business.

Diagnosis: Salespeople often think that they’ll be successful if they make lots of proposals. Of course, it’s difficult to get a sale without making a proposal, but a focus just on generating a large number of proposals typically causes one ...