Effective communication and solution development requires a clear understanding of your customers’ visions, needs, wants, and desires. How many times have we experienced that situation where someone shares with us a brief vision of something they like?  It could be their favorite food is pizza, they love a fast car, their favorite color is blue, or they love to vacation on the beach.  In business it could be, I need more productivity out of my team, having more customers would really turn things around, or profits need to improve soon.

Tasty NYC pizza

Each of these examples features a broad description of something of interest or value.  And often we accept these at their value for what was heard, not understood.  For example, your customer was thinking about his favorite deep dish pizza, while you were envisioning your neighborhood New York Style pizza.  Imagine your embarrassment when you show up to surprise his team for lunch with your favorite thin crust pizza.

“What does that mean?” No, that is not the question I would encourage you ask; however, I would encourage you to think that as your customer is talking in broad strokes about what they want, need, or desire.  Stay with the pizza example.  Your response to “I just love a good pizza” needs to be “Me too.  Tell me what is your idea of a great pizza?”

Or, “my team is having productivity issues” is followed up with “what types of productivity issues?” and “what are some of the actions you have taken to deal with this so far?”  Always, take the time to learn “what does that mean?“ 

Your understanding, in their context of thought, what they are talking about will help you better understand what they meant when they said what they did.  It helps you with your relationship, your ability to connect, and with your solution development.

Photo credit: cheezemaster

Dave Cooke is CEO of Strategic Resource Group, llc an organization specializing in helping businesses increase their revenues through effective growth initiatives and employee development programs. His contributions and insights can be found on his blog posts, SalesCooke and Sustainable Revenues.  He has also developed a new program for sustainable revenues in a down economy, known as SuRF.  To download this case study go to: SurfWhitePaper.com.

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In relationship building activities, making that first connection, or simply getting to know someone better, starts with effective information gathering.  The best way to accomplish this is to learn how to ask great, probing, intelligent, and stimulating questions.

When presented with this information and suggestion, many struggle with the questions to ask.  Or, when others start to brainstorm the types of questions to ask, they sound more like a police interrogation.  In a great blog post by Chris Brogan, he suggests being prepared for intellectual, probing conversations by “carrying your questions around with you.”  To understand the details behind this thought, I suggest you read his post.

His blog post reminds me of some very important lessons I like to share about the art of the question:

1. Questions best asked are open-ended.  When you ask someone questions that begin with who, what, when, where, why, and how, you are likely to get an answer with more than a yes or a no.
2. Demonstrate you heard what someone said before diving into the next question.  Play back a little of what you heard and use that as a transitional place to go for more information.
3. Practice asking questions. The reason most people have trouble asking questions, is they have never thought about the types of questions to ask.  Think back to your most recent conversation, think about the questions you could have asked the other person in response to the information they were providing.
4. Learn in order to know and understand.  All information comes to us and is heard by us through our contextual filters.  When you say something to me, I hear it for what I know, understand, and believe.  You say it based on what you know, understand and believe.  That means, the same collection of words does not mean the same thing to us.  When someone tells you something, find ways to have them explain it to you further so that you know and understand what they meant.  This is where communications break down.  You say one thing, I heard something else–now we have inadvertently messed up our communication.  Great probing and investigative learning and understanding questions help avoid these mistakes.

The art of conversation is how effectively you engage others in conversation.  My rule is the more they communicate and share, the more I learn, understand and know.  It is the best place to begin building that future relationship.

Dave Cooke is CEO of Strategic Resource Group, llc an organization specializing in helping businesses increase their revenues through effective growth initiatives and employee development programs. His contributions and insights can be found on his blog posts, SalesCooke and Sustainable Revenues.  He has also developed a new program for sustainable revenues in a down economy, known as SuRF.  To download this case study go to: SurfWhitePaper.com.

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When it comes to sales excellence, nothing is more valuable than a good example.  I am pleased to share with you a great article taken from Inc. Magazine, “There’s No Such Thing As A Wrong Number“.  This is an article about  how wine salesman, David Rosen, uses a combination of powerful relationship building and prospecting skills to generate $500K in annual sales.  His approach is quite insightful, inspiring, and professionally challenging.  While I would encourage you to read the entire article, here is a quick list of the key points.

1. There’s no such thing as a wrong number: When someone dials your number by accident use it as an opportunity to build a relationship.
2. Cold calling is a matter of degree: Instead of simply working a list, do your research and only call people who have a likely interest your products.
3. Gatekeepers are to be respected: “Don’t feel the need to get past the gatekeeper the first time…Use it t collect information that will be helpful later.”
4. The customers know they are customers: Don’t be afraid to be honest.  When you start acting like a salesperson, own up to it.
5. Learn your script then ditch it: Once you have developed your “pitch”, commit it to memory, toss it, and make it real, genuine, and natural.
6. Data are good. More data are better: Gather as much information about your market: what people are purchasing, why they are purchasing, and what are the behaviors and trends.
7. A good salesperson does more than sell: Following through on commitments, demonstrating great listening skills, and being a knowledgeable resource in areas other than your product are critically important, too.
8. Nothing is more valuable than a good referral: It is important to note that referrals are earned.  Once a great relationship has been built, asking for permission to contact customer’s colleagues is appropriate and encouraged.
9. Nudity is no excuse not to pitch: Relationship building opportunities can occur anywhere.  Always have your game on.

In today’s selling environment, true relationship building behaviors are the ultimate measures of success.  David Rosen, provides a great example for genuine, real, and sincere approach to building lasting relationships.

Too many professional salespeople are still playing the relationship “game”. Relationships are not a “game”, they are a commitment.  I would encourage all of you to use David Rosen’s as a role model–his results speak for themselves.

Dave Cooke is CEO of Strategic Resource Group, llc an organization specializing in helping businesses increase their revenues through effective growth initiatives and employee development programs. His contributions and insights can be found on his blog posts, SalesCooke and Sustainable Revenues.  He has also developed a new program for sustainable revenues in a down economy, known as SuRF.  To download this case study go to: SurfWhitePaper.com.

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“Social Selling: attending networking or trade events with the hopes that a potential customer or referral resource might be there.  This is in direct contrast to strategically attending events at which targeted customers and decision makers will likely be in attendance.”  ~ Dave Cooke

When the prospecting focus and strategy breaks down, salespeople lose contact with their ideal customer.  Decision makers hardly ever go to open networking events.  Yet, there are a lot of salespeople there.

Why are salespeople hanging out at networking and referral events and not in front of their targets, prospects, and potential customers?

It is because they do not know how to connect with them, can’t identify them in the first place, or are hoping for an easier way to make a connection with their elusive targets.  Rather than do the hard work of focusing on making connections with their targets, who are too busy to hang out at networking events and referral groups, these salespeople are hanging their future leads on the abilities of others to connect them in.  Also, it gives them something to tell their managers–they are out networking every night.

Nothing but social selling.

Effective prospecting requires knowing who your ideal customer target is, where they hang out, and what your strategy is to put yourself in front of them.  This is work.  It takes time.  It requires a strategy, a process, and a commitment.  It does not involve hanging out at a networking event with a bunch of other lost salespeople.

Before you head out for your next social selling activity, ask yourself this question:  what have I done to directly contact and connect with my targeted contacts?  If the answer is nothing, stay at the office and work on putting a plan to that accountability.  There is nothing at the social selling event that is going to save you the hard work.

This blog post is an exerpt from my workbook “CookedUp Revenues -  Effective Business Growth in the New Economy.”  To obtain your copy of this workbook, please contact me HERE.

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“The goal of your sales and marketing efforts should not be to value the solution, but to enable your prospects and customers to identify, understand and value their problems.” ~ The Fast Growth Blog

What a great explanation of value oriented,  solution selling.  The title of this blog post is “Solutions are Worth Nothing” and this contributor nails it.

Sales professionals often struggle to convince their customers that their solution has value and it will help them solve their problems, challenges, and issues.  The reality in that perspective is that the only person that really values that solution is the person presenting it.

Until your customers see value in solving their problems, challenges and issues they will not see any value in your solution.

Your challenge is to help your customers discover the problems that they value enough to solve, then help them find your solution valuable.  They will not look for a solution until they believe there is enough priority in fixing whatever is broke.  Simply uncovering the need is not enough.  Having your customer make that need a priority is the key to getting them to look at your version of a solution.

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Catching the Innovation Wave with SuRF from Dave Cooke on Vimeo.

Strategic Resource Group announces the rollout of it latest program focused on bringing sustainability to businesses known as the Sustainable Revenue Formula, or SuRF.  This introductory video from Founder and Chief Growth Officer, Dave Cooke highlights the overall vision of SuRF.  For more information on SuRF go to the new website: www.sustainablerevenues.com.

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