Barrett News: What is preventing you from moving ahead with this deal today?

From Sue Barrett

It's December and we cannot believe how quickly this year has come to a close. In December we are not standing still: we are pleased to announce the Barrett VIS Business Scholarship Winner for 2011; our Ask the Sales Sage section has kicked off; the Barrett 12 Sales Trends for 2012 report was launched across the media with great feedback; lessons learned from my CEO Syndicate 52 sessions - the 7 Vases; and the Barrett Sales Essentials Transformation Program is gaining traction with a number of businesses transitioning their sales teams from transactional product sales to a consultative business sales environment with some amazing results.

Barrett wants to make 2012 the best year yet for our clients and our business. Working together we have shown that we can make good things happen so we want to say 'thank you' for your endorsement of Barrett and supporting our philosophy that 'selling is everybody's business and everybody lives by selling something'.

It has been wonderful to see individuals and businesses grow and prosper as they make the transition into the new century with a 21st century sales capability and mindset working in partnership with us. We wish you, your families and your teams Season's Greetings and a very prosperous 2012.

Ask the Sales Sage

This month's question:

I'm interested to get your take on the best way to deal with the following objections:

I don't want to sign anything today
I'm getting other quotes and I'd like to get those first to compare against yours.

Thanks.
Carolyn - Technical Sales Advisor

The Sales Sage says:

Carolyn your situation is a familiar one for many people.

With respect to "I don't want to sign anything today" ask "why". Don't just assume but find out what exactly is stopping them from moving forward with the deal. It could be for many reasons that are legitimate.

Here are some questions that you may like to ask to find out more about your client's position: "What is preventing you from moving ahead with this deal today?" Or "Is there anything preventing you from signing today that we need to discuss?" or 'Is there anything that I haven't asked you about yet that we need to discuss in order for you to make a final decision?" These questions will give you the information you need to understand their current thinking and why they may be delaying their decision. Find out why and then work with them.

With respect to "I'm getting other quotes and I'd like to get those first to compare against yours" I usually like to ask the client who else they are dealing with and what exactly are they looking at with the competitors. You must always make sure you are comparing 'apples with apples'.

Too many times sales people get caught in price comparisons but the products or services are not the same. Make sure they are getting a comparison that matches the actual product or service you are offering. Only then can you make actual price comparisons.

This means that you need to know who your competitors are and how they compare to you and your offerings. To avoid the customer going to the competitor give them 2-3 options to begin with so they have a comparison with you i.e. they have a lower cost option and a more comprehensive option to compare. If you only offer one option then most people will look elsewhere for a comparison. At the end of the day you need to know where you and your products are pitched in the market and make a stand.

You may be a premium provider being compared to low cost 'cheap' providers - do not confuse your position and find yourself in a battle for a deal when you are in 2 different market spaces. The old saying 'you get what you pay for' is true. Make sure you know where your true value lies and make a stand. If the customer wants something you offer but they want it for a price that is way below value I would walk away and say 'No'. Not every deal is a good deal.

Yours truly the Sales Sage

Send us your 'Ask the Sales Sage' question via this online form.

Latest news:

Are you prepared for 2012?
Barrett releases its annual 12 sales trends report for 2012

Sue Barrett has announced her annual 12 sales trends report with the theme for 2012 being "Adapt or Perish". Many businesses will be faced with a whole new set of challenges in 2012 and the sales trends report will help them prepare their business processes and go-to-market strategies.

The top 12 sales trends for 2012 are:

A seismic shift in the way we sell
Intuitive customer centric CRM
Make coaching the priority and coach your way to sales success
Move over mass marketing, welcome to fragmentation and segmentation
The polarisation of Selling & Buying
Field sales teams numbers to halve
Educate and Facilitate
It's not what you do but why & how you do it
The Sales Brain - using neuroscience to sell
Using scientific data to predict B2B buying behaviour
Shrinking product life cycles
Buyers are in the driver's seat

The report was published in SmartCompany and Marketing Magazine.

Barrett has indentified the 12 Sales Trends for 2012 to help guide businesses through the major transitions in how we sell and buy.

As you read these trends, think hard about those that will have the greatest impact on your sales efforts next year. Go to our 12 Sales Trends for 2012 Poll to tell us which trends will be on your radar in 2012.

We will be publishing the poll results in January 2012.

The Barrett Sales Essentials Transformation Program a success

The client feedback is that the Barrett Sales Essentials Program is the quantum leap beyond SPIN Selling, PSS and other product sales programs. Clients are saying that it's what every sales team needs in the 21st century if it wants to migrate from a transactional product sales approach to being a business person who can consult and sell in business environments.

Here is some client feedback: 'Thanks Sue, The course was beneficial and I have already been thinking..... WWW. I am currently in Sydney conducting interviews for a vacant NSW territory Managers role, I have been asking the three W's and I have found I am getting better answers and more detail. So after all these years of asking questions I now understand what works best. Great course, keep up the good work and don't change. I found the delivery and content of the course to be excellent. All the best to you and your team for Christmas.' Thanks again. National Sales Manager, Large International Consumer & Industrial Product Manufacturer

Another success story includes a large client that has seen a steady growth of between 5-8% year on year since 2009 when all other competitors have been experience neutral or negative growth in their markets. We will be compiling a comprehensive list of results over the summer ready for release in the New Year.>

The Barrett Sales Essentials Program is aimed at creating true sales professionals who genuinely listen, deal with complexity and create viable solutions and results through classroom, online and in-field sales experiences. It's the program for Business People who sell.

Barrett Senior Consultant, Esther Gretton presents to RMIT University
'everybody lives by selling something'

Esther Gretton, Barrett's Senior Consultant made her first Barrett public presentation to the RMIT University Business Development Team. Esther presented the topic 'Why everybody lives by selling something' and the feedback was very positive. Esther is an exceptional sales professional and business consultant and is a great role model for professional sales people, especially for women in the business world. Please contact Esther for any business requests on 03 9533 0000.

Reflection and thought
What Sue Barrett has learnt this year from the CEO Syndicate 52 sessions

Always learning, I come away with a gem every time I attend my CEO Syndicate 52 session. This month one of these gems was the '7 Vases' prioritisation system. As humans our brains can only manage 7 (+/- 2) items at any one time anymore and we start dropping the ball and not getting anything done. So at Barrett we are literally making a shelf where we will put 7 Vases with 7 flowers (artificial ones) and labeling them with our 7 core projects for 2012.

Barrett launches its new look website

We have been making upgrades to our website and making it easier to navigate. Watch this space with more to come in 2012.

Latest Media

Sue Barrett has published the following articles this month for a range of publications:

Anthill Online: What buying decision are your clients faced with?
Niche Marketing Magazine: 12 Sales trends in 2012
Nett Magazine: How do I become an effective leader
Small Business Forum: Hiring the right salesperson
Business Deals: Be decisive or beware . the effects of indecision on your business
Anthill Online : Five tips to master the art of continuous learning

Question

Do you have a selling question you would like an answer to? Feel free to contact us on 03 9533 0000 or send us an email with your question and we can respond personally or will post the answer in next month's e-news for all our readers.

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