Strategic Solutions – Business Coaching Firm

Once you have gained favorable attention with the potential buyer, then you need to understand what are their needs.

This should not be an interrogation but a conversation. You ask a question and allow the potential buyer to explain what they think they want or need. Often what they think they want or need is not the solution to their issue or problem. So, you need to ask them simple probing questions that allows them to explain the situation that they are facing so that you can eventually offer the right solution. You are not selling at this point. You are discovering how they view the situation and what they want to improve. Often the solution is something completely different than what they originally thought.

Your task is to accumulate as much data as possible. You are listening and seeing the issue with a detached view. The buyer wants a solution so that they can move on to greater success or to deal with other issues. If you do not discover the complete want or need then you may not eventually offer the correct solution.

Sales people who are good at discovering wants and needs are viewed correctly by the buyer as a good listener who is focused on the buyer’s needs not what you have to sell.

After the Introduction,the next step in the sales process is to Gain Favorable Attention.The buyer has made the decision that the sales person is someone they can trust but now they want to hear that you have their interest first when dealing with them.Now is the time to ask general questions related to the person or their company. These are not detailed questions but ones such as “Can you tell me something about yourself ? “  or ” Please tell me about your company ?”. Such questions will allow the buyer to talk and give you some knowledge about their likes and dislikes or what type of company they operate. The buyer knows the most about themselves and their business so they can be at ease discussing it with you. You should listen carefully and take notes where possible. It show your concern and that what they are telling you is important. Later in the process you might be able to use this information to help them make a decision.

Sales is a process that involves many steps. The first and most important step is to realize that people normally do not like to be sold. People want to buy and believe that the person who is doing the selling is there to help them. So like in any process when two people meet for the first time there is an introduction. You can only meet a person for the first time once so it is important that it be a good experience.  The buyer wants the potential seller to be a person they can trust. Remember, the buyer is going to give some hard earned money to the seller in exchange for goods or services. The buyer wants the seller to be friendly, understanding, concerned and knowledgeable. The buyer normally has many options for selecting a product or service therefore within less than a minute, the seller must approach the buyer with a positive attitude that makes the buyer believe that you are a person they potentially could trust.  So if you are looking for ways to improve your sales think about how you are approaching people for the first time and decide if you were the buyer would you trust this sales person?

Being successful in business relies almost completely on obtaining and retaining a steady customer base. Successful companies usually have 80% of their business dealings through approximately 20% of their customers. 

In all actuality, too many businesses are neglecting this pursuit of customer loyalty in order to obtain new customers. Any effort to obtain customer loyalty is worth it in the long-run and will pay off substantially down the road.

The best ways to build customer loyalty include:

    Communicate: Reach out to reoccurring customers through such things as e-mail newsletters, a holiday greeting card, monthly fliers, etc.

  Customer Service: Go the extra distance to meet customer needs. Even though the saying “The Customer is Always Right” doesn’t really apply anymore, a good solid customer relations process is highly important.

    Employee Loyalty: In effect, loyalty works from the top down. This means that loyalty shown to employees makes for happier employees and they will pass that happiness and loyalty onto customers.

    Customer Incentives: Customers need reasons to return to a company for repeat business. 

    Reliability: Be reliable and do what you say you’re going to do. If problems arise, though, be up front with customers immediately.

      People over Technology: Customers are not fond of machines and, therefore, the more difficult it is to speak with a human when it is necessary will end up making the customer shy away from doing further business.

Obtaining new customers is the first step to a successful business. Retaining those customers by following some of the tips above will allow a business to remain successful for the long term. t

You can have the right attitude

You can have the skills and knowledge

You can have the experience

You can have action plans

But you cannot achieve a different result until you change your behavior

Personal Behavior Change is one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome

You must commit to your goals and you must change if you want to achieve a new result

You must take a detour

Strategic Solutions has announced the formation of the Executive Development Forum. The forum  is a group (up to 15) company executives who will meet monthly to have a support group that provides training as well as a way work with the other members in problem solving. Each forum will have members of similar size organizations.  Complete details can be found on the Strategic Solutions website or by emailing hsullivan@stratsolutions.net

 Networking to develop sales prospects is not some thing you should do but is something you must do. We live in the age of fast communication and changing business dynamics. If you are not networking assured that your competition is all the time. Networking comes in many forms. It is being an active member of social and civic associations such as the Chamber of Commerce, Business Associations,Rotary, Kiwanis, etc. It also involves attend specific business networking events. In the age of digital networking, it involves things like Linkedin, Facebook, MySpace, Plaxo, Gather.com, Blastoff and many more everyday. Like all aspects of your business, you should develop a plan to incorporate networking into your activity to increase sales.

Prospecting has changed over the years.  Following old methods will get you old results. Doing nothing is unacceptable unless you do not mind losing to your competition. When you are networking , your goal is for people to know who you are and what you do. It is not time to sell.  It is time to get to know people and for them to know you. How often should you be networking? In these days of social media, it can be all the time. But like any activity it needs to be part of your overall plan for success.

If you want more information about sales networking contact Hank Sullivan at hsullivan@stratsolutionsnet

Sales are made when sales people follow an effective process. Some suggest that sales people are

born with the skills to make them successful.   Obviously in order to be successful in sales you must have the personality to engage people. However, just an engaging personality will not insure success. There are 6 six very important steps for a sale to be made. These steps happen in sequence but not always with the same amount of time. Failure to follow these steps will almost certainly result in failure.

Sales Success Steps:

1. The Introduction – you need to make a favorable first impression
2. Gain Favorable Attention- Engage the prospect and sell them on you as a solution provider
3. Discovering Wants and Needs- Uncover the prospects wants and needs
4. Presenting Benefits and Consequences- Present your product or service as a solution to the prospects wants and needs
5. Closing- Get the order
6. Follow-up-  Do more than the customer expects and you will get more than you anticipate

So if you follow this process, you will improve your sales results.

If you want more information about this sales process contact Hank Sullivan at hsullivan@stratsolutions.net or call 510-432-7596

ne of the aspects of the hiring process that’s often overlooked by companies is that of cultural fit.  In other words, how well a candidate fits into the overall culture of the organization. While at first glance, that consideration might not seem too important, it’s actually crucial for ensuring a good hire with a high probability of retention.

There are two measures by which you can assess a candidate’s potential for fitting into the company’s culture. Those two are as follows:

·         The candidate’s values or the things that they hold in most esteem.  One way in which to ensure that the candidates you hire share the same values as your company is to pro-actively promote the company’s values. This can be done by posting them on its website, as well as someplace within the building, such as in the lobby. (The statement of values can also include the company’s mission statement.)

·         The manner in which the candidate likes to work.  This pertains to their “preference for production” and how it stacks up against the company’s standard operating procedures. Do they prefer to work alone? Or do they thrive in a more cooperative atmosphere? If there isn’t a match between the candidates’ most efficient mode of operation and the company’s, problems could arise.

Making a good hire a bad one

There’s no doubt that talent and skill set are important components in determining who to hire. In fact, it could even be said that those are the main factors in the decision-making and hiring process. However, it would be a critical mistake to not take into consideration the importance of a good cultural fit.

Without such a fit, a potentially good hire can sour over time. The employee will gradually become less productive, less motivated, and less likely to remain engaged in their position. All that means, of course, that they’re a prime candidate to leave, which is exactly what you don’t want.

If you have any questions about how we can help you with your hiring needs, contact us at 510-432-7596 or E-mail hsullivan@stratsolutions.net.

1.      Keep a positive attitude- positive thinking gets positive results which will help you survive

2.      Focus on what you want to achieve and write it down- putting your plans in writing increases your chance to attain them

3.      Just Do It-  action is the key to achieving success during tough times

4.      Improve all the time- never stop learning how to improve and surviving

5.      Stay focused-  keep working on your goals to succeed

6.      Know the details-  keep exact records of your business and analyze them all the time

7.      Don’t get distracted- know what you want to achieve and stay on point to achieve success

8.      Don’t fear change- remember if you want a different result then you have to change

9.      Listen- remember communication is a two way street

10.  Remember integrity is first and always- if you are honest and set you standards high everyone will notice