by Scott Leese
When you’re given a script that is already written, don’t try to reinvent the wheel—especially if you are a new salesperson just getting into the industry. The people at your company have had some success with that script, and you need to follow that success. Think about it: why would they give you something if they didn’t think it was the best possible way for you to succeed?
Either way, your script should be a living, breathing document. It shouldn’t stay stagnant. The pitch that works today will be different from the one that worked three years ago. When you first learn about a topic, it may take you a long time to explain it. But as you develop your pitch over months and years, you’ll get better at breaking it down to its simplest elements. Then you can take a look at it every six months or so and ask, “Is this still relevant? Does it still work? Can I make it shorter or easier?”
The final piece is just studying your script any way you can. You can’t overdo it. Read it over breakfast, recite it in your car, and practice while you wait in line at the coffee shop. The routine matters much more than the words. The repetition is critical to your initial growth and success. Treat it like you’re studying for a college exam. Memorize it completely. The more you do it, the more easily it will flow out of you. Without realizing it, you’ll be able to put your own personality into the script and make it your own. Know it so well that you would be able to pick up right in the middle if you heard somebody else pitching it!
In fact, one trick to determine whether you know the script well enough is to try doing a relay race with a group of people. See if you can pick up the script right where the person before you leaves off. It’s pretty cool when a group of salespeople can finish each other’s sentences!
The Flip Side of the Coin
At the beginning of this chapter, I told you the story about a time when I didn’t know what I was supposed to say. That was really chaotic, stressful, and ridiculous.
The flip side of that coin is knowing your stuff. When you do, you are so confident in what you’re selling that you can ask the prospect a ton of questions. You are able to sit back and listen to the answers, which allows you to guide the conversation.
Eventually, I got to that place with that first product and script. I wasn’t rushed, worried, or nervous about what to say. Instead, I was patient, and I waited for my moment. Then the prospect said the words I was waiting to hear: “Tell me about what you guys do. I want to know. I’m interested.” Those words gave me permission to talk about our solution. I got the green light to proceed toward a close.
Those are the kinds of sales experiences you’re looking for. When you know your stuff, you’re always prepared to find those experiences.
Now you know your product and what to say. So what comes next? It’s time to sell it.
Chapter 4
Sell It
Connection to Addiction
As I told you in the introduction, I have based my sales Process on the addiction model. But no one taught me that concept.
In 2010, I was the Vice President of Sales at Main Street Hub. I’d had about six years of sales leadership experience at that time. I went to our office in New York City to give a talk to twenty-five salespeople about sales and performance. I had taught and explained things the same way a million times before.
This time would be different.
“I don’t get why sales have to flow in a certain way,” a young guy in his early twenties said that day. I looked at him for a second. I had to come up with an analogy that would make sense of it all. And the connection to the addiction model just came out. It was raw and personal and, in my opinion, a perfect description.
Maybe it came from having been sick and in the hospital on pain medication for four years. From a physical standpoint, I knew some of what being an addict was like. I also have friends who have struggled with substance abuse their whole lives. So it might have come from that place of familiarity; it was something I could understand. And sometimes you have to describe things in a gritty way to connect with your audience.
Whatever the reason, it worked. I could see from the nodding heads and fixed eyes that I had hit on something. After the talk, one of the sales leaders in the office came up to me and said, “That’s a really good way to explain that.” I started using it more and more. I refined the Process and the language around it. By the time I got to my next company, it just became part of the lingo. “Sales is like addiction . . .”
That day, my sales Process got a name.
Follow the Steps
The Process is really easy to remember because it is so simple. There are only four main steps at the core of the addiction model and, therefore, at the heart of my sales Process.
First, you get prospects to admit they have a problem. Then you make them understand why they should care that they have this problem, and you make them want to solve it immediately. Then and only then are they going to be open to hearing about solutions to that particular problem, and you can talk about what you do.
Pain. Value. Urgency. Solution. This is the way you close transactional sales with confidence and consistency.
You cannot use the steps of the Process out of order. If you do, you won’t be very successful. You may be in the right frame of mind and be prepared, but you will have no idea how to execute the sale. If you screw up the sequencing, the message just does not have the same impact. If you follow every step in this particular way, though, it will give you the best chance for success.
In transactional sales, you are typically considered a solid contributor if you are able to close a deal every two days. The best of the best can get around one deal a day. You are an absolute rock star if you close the deal on one out of every one hundred cold calls.
The model I am showing you will work for every product I’ve ever seen in the transactional sales world. I have taught folks from companies all across America and in Europe about this Process, and I have seen them implement it with great success.
You simply have to trust it, practice it, perfect it, and stick with it.
The Process
The Process should go the same way every time. Pay attention to it because, if done consistently, it will work and it will yield you the best results.
The Process has four main steps, but those steps are broken down further to create the ideal call flow. The call flow has nine steps: talk to a decision maker, find the pain, build value, create urgency, talk about what you do, discuss opportunities, attempt to close, deal with objections, and close or set a follow-up.
Make sure you’re talking to a decision maker. The first step is to make sure you’re talking to the right person. This will be the person who handles everything having to do with the product or service you’re offering. Ask, “Am I talking to the owner? Are you the only decision maker?” You don’t want to waste your time talking to somebody who’s not critical to the decision-making process. The great thing about transactional sales is that you rarely have more than one decision maker and usually very few gatekeepers to get past.
Find the pain. This is where the addiction model really starts to take shape. Once you have the right person on the phone, you have to get this person to admit he or she has a problem. Dig for information about his or her business, background, experience, or comfort level. Ask questions that drive toward the answer you want, which is “I don’t know how to do that,” or “I’ve never done that before.” Now you’ve found the pain point. This is the most important part of the entire Process. It is not good enough to tell prospects they have a problem. They have to admit it themselves!
Build value. Once they’ve admitted that they have this pain point, it’s your job to make them understand why they should care about this problem. Even when people know they have a problem, they may not truly see the value in doing something about it. As you educate them, they should begin to want to make a change. Think about functioning addicts. They m
ight be aware they have a problem but are not yet compelled to do anything about it. They don’t see the value in making a change yet. That is your job—to make them understand the value. That rolls into the next step, which is to . . .
Create urgency. Make them understand that their problem is mission critical. It’s not a paper cut; it’s a severed limb demanding urgent attention. They are losing business every single day by not doing something to fix the problem. The more specific and personal you can make the story, the better. If you can provide concrete data and dollar amounts, do so. Talk about what their competitors are doing and how their market share is at risk. Paint a picture that compels them to act sooner rather than later.
Solution. Once prospects admit they have a problem, understand why they should care about it, and feel they should do something about it right away, you have permission to talk about what your company does. Then and only then! This is the part every prospect wants you to talk about right away. Don’t do it! First, get them so interested that they are nearly begging you to talk about what you do. Now they will pay attention as you explain the product or solution. Keep it simple, and use the script you prepared.
Discuss opportunities. After talking about what you do, it’s time to give a little summary. Recap the problem so that prospects understand why it’s important to do something about it and how you can help. Show how your product will benefit them. Summarize it in a really clear-cut way that presents a compelling story. Again, make your analogies or examples as real and specific as possible. Get them to see the outcome in their minds.
Attempt to close. If, after following all the other steps, you present that compelling story in the right way, the table is set to go into a trial close. You can say, “There are a couple of different ways we can partner with you.” Then walk through those. Ease them into an entry-level price point, so they don’t get spooked. Show them a mid-tier option and then a high-end option. No one wants to be the big spender, but people don’t want to be the cheapskate either. Give them your recommendation, then ask what makes the most sense to them. Guide them into the close by steering them into the middle option, which is where most people end up.
Deal with objections and rebut them. Inevitably, when you go to close the deal, there will be objections. All the doubts, fears, and budget constraints the prospect has are going to rear their heads. Be prepared to deal with these objections and provide rebuttals. You’ve got this! You know why? Because you scripted all this out, rehearsed it, and are therefore completely prepared to answer any objections. Walk your prospect through your way of thinking, so the person sees that the objection is not a big deal; it’s something to work through. You will be in a loop of dealing with objections and rebuttals until you finally get some indication that the flow is going to conclude in one of two desirable ways, described in the next step, or in one disappointing way—with a no.
Close or set a follow-up appointment. Once you’ve dealt with all the objections, your job is to try to close once again. If the deal’s not going to close, then close on the next best thing: a follow-up. Set a specific day and time to talk again, so the prospect has some time to think about it. Lock down the appointment with a calendar invitation. Invite the prospect to do research and come prepared with any further questions. Then politely ask, “Next time we talk, all I ask is that we can arrive at a yes or no decision. Does that sound fair to you?” And that’s the best you can do. That’s still a win.
The Emergency Room
When I train salespeople, I tell them to think of the Process as though they’re trying to get someone with a cut to go to the hospital.
First, you notice the cut on the person. Then you get the person to notice it too. You make this individual understand that he or she needs to address the injury. It’s the best thing to do, health-wise.
You can create urgency by expanding that awareness, saying, for example, “Actually, this cut is more serious than you think it is.” At that point, the person will notice how much the cut is bleeding. You don’t want to freak him or her out, but you point out that the cut may have hit an artery.
Finally the person says, “I need to do something about it now!”
That is the time to say that you are taking the person to the hospital. You can discuss the benefits of stitches versus butterfly bandages on the way. Maybe the person is afraid of needles or objects, saying, “I don’t have insurance!” No matter what, you have to get him or her to the emergency room.
So you close the deal. You discuss the concerns, but you take action and help save the person. If you need to, you also schedule a follow-up appointment with the doctor.
But if you do these steps out of order—rushing people to the ER before they know how badly they’re hurt—you’re going to meet with a lot of resistance. For the greatest success, always follow the Process of the addiction model, and do it in the correct order.
Now you know every step you need to take to close the deal. You may be tempted to make some changes, but why would you? The next chapter is all about sticking to the plan.
Chapter 5
Stick to the Plan
Off a Cliff
In the world of transactional sales, messing with success can lead to a horrible downward spiral.
When I was at OutboundEngine, we sold e-mail and social media marketing services to local small-business owners. A relatively new team member (I’ll call him Bob) came in, and he had never done anything like this job before. He was a born hustler from the streets of NYC, so I knew he could be good. He did what he was taught when he first got there. He worked really hard right out of the gate, implemented feedback well, asked for help, and began crushing it.
Then suddenly and without reason, he just fell off a (figurative) cliff.
Because he had been doing so well, he had been rewarded with inbound leads, which was pretty rare. And while he had been following the Process for cold calls, he started doing things differently with inbound leads.
Although he had been told to “stick with what works,” Bob started to cut corners. He didn’t spend as much time educating prospects. His results started to suffer, and he couldn’t understand why. He was struggling, and he got stuck in his own head. He doubted the product, doubted his abilities, and even started making excuses, saying he doubted the leads were any good. By the next quarter, he had gone from hitting 300 percent of his quota down to just 20 percent.
Fortunately, Bob had an “aha!” moment after about a month and a half of struggling. He realized where he’d gone wrong. It had happened when he had stopped sticking to the plan and started thinking he could do it in a simpler, easier way, despite having zero prior experience.
So he rededicated himself to following the Process—in the correct order. He knew that it had worked for him before and would continue to do so. And he saw it again: his results went back up. In fact, after a year and a half at that company, he became one of its highest producers.
Bob learned his lesson about going off-Process, and his turnaround has led to his continued success. Not everybody can make it back to the top of the mountain after falling down, and it’s certainly easier if you can follow the same process and roads that got you there the first time.
A Repeatable Process
Bob knew his plan. He just had to learn to stick to it. He had to learn to trust it.
When you want to create a repeatable process, you make a strategic plan, and you stick to that plan. Once that process is working, you don’t deviate from it. You continue with it and play the odds for success. It becomes math.
What did my Process look like? I arrived at work at six in the morning and started calling the East Coast. I made twenty calls before I did anything else each day—no bathroom break, no water break, no snack break, no checking e-mail or fantasy football until those calls were made. I avoided discussions at the office with others who were complaining. I knew I needed
a certain number of appointments scheduled each day in order to avoid peaks and valleys, and I did not leave until I hit that target.
I would leave in the afternoon and head to the beach to surf until it got dark, letting the cold Pacific Ocean wash away the stress of a hard day of selling. When I got home, I opened my laptop and sent out prospecting e-mails—lots of e-mails—before I went to bed. That was my daily grind back then. That Process positioned me for success. If you trust in it, the math will play out in your favor.
If you make a certain number of dials, you will get through to a certain number of decision makers, which will turn into a certain number of deals. That plan will work. If you don’t stick to the plan, it is very difficult to know what is working and what is going wrong. You can end up losing confidence and second-guessing yourself. When you stick to the Process, however, the numbers show results in terms of your bottom-line success.
But before you can stick to the plan, you first have to know what to expect.
Manage Your Expectations
The easiest way to stick to the plan is to manage your expectations. And the best way to manage your expectations is to know the numbers.
Sales is full of rejection. Knowing what to expect is the antidote. Knowing your metrics and the math behind how your business works can help you let go of a ton of stress, frustration, and anxiety.
A really successful salesperson might close one out of every one hundred cold calls or one out of every ten appointments. Compared with other industries, that’s not a very good success rate. If a basketball player shot 1 percent or even 10 percent, he or she wouldn’t be playing for very long. Need a different sports analogy? If a baseball player is called out in seven of ten at bats during the season, he will hit .300 for the year. If you hit .300 a year for long enough, you have a great shot at being a Hall of Famer. Salespeople would kill for those numbers!
But in transactional sales, it simply isn’t possible. You’d be a superstar if you failed ninety-nine times out of one hundred. That is a f*** ton of rejection for us to deal with, is it not? When you understand these dynamics, you can prepare yourself mentally for the fact that you are going to fail way more often than you’re going to succeed.