Leader's Beacon | The Leadership Experts » rickfarrell

Terms of Engagement… To Get Trust You Must First Extend It

rickfarrell — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 06:10:26 +0000

At the beginning of every sales call your prospect is making two critical buying decisions. The first decision is about the salesperson. Behavioral research states that initial impressions are created within the first 20 seconds of meeting someone. So it is critical to differentiate oneself and one’s offering in the initial phase of a meeting. [...]

Everybody and Nobody…The Decision Maker

rickfarrell — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:16:15 +0000

It isn’t unusual that by the time salespeople get as far along in the sales process to learn how decisions are made, who are the players who make those decision and what is the timing of the decision, that they are so excited to have made it this far that they quickly skim over it [...]

The Prospect’s Buying Manifesto: The Great Shakedown

rickfarrell — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:19:12 +0000

The most significant change in the selling landscape in the last 10 years has been the way prospects buy; sadly, not the way salespeople sell. It is just as important to understand and master the prospect’s buying process as it is for salespeople to master a systematic sales process. The prospect’s buying system in the [...]

Premature Presentation Syndrome: The Death of Feature and Benefit Selling

rickfarrell — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:23:01 +0000

Most companies and their salespeople covet their value add, their features and benefits, and their value proposition as if it were the Holy Grail. The reality is all value propositions are inherently valueless. The feature and benefit style of selling that has served companies so well in the past no longer works. It is tried, [...]

Persistence… The Final Myth: Just Say No

rickfarrell — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:25:34 +0000

Salespeople are often faced with unresolved deals in their pipeline that they normally give up on or persist beyond any reasonable hope. There is a middle ground that is appropriate when you have reached the point of no return, your prospect is stringing you along in that they are taking you down the primrose path, [...]

Deal or No Deal: Minimize “Definite Maybes”

rickfarrell — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 06:28:08 +0000

Unbeknownst to most salespeople is the idea that selling is all about getting prospects to make decisions, both small and large. Getting decisions that reach a conclusive “no” or “yes” and getting decisions that allow the prospects the freedom to decide “no,” without the fear of a salesperson’s full frontal counterattack. Therefore, selling isn’t as [...]

Building Loyal Relationships in a Disloyal World

rickfarrell — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 06:30:17 +0000

Relationship selling is the bedrock for successful selling in the new millennium. However, most salespeople conduct themselves as if they were in a quaint Norman Rockwell painting, building relationships on a smile and a firm handshake, on friendship, on shared mutual interests, common background, charisma, personality and frequency of contact. This quaint, traditional and old [...]

You Have to Undo Lack of Trust Before You Can Build Trust

rickfarrell — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:33:24 +0000

Not every salesperson has a natural gift to quickly bond and develop rapport with prospects. Many try to succeed by ingratiating themselves with frequent contact, entertaining prospects, being responsive, reliable and helpful. However, what if you don’t have the luxury of the preceding and you are faced with a reluctant and guarded prospect who resists [...]

The Way You Buy is a Leading Indicator for the Way You’ll Sell

rickfarrell — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 06:35:40 +0000

Price Price is never the real issue for prospects. The real issue is that they may not believe you are worth the price. The reality is that many times your product and service isn’t worth the price. Not because it doesn’t justify itself, but because your prospect doesn’t value it. So instead of constantly fighting [...]

Salespeople: Are They Their Own Worst Enemy?

rickfarrell — Sat, 02 May 2009 06:39:14 +0000

Salespeople consistently perform at a level equal to their belief in their self-worth and self-concept. Salespeople should work daily and diligently to preserve their dignity and self- worth so that they can be emboldened to do the tough tasks that are required of them. There are many elements that take a heavy toll on one’s [...]