Create a ''Yes'' Momentum - Top 10 Questions

Sales tie-downs are a powerful tool in sales. They help you control the conversation, get a pulse of where you are at in the sales process, and most importantly; they create a ''yes'' momentum. Below is a list of my favorite tie-downs that I use during the sales process:

1.  Does that makes sense?
2.  That's a feature you could use, isn't it?
3.  Does this help?
4.  You see how this could help you, right?
5.  This would save you a lot of time, wouldn't it?
6.  Your peers would like this, wouldn't they?
7.  Your organization has experienced this problem before, haven't they?
8.  Our solution is easy to use, don't you agree?
9.  Your company could use a product like this, couldn't they?
10.Taking a deeper look into our solution helped, didn't it?

If the customer answers yes when using this tactic, it means it's true, after all, they said it was! The more you can get them to agree, the better chance you will have at closing the sale. Don't abuse this tool as it can become annoying to the customer and mess with the flow. Use it when you have a clear sign that they liked what you previously said or showed them. This will re-emphasize that your product or service is something that they want and can use effectively. The best part; this makes your proposal MUCH easier to present since you now know what they like the most! Click Here

Top 30 Open-Ended Questions

Top 30 Open-ended Questions

(questions to gather information, qualify sales opportunities, and establish rapport, trust and credibility) - JustSell.com

Information gathering

What prompted you / your company to look into this?
What are your expectations / requirements for this product/ service?
What process did you go through to determine your needs?
How do you see this happening?
What is it that you’d like to see accomplished?
With whom have you had success in the past?
With whom have you had difficulties in the past?
Can you help me understand that a little better?
What does that mean?
How does that process work now?
What challenges does that process create?
What challenges has that created in the past?
What are the best things about that process?
What other items should we discuss?

Qualifying

What do you see as the next action steps?
What is your timeline for implementing / purchasing this type of service / product?
What other data points should we know before moving forward?
What budget has been established for this?
What are your thoughts?
Who else is involved in this decision?
What could make this no longer a priority?
What’s changed since we last talked?
What concerns do you have?

Establishing rapport, trust & credibility

How did you get involved in…?
What kind of challenges are you facing?
What’s the most important priority to you with this? Why?
What other issues are important to you?
What would you like to see improved?
How do you measure that?

For more information on sales tips, visit us at Switch2Sales.com

The Importance of Sales Training for College Students

Studies show that during this economic recession, fewer than 45% of students with a degree in business secured a position prior to graduating. However, students who had some form of formalized sales training had a 90% success rate in landing a job upon graduation (salesfoundation.org). This number is staggering and shows how vital it is to have job-specific skills and knowledge prior to entering the job hunt.

Check out this case study by Northern Illinois...


Journal of Selling & Major Account Management Northern Illinois University
Evaluating the Impact of Collegiate Sales Training and Education on Early Salesperson Performance

By Megan K. Leasher, Christopher R. Moberg

Introduction

Sales organizations invest a tremendous amount of time and resources in the training of salespeople. While
the impact of sales training has been studied in the literature, much less is known about the value of sales
education and training in college before salespeople are hired. This research study collected data from
recent graduates of a mid-sized, Midwestern university and found that students who participated in sales
internships and graduated from the university’s sales program reported higher levels of overall job
performance and quicker ramp-up time early in their career when compared to students without extensive
sales education and work experience. Implications of the results for colleges of business and sales
organizations recruiting entry-level salespeople are discussed. Read More

Switch2Sales.com is Here to Help!

We are a career coaching firm targeting individuals looking to get into the field of sales. A significant amount of people who want to enter this challenging profession don't have the knowledge, tools or experience to effectively make this jump. We are not like most consulting firms or career coaches as they focus on a broad spectrum of clients seeking a wide variety of career choices. Our attention is concentrated specifically on the sales-minded and our programs are tailored individually for every client.

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     With 100% of our customers stating they would refer us to their friends and colleagues, there is nobody else in the market today who can get you into a lucrative sales position faster than Switch2Sales. Learn More



How Switch2Sales Began

Quick Snapshot: I have over 15 years of successful sales experience which entails a diverse portfolio of logos such as the Denver Broncos, Hewlett-Packard, CoStar Group, & Dell, Inc.

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   Throughout my career, I have helped mentor numerous individuals in the field of sales. From assisting in career development to advancing experienced sales professionals, I have the tools and knowledge to help empower people to succeed. Recently I decided to formalize my coaching ability and live my passion by building a firm dedicated to helping individuals make a change for the better.



What Drove Me to Start Switch2Sales?

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   When I am asked as to why I started this company, the answer is easy. First and foremost, I am an serial entrepreneur and have had a strong desire to build businesses from the ground up since I was a teenager. It excites me and drives me to get up every day and I love what I do. But most importantly, I found a huge need in this area. If you are like me, I had no real direction or idea as to what I wanted to do or where I'd be when I graduated college. I was a marketing major and the classes I took applied somewhat to the real world but the majority of the content was generic and you seem to forget everything after the test anyways! And when it came to classes on sales, don't even get me started. There was one class that related to sales, ONE! Yet, there are 18 million sales professionals in the U.S​. alone (salespower.com)! How the heck is this possible? Don't get me wrong, I loved college and don't regret any of the courses I took or the major I chose, but I do believe there is a huge gap here.



  My mission is to go out and help as many people as I can get a real true insight as to what the world of sales really looks like before they going jumping in head first. My last semester of college I was scrounging around websites, asking career counselors, friends, family, etc. what the best way to get a job was, how to even write a resume, what in the world do I say in an interview, and God for bid if I get a job, what do I do?! If this sounds like you, I'm here to help. I've been there done that and know what it's like to be somewhat lost.

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   I will separate you from your peers (who are also your competition in the job world) and give you the confidence you need so you stand and make a difference. My goal is for you to be the strongest candidate, top sales performer, and the ''go-to'' person in your sales organization.

To learn more, check out: Switch2Sales.com

Top 10 Zig Ziglar Quotes

In remembrance of the amazing Zig Ziglar, we wanted to share what Forbes magazine labels as his top 10 quotes of all time...

10) “Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”

9) “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”

8 ) “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”

7) “There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.”

6) “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.”

5) “Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”

4) “If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”

3) “A goal properly set is halfway reached.”

2) “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”

1) “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”

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5 Great Questions to Ask When Talking About Benefits

When you are discussing the benefits of your product or service, be sure to pause and ask a few key questions along the way to make sure it applies to your client. Here are 5 great questions you can ask:

1. Would this make things easier for you?
2. Do you see how this could save your company money?
3. How would you use this in your situation?
4. Could you take advantage of this?
5. Would other people in your company benefit from this as well?

Go ahead and give it a try. It will help you understand what is important to your client and give you guidance on where to spend most of your time during the closing phase.

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Top Sales Quotes

Here is a list of quotes I share with all my clients:

Confidence and enthusiasm are the greatest sales producers in any kind of economy.

-O. B. Smith

If you’re a gifted flirt, talking about the price of eggs will do as well as any other subject.
-Mignon McLaughlin

Don’t sell life insurance. Sell what life insurance can do.
-Ben Feldman

If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will.
-Bob Hooey

The key is not to call the decision maker. The key is to have the decision maker call you.
-Jeffrey Gitomer

Timid salesmen have skinny kids.
-Zig Ziglar

If you work just for money, you’ll never make it. But if you love what you are doing,and always put the customer first, success will be yours.
-Ray Kroc

To succeed in sales, simply talk to lots of people every day. And here’s what’s exciting – there are lots of people!
-Jim Rohn

We succeed in enterprises which demand the positive qualities we possess, but we excel in those which can also make use of our defects.
-Alexis de Tocqueville

To speak and to speak well are two things. A fool may talk, but a wise man speaks.
-Ben Jonson

I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.
-John D. Rockefeller

Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman, not the attitude of the prospect.
-William Clement Stone

The secret of man’s success resides in his insight into the moods of people, and his tact in dealing with them.
-J. G. Holland

Only in our dreams are we free. The rest of the time we need wages.
-Terry Pratchett

How you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win.
-Gilbert K. Chesterton

A salesman, like the storage battery in your car, is constantly discharging energy. Unless he is recharged at frequent intervals he soon runs dry. This is one of the greatest responsibilities of sales leadership.
-R. H. Grant

What helps luck is a habit of watching for opportunities, of having a patient but restless mind, of sacrificing one’s ease or vanity, or uniting a love of detail to foresight, and of passing through hard times bravely and cheerfully.
-Victor Cherbuliez

Nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression you make.
-William Bernbach

Forget about the business outlook, be on the outlook for business.
-Paul J. Meyer

You don’t close a sale, you open a relationship if you want to build a long-term, successful enterprise.
-Patricia Fripp

The sale begins when the customer says yes.
-Harvey MacKay

Internalize the Golden Rule of sales that says: All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.
-Bob Burg

Victory is sweetest when you’ve known defeat.
-Malcolm Forbes

Everyone lives by selling something.
-Robert Louis Stevenson

I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard.
-Estée Lauder

A smart salesperson listens to emotions not facts.
-Unknown

For every sale you miss because you’re too enthusiastic, you will miss a hundred because you’re not enthusiastic enough.
-Zig Ziglar

In sales there are going to be times when you can’t make everyone happy. Don’t expect to and you won’t be disappointed. Just do your best for each client in each situation as it arises. Then, learn from each situation how to do it better the next time.
-Tom Hopkins

Always be closing…That doesn’t mean you’re always closing the deal, but it does mean that you need to be always closing on the next step in the process.
-Shane Gibson

A good ad which is not run never produces sales.
-Leo Burnett

Above all, a query letter is a sales pitch and it is the single most important page an unpublished writer will ever write. It’s the first impression and will either open the door or close it. It’s that important, so don’t mess it up. Mine took 17 drafts and two weeks to write.
-Nicholas Sparks

It is not your customer’s job to remember you. It is your obligation and responsibility to make sure they don’t have the chance to forget you.
-Patricia Fripp

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