How to Sell Anything to Anybody Ch 12

Sales Planning and Execution

• "Plan your work and work your plan": Classic sales advice, though seemingly simple, is potent. It means taking control and strategizing, rather than reacting haphazardly.
• Meaning of the slogan: Two-pronged: 1) Control your actions, avoid accidental outcomes; 2) Effective actions generate business.
• Effectiveness: Planning activities like business cards, mailings, lead generation (birds-dogs, phone calls), and even the sales presentation (future chapters) are key. A well-defined plan multiplies sales because it generates more prospects.
• Quantity over Quality (initially) : Focus on increasing the amount of interaction with potential customers rather than trying to perfect the selling skills. Getting twice as many in yields twice as many sales.
• High prospect volume over high "kill rate": More customers approaching leads to more sales, even if your conversion rate doesn't change.
• Importance of scheduling: Appointments, calls, mailings – scheduling is critical for prioritizing tasks and ensuring follow-ups. The author recommends using an appointment book, organizing sales records alphabetically and by transaction date to facilitate timely follow-ups.

Daily Planning and Review

• Daily planning: Essential—allocating time for tasks. Begin by reviewing appointments, then fill any free time with activities like direct mail campaigns, phone calls, or service department interactions designed to generate more customer interest within the work day.
• Adaptability: Be flexible. The plan may change throughout the day as more pressing issues or opportunities arise.
• Prioritization: Direct mail is better utilized in downtime and when "up" in the sales queue.
• Self-care: Acknowledge when you're not in optimal working condition and adjust accordingly. If you feel unproductive, cancel plans and pursue other activities. Avoid carrying over negativity into sales interactions.
• Post-sales Review: Analyze every sale and every failed sale. Essential to understanding why you succeeded with certain clients and failed with others. Ask yourself what you could have done differently. Include those that did not buy and ask probing questions to identify potential pitfalls in your approach. Don't assume that prospects who are "just looking" aren't ready to buy.
• Prospect analysis: Examine the reasons a customer made a purchase or didn't. Investigate whether a competitive offer or mistake in sales tactics led to a lost opportunity.
• Customer perspective: Understand customer rationale. Compare what you thought and how a client saw the encounter.

Sales Techniques and Attitudes

• "Let them buy" philosophy: Focus on building trust and rapport with prospects, not forcing a transaction. A prospect's ease in interacting increases the likelihood of a sale.
• Overcoming negativity: Acknowledge and manage negative feelings. Use pre-sales planning and review to eliminate potential negativity in your sales techniques.
• Turning "be-backs": Viewing "be-backs" as future leads is a mistake. Treat them as former prospects who probably aren't returning.
• Collaborative sales: A sales team can benefit from collaboratively approaching unresponsive prospects to gain valuable insights.
• Time management: Effective planning and prioritizing tasks efficiently. Recognizing the value of time investment in certain tasks—phone calls vs. mailings—and tailoring activities to best utilize available time.
• Plan for unexpected opportunities: Recognizing the value in a flexible plan that adjusts to new ideas or leads that arise unexpectedly.