1) The key is to not internalize the objection. Do not take it personally. Do not let it take you off of your path to getting to your goal, (i.e. the meeting, the deal, the sale)

2) Keep an “Executive” tone to your voice at all times (positive, confident, assertive, professional). Never devolve into a childish tone (high pitched, whining, wheedling).

3) Acknowledge the objection. Don’t skip this crucial step!

Examples:

• Repeat back what they said (“Let me make sure I got this right, you said you’re busy until___. No problem, let’s put something on the calendar now…”)
• Agree with what they said (“Yes, it’s a really busy time—for me too—so let’s put something on the calendar now…”)
• Express understanding of how they must feel (“I understand how jammed you are, so let’s put something on the calendar now…”)

Why do this?

Because it pro-actively de-fuses any tension or defensiveness that may arise. You are validating the other person’s concern head on and not brushing it under the carpet. This let’s them know that you are actively listening and that you will directly address what’s on their mind.

4) Sharpen your observational skills. Be aware of body language and facial expressions. Sometimes objections are not verbalized, but are expressed through crossed arms, pushing back from the table, pursed lips, etc. When this happens, stop right there, and ask what the objection is.

Examples:

• “You’re shaking your head. What part of the proposal doesn’t work for you?”
• “I can see by your facial expression that this doesn’t sit well with you. What’s on your mind?”
• “May I ask you what you are thinking because I see that I’ve lost your confidence/buy in/approval to this part of the project”.

5) Don’t give up with the first objection. Often the first objection is just thrown out there to get rid of you. Slow down your cadence of speech, validate, ask again, then wait. They will often feel compelled fill the empty space with something, generally the truth.

6) Use silence to your advantage. After you validate the objection and again ask for what you want…if I may be blunt…shut up. Maintain a neutral body position, neutral yet engaged facial expression, and good eye contact. And let the silence hang…and hang…until they speak. People feel compelled to fill silence, and often will concede to what you asked for.

Book Nikki to present, coach or speak at nikki@goal-tender.com

photo courtesy of www.thehindu.com

WOMEN COMMUNICATE TO BUILD ALLIANCES

MEN COMMUNICATE TO BUILD STATUS

Studies have shown that men communicate in a competitive way (to acquire power and ranking) and women communicate in a cooperative way (to build harmony and equality). I think it goes back to the beginning of societies, when men went out in groups to hunt for food, while women grouped together to protect and raise their young.

THIS EFFECTS HOW WOMEN SELL 

This is not, of course, an absolute, but I have seen it in action many times in the business world (with men also).

Many women get bogged down in the “getting to know you” phase of the sales call, and lose track of their goal for the meeting. It’s like going off The Yellow Brick Road into the poppy fields in “The Wizard of Oz”.

Making friends is NOT why you are there. It seems good in the moment to follow that tangent about something the prospect says, that you think will build a connection—but it often backfires. Once you go off track—there is an intangible and moving line that is crossed—you cannot get back to the sale. You thought it went great, and it did—for a social visit. The only way you know you blew it, you didn’t create a sense of urgency, is when they don’t return your call to book the next meeting. Your brilliant sales call never goes anywhere, and you don’t know why.

You may see them again and it’s warm and chatty, but the business opportunity is lost.

WHAT CAN YOU DO NEXT TIME?

When the prospect talks about something that you think you can build on, make a quick note of it, but DO NOT get sidetracked from your sales agenda. Say something like, “That’s interesting.” or “That’s great, I like that too.” Afterwards you can say, ”Let’s talk about that another time,” to validate what the prospect said, then get right back to your agenda.

 This technique builds:

Your credibility

Their respect for you

Your confidence in yourself

 

Work First. Play Second.

Close the deal FIRST. Make friends SECOND.

You are there to build your business.

Sheryl Sandberg says, “Think personally, act communally” when negotiating. This is important for everyone, but is especially vital for women.

Research conducted by Hannah Riley Bowles and Linda Babcock confirms Sandberg’s strategy. Their studies, reported in Psychology of Women Quarterly in 2013, determined that for women who use an “I-We” strategy in negotiations (in this case for a salary increase) the outcome for them is better in two crucial ways: they are more likeable and they receive a higher salary.

“The key to a relational account (or “I-We”) strategy is to explain why your counterpart should perceive your negotiating as legitimate in terms that also communicate your concern for organizational relationships,” says Bowles in Harvard Business Review.

What does that mean in language we can understand?

Instead of just going in and asking for a raise, we need to clearly communicate the value we bring, AND ALSO communicate how that value will benefit the company. One will not cut it – you MUST do both.

Just saying, “Gee, I’m great—don’t you realize that? —and it’s been too long since you’ve given me an increase” won’t work.

Bowes and Babcock suggest saying something like this: “I don’t know how typical it is for people at my level to negotiate, but I’m hopeful that you’ll see my skill at negotiating as something important that I can bring to the job.”

For men, the “I-We” strategy had no impact. For women, it is crucial. Why?

As I mentioned in a previous blog, studies have shown that men communicate in a competitive way (to build status) and women communicate in a cooperative way (to build alliances). I think it goes back to the beginning of societies, when men went out in groups to hunt for food, while women grouped together to protect and raise their young.

When a woman steps outside of the “building alliances” position, and moves to the “building status” position, she is perceived negatively. Bowles and Babcock found that people don’t want to work with women after they negotiate a salary increase for themselves, because the woman is perceived as “less nice and too demanding.” But when she negotiates for others, even fiercely, it has no negative impact on her likeability.

So what we need to do, as women negotiators, is express concern for the greater organization, along with stating our negotiation request. We need to build those alliances.

I really don’t mind this particular little hoop we have to jump through, because it is a powerful communication tool, and strategically, it works very well. How can we not benefit from communicating our value and how it benefits the company we own or work for? Another way to game the system to our advantage!

Here’s your negotiation script: I have “x” skill and it will bring value to the organization in “y” way.

Another quick note:

The word “we,” in the “I-We” strategy is subtle yet powerful. Use it all the time, along with other inclusive pronouns like “us” and “our.” It evokes a sense of ownership and pride, showing that you are concerned with the organization just as much as you are interested in your negotiation request. And that is the winning combination.

For more information about this, check out: http://www.simplypsychology.org/social-identity-theory.html

Book Nikki to speak at your event, and email her at nikki@goal-tender.com

BEING A SUCCESSFUL SALES PRO IS A LOT LIKE BEING A TOP ATHLETE

When’s the last time you plowed through sales calls and worked really hard, like 80-90% of maximum, for a whole day? I bet never. It’s virtually impossible. We need rest time between the bursts of intense activity, just like athletes. Even the guys in the Tour de France coast downhill sometimes.

Even if you’ve never competed in a sport in your life, and you don’t ever want to, you can think like one, and perform like one. Here’s how:

When I was a competitive swimmer, we didn’t dive in the pool and swim nonstop for four miles (I bow down to Diane Nyad for swimming from Cuba to Florida). That’s overwhelming and daunting. We broke down the workout into drills, and each drill into sets, and each set had a number of repetitions, “reps”, with a timeline (goal) attached to it. So by the time we swam all of the drills, it amazingly added up to four miles.

The same thing applies to the sales day. It’s daunting to say to yourself, “I’m going to cold call all day Thursday.” But if you said to yourself, “I’m going to cold call for 45 minutes, then take a 15 minute break, then call for 45 minutes, and break again, then the chances of you doing it are much better.

TOP ATHLETES DO 2 THINGS THAT WE CAN ADOPT AS SALES PROS:

#1 – Design your sales workout BEFORE you start.

Write out your drills, sets, reps, and goals (paper or digital). THIS IS CRUCIAL. How are you going to achieve a goal if it’s not clear to you what that goal is? Are you going to work on your backstroke today or practice your flip turns?

Your goal can be based on time or production or skills; figure out what you need to achieve. For example, do you have a monthly quota? From there, break it down to how many work days you have that month, then within each day, what you must accomplish. Isn’t that easier?

#2- Find a “sales buddy” or “work coach”

Top athletes always have a coach to keep them motivated and accountable. If a coach (manager, mentor, etc.) is not available, you can accomplish the same thing with a sales buddy, just like people do with a workout buddy. It keeps you going on the good days and on the bad days. If you don’t have a sales buddy, tape your sales workout on your fridge or post it online.

Make yourself accountable to YOURSELF and to your numbers.

Like an athlete, it’s you and your performance – no one else’s – that get you to the finish line.

Photo courtesy of “Black Enterprise”

Contact Nikki, or book her to speak at nikki@goal-tender.com

BEING A SUCCESSFUL SALES PRO IS A LOT LIKE BEING A TOP ATHLETE

Have you ever seen people in the gym, or out for a run or on a bike, and they look really intense and sweaty and lean and strong?

 

And do you know people who look like this when they work out?

  

When you exercise to your maximum, or close to it, you can transform your health and body. And when you work to your maximum, you can revolutionize your performance and productivity. But how do you figure out, when exercising, what your maximum potential is, without knowing your maximum heart rate?

Your body has a built in heart rate monitor. Here’s your cheat sheet:

Able to chat, speak in full sentences, sing a song                                               below 70%

Speak only in short phrases between breaths, like “how ya doin’?              about 80%

Sweating, breathing hard, only able to gasp single words like “yeah”        about 90%

Not able to speak no matter what, gulping in air, maxed out                                   100%

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO SALES SUCCESS?

Think of your work day like a top athlete training for a competition. Did you work at 70% yesterday, or 90%? Many sales pros spend much of their day below 70%, doing things that don’t lead to a sale.

Don’t confuse being busy with being productive. We can spend hours at the gym, but if we don’t plan our workout, and work to 80-90% of max, with spurts of 100%, before we take a break, we won’t get to our goal. It won’t happen. No way. You gotta work HARD.

Same with your sales targets. You have to work hard, 80-90%, and stay focused on the work that will get you to your goal.

Work hard when you work. Play hard when you play. Do not confuse the two.

Contact Nikki or book her to speak at nikki@goal-tender.com

WOMEN COMMUNICATE TO BUILD ALLIANCES

MEN COMMUNICATE TO BUILD STATUS

Studies have shown that men communicate in a competitive way (to acquire power and ranking) and women communicate in a cooperative way (to build harmony and equality). I think it goes back to the beginning of societies, when men went out in groups to hunt for food, while women grouped together to protect and raise their young.

THIS EFFECTS HOW WOMEN SELL 

This is not, of course, an absolute, but I have seen it in action many times in the business world (with men also).

Many women get bogged down in the “getting to know you” phase of the sales call, and lose track of their goal for the meeting. It’s like going off The Yellow Brick Road into the poppy fields in “The Wizard of Oz”.

Making friends is NOT why you are there. It seems good in the moment to follow that tangent about something the prospect says, that you think will build a connection—but it often backfires. Once you go off track—there is an intangible and moving line that is crossed—you cannot get back to the sale. You thought it went great, and it did—for a social visit. The only way you know you blew it, you didn’t create a sense of urgency, is when they don’t return your call to book the next meeting. Your brilliant sales call never goes anywhere, and you don’t know why.

You may see them again and it’s warm and chatty, but the business opportunity is lost.

WHAT CAN YOU DO NEXT TIME?

 When the prospect talks about something that you think you can build on, make a quick note of it, but DO NOT get sidetracked from your sales agenda. Say something like, “That’s interesting.” or “That’s great, I like that too.” Afterwards you can say, ”Let’s talk about that another time,” to validate what the prospect said, then get right back to your agenda.

 This technique builds:

Your credibility

Their respect for you

Your confidence in yourself

 

Work First. Play Second.

Close the deal FIRST. Make friends SECOND.

You are there to build your business.

Contact Nikki, or book her to speak, at nikki@goal-tender.com

What makes you memorable when you meet someone? What garners trust and makes people want to be introduced to you?

I call it:

THE TRIAD OF LIKEABILITY

SMILE, EYE CONTACT, HANDSHAKE

Let’s take a moment to consider what it’s like to meet someone when it doesn’t go quite right,  when one of these three elements is missing. For example…

You meet someone who shakes your hand and says hello, but keeps glancing over your shoulder, like there’s something more interesting behind you (am I not that important?)

You meet someone who smiles and makes good eye contact, but has a dead fish handshake (yuck)

You meet someone who pumps and squeezes your hand, and stares you down, but doesn’t smile or show any warmth in their expression (are they trying to intimidate me?)

None of these scenarios is particularly offensive–they are all socially acceptable behavior, BUT it’s off-putting, isn’t it? And the crazy thing is that you remember those situations. You may not remember the other details, but I bet that you can recall the time somebody shook your hand so hard that they crushed your knuckles?

When you are introduced to someone, it’s gotta be right. It’s subtle, but crucial. You need all three elements to build trust.

Eye contact is fundamental to human engagement. Babies as young as 4 months old process faces almost as well as adults. Babies as young as 7 months old can differentiate emotions on their mother’s faces, and respond to them. Multiple parts of our brains have evolved to “read” expressions, even subtle ones, extremely well, even at a distance. We are looking at eyes and faces A LOT to understand the relationships in the people around us.

In situations when we meet someone for the first time and we don’t see an expression of openness or positivity, we don’t build rapport with that person.

To be a master at those intangible “people skills” you need all three to make a great impression, so…

Practice your handshake

Lengthen your eye contact

Add warmth to your smile

It will pay off more than you can imagine!

from “Wonder Women” presented to Harvard Business School