K.I.S.S.--Simplify the 3 P's to Sales Success

"The easier you make it to buy for your prospects, the more they will."

K.I.S.S. - Keep it Simple Silly.

But simplicity goes beyond just ensuring you do not talk technical when describing offerings to prospects. It means keeping everything about the sale simple. It means recognizing that selling to prospects is indeed a process and that when we simplify this process, our sales will skyrocket. It means keeping each stage simple: Procedure to buy, Product you offer and Program to implement.

Procedure to buy

Don't make prospects work to purchase your services. Don't make them hunt for prices or information. Don't make them dig around for phone numbers.

1. When leaving messages, always leave your first and last name, company name and phone number. With e- mail, conclude each message with your phone number and reiterate your e-mail for them to call with questions. Although they obviously have your e-mail address as they are reading your e-mail, you never know--they may be forwarding it to another party or sending you a new e-mail. Make is easier for them. They may not have time to search for your information.

2. Always print out correspondence with clients when meeting with them in person. Although you sent e- mails, don't expect them to have the information or proposal with them. Have extra copies of everything for them. They will appreciate it.

3. Follow-up all meetings not just with thank you letters, but reiterate your offerings in the e-mail. Remind prospects when the next meeting is, what their conce
s were and how your programs will help them. Don't make them remember all you said.

Product you are selling

When I was a jou
alist, they taught us to take complex issues and write like we were writing for children. A sale is the same way. Nothing is more uncomfortable for a prospect than feeling foolish. Don't make a prospect work to understand what you are offering.

1. Never talk technical, especially with acronyms and abbreviations. Even if you think your prospect is technical, let the prospect say the acronym first. Amazingly, it is the most technical people who often like the simplified approach. More than one director of information technology told me in my telecommunications days, "I don't need you to explain how the phone network works. I know that. All I want to know is why I should care."

2. Don't overwhelm the prospect with information, unless the prospect asks. Pick two or three key features and show those two or three key benefits. If the prospect wants to know more, the prospect will ask. Listing all the features of a product, even if it's relevant, is another way to confuse prospects.

Program to implement

Once the sale is made, ensure delivery of your product or program is as simple as when you sold it.

1. Stay on top of the delivery of your product or service. Don't make your client work for it. Keep your clients abreast of the implementation status through e-mail. Copy all those parties involved on the schedule. Be a true facilitator.

2. If issues surface along the way, keep clients notified through blind carbon copies of e-mails. Don't breach internal confidential documents, but there is nothing wrong with sending a client an e-mail for them to see you are working on their problems - if there are any. It also will ensure to them you understand the situation.

3. Provide not just your contact information, but numbers of other parties involved. Utilize the team approach.

Inexperienced salespeople say that if prospects are confused about something- the procedure, the product or the program, they will ask. Will they? If they do, great. But if they don't? The result: No sale- and you'll never know why.

Todd Natenberg, President, TBN Sales Solutions, isthe author of the book, "I just got a job in sales! Now what?": A Playbook for Skyrocketing Your Commissions.

TBN Sales Solutions increases commissions for salespeople and profits for businesses through customized training, coaching and consulting. They establish structures and procedures in all facets of the sales process, through classroom workshops and individual sales coaching, to teach reps to control their own destiny, to impact the bottom line. Visit www.toddnatenberg.com for more information. Todd can be reached at 866-464-0339 or e-mail todd@toddnatenberg.com

What do you think? Please call (773) 755-1306 or e-mail todd@toddnatenberg.com with questions.

Sincerely,
Todd B. Natenberg
President/Author

TBN Sales Solutions