Explode Those Sales Myths

foreign [Music] desk I'll send him right up Mr Roberts yes you can go right up thank you uh excuse me is there any word on me yet let's see you're Mr hacker uh no Mr cutter Barney cutter mcmaster's manufacturing of course see Mr Walker uh no Mr Trotter Jill Mr um cutter cutter is still waiting to see Mr Trotter I see Mr Trotter was in his office but he was called out to an operations meeting uh did she say when you'll be back no telling why don't you try again early in the morning that's not the right time to call her Mr Trotter well why don't you call his secretary and discuss it with her I'm sure you can find a good time well maybe I'll just pass him up this trip well it's up to you may I have your visitor stash please what oh sure hold it right there I just heard a Salesman freeze the action please can you fine-tune the time base please stand by for a fine Tony my voice is booming a bit Ah that's better can you put in the title of this long shot all right stand by for title foreign [Music] whatever what happened nothing important I just stopped time for a moment just booming voice and everything went kind of funny you know you do what it's stop time that's impossible well I didn't really stop it I just slowed it down relative to my time you see what's wrong with her not a thing in my view how come all these people are standing around like they're uh froze I just explained all that they are moving very very slowly you see who are you a fair question you can call me Mark I just look Mark I really don't know what this is all about but uh am trying to explain and don't worry about these people when I unfreeze them they'll just call me Mark I just look Mark I really don't know what it's all about but uh I am trying to explain and don't worry about these people when I unfreeze them they'll just think they had a momentary Touch of vertigo there we go it's you we have to worry about me hmm you see your today's subject for our sales meeting I'm what you're today's subject for our sales meeting look you're not filming me or something I mean this is an emotional picture or a television or something is it no nothing like that it's real a vision real or what real Vision I'm the director and believe me it's tougher to direct people in real life than it is actors smart time in this situation for a while marking time now I want to talk with you about your role as a Salesman roll no I am a Salesman in real life I mean I'm not a nice turn to play anything and I'm a sales manager in real life but it's still a role we play and some of us play it better than others you've got to have the right motivations you've got to have the right lines you've got to know how to play each selling situation the only difference is that in real life you can't afford to make mistakes it hits you right in the pocketbook stand by to switch over to the real time terminal please standing by now I want to rehearse you a bit look uh Mark is it hit it this way please prepare to activate please what's all this this is our time terminal we can replay real-time situations over there past present and future the memory bank units you see I am from your future my present and we're studying actual case histories from our past you're present uh do you mind if I get into something a little more appropriate for your present picks me up with clothes for this period Please Stand by her clothing time change foreign kind of overshot the period didn't you sorry stand by for correction now then you're one of the most popular subjects for our sales meetings I am hmm you're a classic case classic case of what let's look at the actual Vision screen nah that's not the right time to see Mr Trotter remember saying that Barney uh yeah that's a sales myth a Salesman and that's what I want to talk to you about you're a classic case of a Salesman who constantly Falls victim to sales myths look this is all very interesting but I still have another call to make and any later than four o'clock isn't the right time to see this particular buyer am I watch that not really just slow down you have all the time in the world to make that call I guarantee it but did you just hear what you said am I watch that just before that you said and any later than four o'clock isn't the right time to see this particular buyer that's the sales myth we were talking about yeah but any salesman knows it has a right time and a wrong time to see certain customers salesman's myth and most sales myths are the enemy of time your time that's what makes your case so interesting I've never heard so many myths and seen one man run out of as much time as you do yo what do you mean by myths maybe we better Define our terms yeah oh myth a story of Unknown Origin passed down from person to person over a long period of time it is generally fictitious and has been created to explain something otherwise difficult to justify in common usage a myth has come to include any belief which when held up to The Cold Light of logic proves not to be true oh let's do that just suspended your time while I walked to and from the bookshelf oh that's not important what is important is to explode some of those sales myths which waste your time let's hold your there is a right time to see a customer myth up to The Cold Light of logic take care Mr Trotter [Music] eight o'clock that's too early he hasn't even looked at the messages on his desk how about nine o'clock uh no that's when he opens his mail 10 o'clock uh coffee break eleven well that's when he makes his phone calls and uh then he goes to lunch one o'clock uh long lunch two well he gets kind of low-key after lunch three people see he's using an amazing uh like today four you know how those meetings drag on five uh time to head home [Music] you just ran out of time well sometimes you can catch them around 2 30 but that's not really the best time apparently no time is the right time to see Mr Trotter by golly I think you're right what about days oh no that's another problem Mondays and Fridays are always lousy and Tuesdays hold it Barney whether you're talking about the time of the day or the days of the week it's the same myth sometimes I've heard you say Well they're not buying right now or his budget's kind of tight right now or maybe I should wait till after the holidays that's the same myth yeah you see Barney it's not that you feel that the time isn't right for the customer but that you feel the time isn't right for you let's use the cathode ray tube myth analyzer for the myth sequence please when you say this isn't the right time to see this customer what you're really saying is I'm going to put that coal off till uh some other time I am you are why would I do that any one of a number of reasons maybe he's a tough customer maybe you're simply afraid of the outcome well maybe it really isn't the right time to see him maybe there's a grain of Truth underlying most myths one particular customer may have a rigid office routine that reduces his available time to see salesman but he's going to be the exception so try to get on his calendar at his convenience if you can't well you're a Salesman sell them on a Time make him Bend his habits to fit you in but usually the problem is you it's me you lack two important qualities confidence and enthusiasm that makes you susceptible to the myth that this isn't the right time to call on your customer well let's just say you're right for the sake of argument how do I get this uh confidence and enthusiasm from preparation thorough preparation before each sales call will make any salesman confident and enthusiastic so do your homework go in armed with the best proposal and proposition you can then you will have confidence and enthusiasm then I'll be I'll be ready willing and able so when this myth comes up change it to this truth anytime you can get in to see a customer is the right time it may be the only time so you better make the most of it just don't kid yourself about waiting for a better time I guess what really boils down to then is the more cools you make the more sales you make oh what was that my misometer you just came up with another myth who says that's a myth that's one of the men in the sales meeting come on up here Fred okay look I'm an assistant sales manager and you're always telling your men that the more calls they make the more sales they make are we sales managers and assistants too fall victim to the same myths and we have a few of Our Own and you're saying that that's a sales myth one of the biggest sales is not a numbers game Fred look if I can get my guys to make the calls the sales will take care of themselves oh no you don't really believe that not really I'm sure I do let's put it up on the CRT the more calls you make the more sales you make now there are two hidden sales messages in there let's decode them make more calls period make more sales period one doesn't necessarily follow the other [Music] remember this yeah it's my call report for the week of the 14th I covered a lot of territory that week you certainly did you're an assistant sales manager Fred say you just got that call report your initial reaction not bad more than six calls a day and my sales manager thought so too he mentioned it at the weekly sales meeting except um except one except for this scribbling here at the bottom of the page send more business cards what about it I'd liked it better if you said send more order forms well it wasn't a good week for sale oops that's another myth but we'll skip over it look Barney that request for more business cards should should have been a red flag for your sales manager sales just don't happen you have to make them happen that takes time time to prepare yourself for each individual call time to make each call a sales call and let's be sure we don't forget it is a sales call and not just a visit right making more calls means quantity making more sales means quality we want quantity plus quality what you really mean to say is make more quality sales calls yeah yeah yeah that's the truth it takes the balance between quantity and quality yeah well that's what I really meant but that isn't what you said and that's how salesmenists get started by oversimplifying overstating overlooking well there's no doubt that a contact report can become a con sheet it can calm the sales manager into thinking that a Salesman are out there working the territory and it can cause a Salesman into thinking that he's really doing the job so what do you do well first I don't don't try to set new records for the number of calls you can make remember it's not the number of calls you make that adds up to more sales it's the number of good calls do single out the best possible prospects not because they're close by or easy to see and friendly but because they represent the best potential sales do prepare for each sales call and do take the time to sell each customer make more good sales calls balance quantity with quality right another myth exploded see you around Fred [Music] one thing though you have to spend more time preparing new prospects than you do your established customers we'll let that one go no I mean you have to spend more of your time developing new business uh we'll let that one go too now look your regular customers are already sold so I mean once a customer always a customer oh I just can't let that one go actually everything you said is part and parcel of the same myth once a customer always a customer there's your myth well there are exceptions to every rule that's not a rule that's another excuse for not doing something like what remember a call you made on a Tuesday afternoon about a month ago your time well I made a lot of calls last month especially during the week of the 14th that was when you were trying to make the Guinness Book of World Records oh yeah maybe this will refresh your memory [Music] hey Charlie how you doing good what brings you around well Charlie I was just an enabler I thought I'd stop by and see how things are coming things are coming just fine busy as always and I've been selling a lot of these new k211s I thought maybe it's about time we talked about it why not let's hold it right there Charlie Miller over Allied he's been a good customer for years did he buy well I was I was just touching base with him really touching base hmm let's back up and start over this time I'm going to stop the action and adjust the audio so you can hear what he's really saying not the words you heard come out of his mouth but the words bouncing around in the back of his head ready yeah okay hi Barney how are you doing good to see you what brings you around stop look and listen hi Barney finally got around to seeing me did you well surely I was just in the neighborhood I thought I'd stop by and see how things are coming things are coming just fine this is what he was really saying things are fine now but where were you when I needed you busy as always no thanks to you you know I've been selling a lot of these new k211s that's what I hear that's what maybe it's about time we talked about it why not why while you were out calling on other customers a couple of salesmen who seemed a little hungrier came in you're coming in last so you're going to have to go some to make a better pitch than they did know what he's really saying underneath all this what Barney you never bring me any pretty flowers figuratively speaking of course oh I see I think your relationship with the long-standing customers like well like your relationship with your wife uh you want to give me a little bit more on that you simply can't take customers for granted any more than you can your wife Oh you mean they want the courtship to continue right just because you're Barney to him and he's Charlie to you doesn't mean that sales are automatic yeah but familiarity breeds contempt long and absence doesn't make the heart go fonder either your established customers have given you their business and they want something in return what your attention they want you to give them more attention not less you know they're always comparing you with someone else's trying to woo their business and you can't afford to come up short once a customer always a customer is an excuse to take your regular customers for granted don't take your regular customers for granted do sell your old customers just as hard as your new prospects that's the truth of the matter I can attest to that who said that me uh Rudy yeah Rudy Potter of course there's no room in business for friendship what I mean is he's not going to buy from you just because he knows you price is the only thing he cares about look you're not going to take the word of some electronic Gadget over my nearly 30 years experience in selling believe me price is the only thing that counts these days well that's where you put off the price question until you have your buyer nodding yes to all the things that your product is going to do from well that's some of the stuff they feed you at sales meetings but the fact is price is always looking in back of the buyer's mind during the sale how come your Gadget didn't sound off then because there's more truth than that than Fiction which is why you have to wet his appetite for your product like I don't care where you quote the price in the beginning the middle of the end that's when good old-fashioned sales resistance comes to the surface usually that's when the buyer says convince me to part with my money he has to make the decision to buy and he wants to make sure it's the right decision but that's not what's bothering you is it what do you mean well the moment of decision for him is the Moment of Truth for you everything hinges on price I didn't mean that I meant that you feel it swim or sink time when you quote price let's explode a few sales myths this is the only thing that counts these days it could be an excuse for not doing a full sales presentation but as often as not it's an excuse after the fact for not having made the sale oh come on 30 years selling experience that's not my problem no your problem is that you think that price is the only thing that counts you think so your customer may or may not think so did you ever suffer from stage fright I never been on the stage in my life maybe when you had to make a speech say in front of a group of salesmen well sure you get free speech jitters what about 30 years ago I mean when I made my first sales presentation yeah oh yeah I got kind of nervous in fact I was scared stiff still just a bit nervous when you call on a New Prospect yeah I suppose that's kind of the that's the excitement of selling how about when you quote the price yeah sometimes sometimes let me show you a couple of those times the price yeah the price is um more than I had pre-owned what did you say yeah 1498 in all fairness that was a while ago here's how we did it last week the price 18.50 per unit price has gone up so is your voice you have price fright what price fright price fright a salesman's version of stage fright usually an Affliction of younger salesmen but it's not to affect all of us from time to time especially when we think that price is the only thing that counts so don't let price fright get you oh simple do quote the price quietly it's easy to say easy to do when you quote price simply do it in an easy offhand manner like it was part of the sale which it is a natural part you mean don't hem don't haul and don't make too little or too much of it right that's the idea keep it in perspective okay I'll work on it don't work on it just don't make a big deal out of it okay hey thanks for the time I didn't want to say anything but what do you say to someone who has price fight because they believe their competition has a better price or a better feature or better quality or better Acceptance in the marketplace come on these things could happen sure the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence we call this salesmith competition has a better you fill in the blank better price better feature better quality better acceptance better reputation better model you name it according to your worst fears but there are differences of course but in a competitive Marketplace all these things tend to equal out you have something to offer so does your competition maybe he has price you have quality he has one feature you have another so so so what do you got huh sure basic salesmanship too yeah most salesmen can handle real differences a lot of them just can't handle imagine differences here let me show you something suppose you sell pies frisbees clocks Donuts frisbees yeah use your imagination there's your product in the center on the left there's your competitors product in the center on the right now which is larger well I'll play along with you that one they're exactly the same size yeah but it's an optical illusion I mean you can do the same thing with donuts we're talking about a myth of the Mind a mental illusion you know but I don't sell Donuts or Frisbees and believe me my main problem is not product it's the competitive salesman he's everywhere at once okay there's you there's your competition walks pretty tall in your mind but look I know it's my illusion so how do I see things as they really are how'd you like to meet your competition face to face Barney meet Joe Caldwell he looks pretty big to me [Laughter] [Music] so uh you're in my competition that's my line Barney you sure keep me hopping you do the same to me Joe well I like to have some of your product advantages I'll tell you you keep saying the same thing I want to say I wish I had some of your features to sell I have an idea why don't you two change jobs you know where the other guy's shoes for a while see what it's like on the other side of the fence well I I kind of like my product yeah me too Oh I thought you both felt the other had all the best of it well not all uh maybe some advantages I don't have exactly the same features but last chance want to switch oh I think I'll pass me too but I do appreciate the chance to uh size up my competition yeah it's been Illuminating goodbye Joe goodbye [Music] you know I'm not really so sure that he does have a better product it's a myth keep in mind that you are his competition just as he is yours the grass looks Greener to him too the myth is a rationale for the fact that competition is getting a piece of the action too the truth is competition has competition you forget that you are the competition sell your advantages right you made your point a lot of things that salesmen give lip service to are myths and any myth is an excuse a rationale to cover up it keeps you from facing the truth what action you ought to take yeah but I wish I had one of those you do your brain in fact it's a lot more sophisticated so when you hear yourself coming up with a pat saying about sales run a three in mind question it analyze it replace it with the truth of the matter then sell accordingly I will believe me I will but I still can't can't get over always Time Tripping yeah you won't remember any but because when I return you to your own real time none of it will have happened well what about what I've learned you haven't learned anything you didn't already know somewhere inside of you all we did was bring it out in the open look I'm glad that I've been part of this real division sales meeting our pleasure but I really do have to get back something you left undone yes um stand by for a time-based correction please standing by let's roll that time back a few seconds then you hit it activating now may I have your visitors passed please what oh sure uh do you mind if I call the secretary up and see if I can get a good time on Mr rocker I'm gonna try to anytime you can get in to see him is a good time you can say that again uh Jill this is Barney cutter listen could you look over Mr Toronto's calendar and find a good time for me to see him [Music]