The Brilliant 25/75 Sales Rule Hardly Anybody Knows

A couple of weeks ago, Lottie attended one of my two-day business development masterclasses and brought an interesting insight to the room – with her experience of what it was like to sit in the buyer’s chair and be visited by a whole host of field sales team bods.

During the first day of my masterclasses, we work on making sure everyone attending has an effective sales mindset and then get to work on building a prospecting and business development game plan for everyone in the room – while explaining how you go from being a complete stranger in the eyes of your prospect - to a consultative industry expert, as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Then, when we get to day two – we cover the “in the room” sales skills.

Stuff like - how to ask questions that move people to buy, overcoming all genuine objections and closing the sale – and that's when Lottie made an incredibly relevant point.

She told us that - when she is sitting in her studio showroom, busy working and trying to look after her own customers – a whole host of field sales bods regularly appear and try to start friendly "sales conversations" – all of them attempting to build that "relationship” - the spark that will help them move things along and get down to that all important sale.

And Lottie said…

“Their approach doesn’t work – they’re just interrupting my day – I haven’t got time for them and I don’t want to talk to them – they’re just irritating!”

And she is absolutely right – it is irritating – and, more importantly - it doesn’t work.

Maybe you recognise one of these scenarios from your working day…

• Scenario 1: Your company expect you to make a certain number of calls in a geographical area. So you regularly go round the same "opportunities" and see if the work you put in on your last few visits (coupled with your pleasant demeanour and coffee call humour) has softened them up enough for you to finally come out with an order.
• Scenario 2: The internal team who book your appointments (or the marketing department) keep sending you to meetings that aren’t worthy of your time. Almost every prospect they send you to visit is either not ready to buy or is not really all that interested in what you have to offer. And when – after each call ends in disappointment - you point these facts out to your sales / marketing director - their response is always something like….

“We give you these opportunities on a plate – if you haven't got the sales skills to close the deals or bring these prospects on board as customers – we’ll just have to find someone who can!”

By the by - IMHO - this situation is made worse by all the snake oil sales trainers out there who show you how to bully someone into sitting a meeting with you. A process which sounds extremely thrusty, salesy and effective to your average “I need a quick fix to my dreadful sales results” salesperson.

But most bullied B2B people don’t end up buying.

They turn into no shows. cancel the meeting or sit through your presentation and politely tell you they’ll think about it (and then never take your calls ever again).

So, what can a genuinely decent, hardworking and conscientious 21st Century Field Sales Bod do?

Well, the reason these scenarios happen so often – and why Lottie felt so aggrieved at the unannounced visits from her local reps – is because no one ever shares with salespeople how prospecting and business development have changed over the last 15 years.

People are just regurgitating sales ideas in coaching sessions that died with the Sony Walkman.

The majority of the sales population have been trained, coached and pointed in the wrong direction for their entire careers – trudging through sales sludge trying desperately to do a good job – but rarely getting a break.

Which is why a win – any win – always feels so BIG.

The thing that should be shared with everyone who wants to be successful in sales (particularly when it comes down to converting new business) – is that you have got to know how to EARN THE RIGHT!

It’s 25% of the process – but it eventually racks up 75% of the reasons people decide to buy off you - or not.

Let me ask you this…

Late at night – when you’re walking home all alone in the dark - how does the thought of being surprised or stopped by a complete stranger in a secluded alley make you feel?

Is it something you actively seek out?

Course you don’t – it would be incredibly disconcerting - and downright SCARY!

You don’t like SCARY surprises – your prospects and customers don’t like scary surprises.

In the last 25 years the world has completely flipped 180 degrees onto a "I need to know what's going to happens next" mindset - these days, things that aren't planned for or take you by surprise - are rarely greeted with glee.

And on top of that - absolutely NOBODY likes to be SOLD AT!

EARNING THE RIGHT is something that I dive deeply into during all my Business Development Masterclasses, because salespeople who understand how to make it work for them, know that it’s the edge of the penny difference between success and failure in 21st Century Business to Business Sales.

It’s actually the first (and most important part) of one of my books - Selling with EASE.

E-A-S-E stand for: Earn the Right, Ask the Appropriate Questions; Solve the Problem and Execute the Solution.

And understanding “Earn the Right” is a complete game-changer.

It’s 25% of the process – but it eventually racks up 75% of the reasons people decide to buy off you - or not.

If you want to search for some help understanding "Earn the Right" - to boost your own prospecting success - just go and Google “Chris Murray Selling with EASE” - or subscribe to this newsletter – and you’ll find a whole host of videos and articles on the topic.

In fact, if you scroll to the bottom of this article, I've included a bonus vid for you just to explain Earn the Right in a little more detail.

Any hoo - the questions and scenarios that Lottie posed at that event enabled us all to work through her real-life examples – which in turn gave a number of other people in the room genuine lightbulb moments of their own – the whole process just fell into place and became so obvious to them.

So much so, those examples were still being talked about by 50% of the room when we’d officially wrapped up.?

That’s the beauty of being at an event with a small group – every masterclass is somehow different. It’s always bespoke – ‘cos the situations and examples that those who attend bring along on the day are always bespoke to them.

If you think you'd find it beneficial, why not join me at my next 2 Day Business Development Masterclasses - they’re taking place over the next couple of months – click on this link here, and check out the good things that people are saying about the content while choosing which UK city you’d like to come along to.

To your success

Chris

PS: Always nice to get a bit of positive feedback from a happy customer. ??

Here's what Emma Moore - Regional Sales Manager at PHS Group had to say about a recent masterclass

"I was extremely fortunate to have training with Chris on prospecting.

The day was amazing!

Chris is able to deliver in a way that helps you understand, have light bulb moments and genuinely make you feel invincible.

I highly recommend training with Chris, he is fantastic."

Thanks Emma - delighted you enjoyed it

Click on this link to read more customer reviews and check out when the next masterclass is taking place in a city near you ??

PPS: ? ? ? Here's the bonus vid I promised above ? ? ?