Sunday, October 21st, 2007

3 Simple RATIOS to Fuel Skyrocketing Success in Closing Sales - Part 3

3 Simple RATIOS to Fuel Skyrocketing Success in Closing Sales - Part 3
By Larry Gassin

Last time we discussed how no matter what you do, what business you re in, what you re involved in pursuing, what relationship you re trying to build or impact, the old saying that “nothing happens until somebody sells something” is always true. There are 3 sets of foundational “R.A.T.I.O.S.” that are simple to learn, easy to apply, and will significantly improve your sales “closing” success rate. The most successful salespeople effectively employ all three sets of RATIOS. I call them Attitude RATIOS, Ability RATIOS and Action RATIOS. The great news is that anyone can learn them, get better at them, and remove the fear of selling while increasing the successful results of their selling experiences. In this article we ll complete this series and take a very simple and brief look at the third set - the Action R.A.T.I.O.S.

The “R” in this ratio stands for Relationship building. Top salespeople develop the skill of quickly establishing rapport. Key to success in this area is to develop keen listening skills and excellent questioning skills. Don t ask rhetorical questions or ones for which the prospect will look at you and think, “DUH!” There s a simple process that unfolds when you develop the excellent listening and questioning skills of rapport building: better questions –> better answers–> better insights –> better response –> better relationships. This lets you engage the Attitude R.A.T.I.O.S. of trustworthiness and inviting your prospect to share openly with you, as well as the Ability R.A.T.I.O.S. of being able to see things as they really are. An acronym you can use when establishing rapport is F.O.R.M. These stand for areas of inquiry to identify common interests or backgrounds that you can have the prospect tell you about: Family, Occupation, Recreational interests, and Me (the prospect). When done with the attitudes previously discussed of openness, being straightforward and service, rapport is facilitated in a natural way.

The “A” in this action ratio stands for Authenticity. You must be genuine in the place you re coming from - in the ATTITUDE R.A.T.I.O.S. It is paramount that you have an authentic belief in what you re providing and your desire to help solve your customer s problems. You may have heard an expression something like, “when you can fake authenticity” you ve got it made.” The truth is that authenticity doesn t wear a mask and bears no facades - that wouldn t be authentic. Lack of authenticity has a poor “poker face” and is “sensed” well before it s clearly discovered.

The “T” in this ratio stands for the action of Transformation. Your business will never grow faster than you do. Success seeks the professional who transforms themself from a salesman making a commission from customers into a solutionist making a commitment to helping their customers. Additional transformations should take the meeting from being a “sales call” to a brainstorming meeting to help a new friend. A higher level transformation includes a new paradigm for looking at your relationship with your prospects in which you move from an adversarial role - where you re opponents - to an advocate role - where you can authentically “testify” on both sides of an issue so the customer can judge for himself.

The “I” in this ratio stands for the action of acquiring Insight. Gain it and then use it! Prepare by learning about your prospective customers, their business, product lines, industry, competitors, unique offerings, etc. How would you feel about someone who learned all about your company and business before calling on you? Draw upon this knowledge, your training, education, experience and intuition to gain insights that will assist you in your Attitude R.A.T.I.O.S. and Ability R.A.T.I.O.S. Then, fine tune those insights during your sales call process and watch the results.

The “O” in this ratio stands for the actions related to what s “Obvious.” The “obvious” should be acknowledged and shared - including whether it s a good solution or not. This lends further credibility to your trustworthiness. Make it obvious (if it s true) that you d enjoy doing business and establishing a long-term relationship as you can envision helping provide a variety of solutions to the customer that he can choose from (remember, they want to buy, NOT be sold.)

The “S” stands for the action of “Sealing the Deal.” Commit to the close and the closing process. Assuming you have a good solution take a whole new look at the concepts of pointing out “pains” and “gains.” If your prospect is having business P.A.I.N.S. you have an opportunity because Problems Always Indicate Needs for Solutions. Your job is to point out the G.A.I.N.S. to be obtained from your products or services as you Guide Acceptance of Identified New Solutions.

Based upon mastery of the Attitude R.A.T.I.O.S., development of the Ability R.A.T.I.O.S. and deployment of the Action R.A.T.I.O.S. you ll very naturally and neutrally present the case and the customer can matter-of-factly make a decision to establish a relationship with you and to buy!

You ll discover that your closing ratios, customer retention ratios, referral ratios, satisfaction and success ratios all skyrocket you to new levels, and you will be an extraordinary salesperson!

Again, a final reminder that each of these attitudes, abilities and actions can be learned, practiced and continually improved. Just like professional athletes who are continually coached on and tirelessly practice the fundamental abilities of stance, grip, position, swing, shot, balance, follow-through, etc., top salespeople never stop working on these foundational skills because when they “own” them, they become tools of the trade that are always with them and always ready to serve the needs of the customer and the salesperson. Just like professional athletes, this gives top salespeople the winner s edge! Until next time, keep winning!

Larry Gassin, CPA, is Co-founder and CEO of Advanced Coaching Solutions and is an author and speaker
with over 20 years of experience as a professional business, executive and leadership coach. His passion is pointing people to the power of their potential and helping them achieve it.

He has led his own consulting, tax and accounting firm where he successfully competed against Big 4 and large regional and local firms for new clients - including a high-tech subsidiary of DuPont Corporation - winning the clients business. He s gained in-depth entrepreneurial experience as the President and CEO of an energy systems technologies company he founded that has done business with customers across the nation.

He states, “Hope is great. But hoping that things might change directions on their own isn t the best way to lead your life and build your business. It is unpredictable, unfulfilling, and unreliable.” To contact Larry, or for more info, visit: http://www.advancedcoachingsolutions.com or http://www.larrygassin.com For his Winner s Edge Newsletter, email: winners_edge@aweber.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Gassin
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3 Simple RATIOS to Fuel Skyrocketing Success in Closing Sales - Part 3

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