December 2001 ISSUE
Ever Have A Mental Block?
By Ann Barr

Have you ever been in the middle of a sales call and suddenly had a mental block? Or you were making a sales presentation and couldn’t remember what you wanted to say next? If this has happened to you, you are not alone.

Why does it happen?
It has happened to nearly everyone. You are finally talking to that prospect you wanted to reach. And now that you have him on the telephone, you are at a loss for words. You begin your sales presentation and suddenly you have a mental block - you can’t think of what to say next. Why does this happen? For several reasons. Among them:

Reason #1. You are new at the job and haven’t had much experience, or -

Reason # 2. The customer called when you were in the middle of doing something

else. You weren’t prepared for the call. or -

Reason # 3. You call a customer and s/he asks you an unexpected question that takes

the conversation in a different direction. or-

Reason # 4. You have made the call without thinking about - and writing down - your

objectives for the call.

What to do about it

Reason # 1. If you are new at the job and haven’t had much experience, ask for help from your supervisor or manager. Don’t be afraid to ask – no one is born knowing how to say the right words to prospects and customers.

Reason # 2. If a customer calls when you are in the middle of doing something else, be honest and tell the customer you need a minute to look at his file. If this is a new prospect and you don’t have a file on this account, ask questions to find out what his/her needs are – and learn why s/he is calling you. Examples:

l "Thank you for calling today. How can I help you?" – or:

l "Thank you for calling. What prompted your call today?"

Let the customer do most of the talking, so you can find out as much as possible about what prompted his/her call and then you will learn how your products/services can help.

Reason # 3 – You call a prospect and s/he asks you a question that takes the conversation in another direction.

l To prepare for this situation, write down – before you call the prospect – your objectives for the call and the questions you intend to ask and the information you want to give the prospect. When your objectives and questions are written down in front of you, you can always refer to them if the conversation takes a turn in another direction.

Reason # 4. You have made the call without setting and writing down your objectives for the call.

l Ask yourself before you make the call: "What do I want to happen as a result of this call?" After you know what your objectives are, you will know which questions to ask. Make a list – in order of importance - of the information you need and the questions you will ask.

Statistics from research by a sales organization in Minneapolis show that 99 percent of sales people do not set the right objectives for sales calls. This amazing statistic comes from research conducted recently involving 16,000 customers and 300 sales people in over 25 different industries.

Objectives for the Call
Before you make each call, decide what you want to accomplish. Think about what you want to happen as a result of this call. Examples:

1. You would like further information that will help you to qualify the prospect. Information that will tell you whether or not your products/services can fill a need the prospect has.

l To accomplish this objective, write down – before you call the prospect – the questions you need to ask. If your questions are written down where you can see them during the call, you can refer to them if the conversation takes a turn in another direction.

Or -

2. You want the prospect to read the information you have sent to him/her.

l To accomplish this goal, ask questions that will get a commitment from the prospect. Example: "By when will you have looked at our catalog? – I’ll make a note to call you on that date." Or: "Let’s set a date for our next conversation. I can call you back on Thursday afternoon. Okay?"

Five Day Plan

For the next five days, try this: Plan for each call by writing down your objectives for the call and the questions you want to ask the prospect and the information (including benefits) you want to tell her/him about. Keep that in front of you when you make your call. This way, if you are interrupted, you can always refer back to your written objectives and questions. You can’t be thrown off and you won’t have a mental block. After you do this for five days, you will most likely see results that will cause you to want to continue the habit.

Ann Barr is a consultant and sales trainer who presents Sales seminars in the U.S. and Canada. ENX readers can get a complimentary e-mailed copy of her report: 64 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to Ann’s free e-mailed newsletter Weekly Sales Tips. E-mail your name to: annbarr@sellingsupplies.com with "Sales Tips" in the subject line, or visit Ann’s web site: www.sellingsupplies.com