Intelligent Selling

When Steven Brown talks about selling skills, Fortune 500 companies listen. Sales managers from Eastman, Kodak, Lanier, Monsanto, General Electric Corporation, and Mutual Of New York have all given him rave reviews after he trained their sales staffs. His video sales courses are the hottest tapes in sales offices and training centers across the nation. His live presentations are smooth and peppered with memorable sales stories from his vast experience on the road.

Steve Brown is the kind of person you could listen to for hours. He had many mentors who helped him grow, yet his own talents far exceed those whose footprints he followed. Today Steve Brown is the president and founder of The Fortune Group, and international training and personal development company based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Steve has won many sales awards and set many records. He recently published his first management book titled 13 Fatal Errors Managers Make…And How You Can Avoid Them. In this exclusive interview, which took place during the national Speakers Association Convention in Washington, D.C., Steve Brown shares his best secrets for winning in selling.

PSP: Is there a single best opening on a sales call?

Steve Brown: I don’t think so. I think there is an injustice done to sales people in training programs that try to teach a single best approach to the prospect or the call. There is no “right” way simply because people can’t and don’t want to be cloned. No two people sell exactly alike.

PSP: Well, say you’re a salesman calling on a new prospect. You see he’s very busy and perhaps he even looks a little grim. You have five minutes. What would your opening be?

Steve Brown: I’d get down to business immediately. As an example, I’d say, “Mr. Jones we have an idea for you that…” I’d make a benefit statement because I can see he’s busy. Then I might talk with him about his business for awhile. Knowing that I only had five minutes I’d say, “I’d like to speak with you for five minutes about an idea that can increase productivity for you…unless, of course, you have questions.” Then I’d take my watch off and put it down. If he never asked a question, I’d be done in five minutes. But, understand, if he says one word, he’s inviting me to stay longer.

PSP: What’s the best way to prepare yourself for a situation like that?

Steve Brown: Know all you can about your prospect before you ever walk in that door. What we’re talking about is the process of developing rapport. You have to establish some common ground with the prospect. The more you know about him before you go in, the more chances you have of doing that.

PSP: Do you recommend telling your prospect about your preparation for the meeting?

Steve Brown: I think it’s a good idea to put yourself on the line by telling the prospect, “I’m here because I want your business and it’s important to me and you’re important to me.” But you know what a lot of salespeople do instead? They’ll call someone and say, “I was in the neighborhood so I thought I’d stop by.” Now they probably drove forty-five minutes to get there, but they’ll say they were in the neighborhood just in case the person says, “I’m too busy to see you.” Then the salesperson can say, “Well, it’s no big deal.” That’s an ego saving device.

PSP: What should they say instead:

Steve Brown: It would be more effective to say, “I got down on my hands and knees and crawled through the snow to get here because you and your business are that important to me.”

PSP: Why don’t salespeople do that?

Steve Brown: Very successful ones who really go after the business do, but others are afraid. They perceive their presence as an intrusion on the customer. Many people call this call reluctance but I think it’s really that they don’t want to be impolite or to intrude. They’re afraid the prospect won’t receive them well. And in many cases it’s also a matter of lack of selling skills – a lack of technique.

PSP: How do you suggest they overcome that?

Steve Brown: Intelligent people only expend energy when they expect results. If a salesperson calls on a customer who then refuses to see him, and the salesperson says, “Oh, it’s no big deal, I was in the neighborhood anyway,” the salesperson didn’t really expect any results from the beginning. That call was doomed.

PSP: You’re talking about the power of expectation. Isn’t that a result of a positive self-image?

Steve Brown: Yes, it is. The cornerstone of morale in our society is beauty and performance. We’ve all been taught that we’re valuable as human beings to the extent that we look good and perform well. Now, any time we don’t look good or perform well, we actually allow others to devalue us as human beings.

PSP: What would you do to grow beyond that?

Steve Brown: Salespeople have to make a conscious decision that there’s only one person who can determine their value – themselves. They have to have the knowledge within themselves that anything worth doing – even if it’s done poorly for a while – is going to be of benefit in the long run. If they are rejected or disapproved of, it mustn’t affect their feeling of self-worth.

PSP: It sounds like what you’re saying is they can make a conscious decision that they are valuable, lovable, complete human beings who are entitled to see a customer. They are transferring their feeling of value to the customer.

Steve Brown: Yes, I am. But the salespeople who view the prospect as a means to an end – who don’t really believe in what they are selling – who don’t really believe in what they are selling – who see the prospect as someone to help them make money – these salespeople can get into trouble. If the salesperson deep down really believes in what he or she is selling, then all they need to do is forget about themselves. Then all they need is skills. The rest will work automatically for them.

PSP: Let’s talk about the next phase of selling – the actual presentation. Most salespeople follow a structured presentation. At the same time they need to be flexible and adapt to each individual prospect. How do you balance structure and flexibility in a call?

Steve Brown: I think the salesperson has to build the structure of the presentation around the personality and thinking of the prospect. We teach the salesperson a number of different approaches to accomplish each purpose of the sales call. The salesperson then adapts those to the situation. The customer will tell you which strategy to use based on his behavior. His body language, movement, office – these are all good clues about who he is and what he will respond to. You decide, through observation, whether this is someone you have to get down to business with right away, or a person with whom you just have to relax.

PSP: How do you simultaneously build rapport while you decide on a strategy?

Steve Brown: You imitate the customer. You become what he or she is. It’s like being a chameleon – you change color to match what’s around you, and then, by a process of adaptation, fit in so the customer and you will be talking the same language.

PSP: Can sales training teach a chameleon’s adaptability?

Steve Brown: I think what good sales training teaches is versatility. It teaches the ability to communicate with all types of people. Good training doesn’t teach someone to go out with a memorized presentation that you just repeat over and over. With new skills, there is always a certain regression period when the training is new and unfamiliar. But, with time and use, good training becomes the base of a strong selling approach.

PSP: What strategies do you recommend for identifying a prospect’s dominant buying motive?

Steve Brown: Anytime we talk about selling, we’re saying, “listen.” That means listen with more than just your ears. Listen with your eyes, also. First understand that no one buys your product. They buy only what the product will do. But even more important, they buy what it will do for them. A purchasing agent buys bolts for three reasons-three buying motives. One, what they will do; two, what they will do for the company in a particular job; three, what they will do for him – for his prestige, or his budget, or how they will make him look to his boss. Try to think in terms of why they buy. People buy personal values.

PSP: How can you know what a prospect’s personal values are?

Steve Brown: You can probe for information. For instance, if you ask a prospect, “How long have you been in this job?” and he answers “I’ve been in this situation for a year and a half,” then you ask, “What exciting about it?” If the answer is, “it’s a good career path in the company,” then you know that this person is interested in moving up – he’s ambitious. Now if you with your product can make a hero out of him where he is, then you’ll be selling to his dominant buying motive.

PSP: What is the most important quality in a salesperson?

Steve Brown: To me, it’s the ability to get someone else to talk. The best salespeople, contrary to the popular notion, are really quiet types who can draw other people out. Salespeople need to understand that when they’re in the prospect’s office making a presentation, they shouldn’t be in the spotlight. The prospect and his needs are supposed to be center stage.

PSP: Is that a problem for some salespeople?

Steve Brown: It shouldn’t be. Do you realize that the salesperson doesn’t have to make any decision once he’s in that prospect’s office? He’s already made his decision – he’s made the call and he’s presenting his product or service. The prospect’s the one with the decisions to make and the problems to solve. The salesperson’s job is to help. The salesperson can’t control the prospect, but he can have command of the presentation.

PSP: What’s the key to being in command?

Steve Brown: I sometimes say that we sophisticate ourselves out of business. We make it too difficult. There are two things required to sell. One is to understand that selling is nothing more than a transference of belief. If you really believe in what you are selling, if the prospect will share in it too – he will buy. The second is to communicate your belief so that the prospect will share in it. First you start to transfer your own belief. I believe that people will develop the skills to do the things in which they truly believe.

PSP: So you say that a salesperson has to resist the urge to grab the money and run. He has to instead hold out for the long-term gain of establishing a relationship that will last.

Steve Brown: That’s right. I don’t think the salesperson should be thinking about his money being in the prospect’s pocket. He should be thinking about how he can help put money in the prospect’s pocket. In that way, he will automatically get his share.

PSP: What are some of the most overlooked buying signals?

Steve Brown: One would be relaxation on the buyer’s part – or sudden increased friendliness. Any change of demeanor that signals that the buyer’s defenses are down. This means that he trust you, has now allowed you to become his counselor. Watch the hands of the prospect for open-palmed gestures.

PSP: What is your best strategy for dealing with objections or obstacles?

Steve Brown: First, salespeople should probe. We teach a specific probing technique. Ask, “Apparently you have some reason for feeling that way. May I ask what it is?” I use the word “feeling” because it may be nothing more than that. Besides that, if I decide I want to change it later in the interview, it’s easier to change feelings than say, reasons, because feelings change all day anyway.

PSP: What’s the second step?

Steve Brown: I say, “If you weren’t concerned about that…then would you take action?” People will then say one of two things. Either it’s a definite objection that’s blocking their decision and they’ll tell you what it is, or it’s a buying condition and they’ll tell you that.

PSP: So this is a way to isolate the objection or the condition.

Steve Brown: Right. First you isolate it, then you answer it.

PSP: How can salespeople build on their strengths?

Steve Brown: One thing that we tend to overlook is that when we get under pressure, we may overutilize our strengths. Any strength carried to an extreme becomes a weakness. To a prospect who says, “Your price is too high,” a guy who’s very assertive may say, “Which means?” This is too harsh – too aggressive. You can tone down your very assertive tones and step up the tone of a less assertive person. It all depends on what’s useful in a given situation.

PSP: Let’s take a few obstacles. Can you tell us how you would handle them? First, how do you handle procrastination?

Steve Brown: In answer to that let me tell you a story. I was in New Your forming classes with Wall Street companies quiet a few years back. At the end of one meeting a fellow asked, “When do I have to make a decision? How would you handle that?” Now this particular meeting was really going well, and when he wanted my strategy for dealing with that, I couldn’t help it, I just laughed out loud. Then I said, “Look, I gave you a couple of good ideas this week. You’re going to have to pay to find out how to handle that.” Everybody bought. It taught me a great lesson. Rather than react as if that question were an objection, they wanted me to have a good time. From then on, I tried my best to have a good time and it has always worked great. It’s really salespeople who keep prospects from buying.

PSP: Sometimes salespeople feel they’re taken advantage of by the prospect who wants extensive quotes and paper work to get a better bid form some other company. How do you handle that?

Steve Brown: If it’s really happening, and you can feel it, deal with it. Ask the prospect what the purpose of all this paper work is. Find out. In other cases though, the salesperson submits all kinds of paper work that has never been requested just to try to keep a dying lead alive. That’s the salesperson’s fault.

PSP: What’s a good strategy for dealing with the competition when they’re the industry leader?

Steve Brown: Sell your assets. See where you are better than they are, and then sell that. Some people know more about their competitor than they do about themselves. They actually end up selling the other guy’s product. A little bit of knowledge about your own product is a dangerous thing.

PSP: How do you deal with the prospect who has a lot of interruptions going on while you’re making a presentation?

Steve Brown: I suggest that you smile, start to stand up, and say, “Would you like me to excuse myself while you take care of that?” If that doesn’t do the trick, then I suggest you look the customer right in the eye and say, “Look, I know how busy you are and I’m extremely busy myself. You can’t afford to waste your time, and I can’t afford to waste my time. If this is a bad time, let me reschedule so that we can both spend our time productively.” And make sure that you really mean it without putting him down.

PSP: Suppose a competitor really bad mouthed your product and lied to one of your prospects?

Steve Brown: Don’t get angry but simply say, “Mr. Jones, that is not true.” If you don’t deny it, the prospect will lose respect for you and your company.

PSP: How do you deal with a lost sale that you worked very hard to get? What’s your self-recovery technique?

Steve Brown: Analyze the process and not yourself. Once you find the hold in the process – where the prospect just couldn’t justify the purchase – you have learned something. You can move on. Salespeople get into trouble when they say, “What’s wrong with me?”

PSP: What’s your measure of success?

Steve Brown: Personally it’s having done something constructive during the course of the day. I’m financially ambitious but that’s not a measure of success for me. Anybody who measures success in terms of money alone is going to be very disappointed if they ever make any. I would rather leave my tracks in the sand by doing something constructive, by making a contribution.

PSP: You seem to be saying that to you making a contribution means helping people to improve their lives in some way.

Steve Brown: I think that’s true. I’ll tell you a sad story about something that happened when I was about twenty-four years old. I had just gotten into training and was out making calls. I pulled up to a curb and parked my car outside an optometrist’s store and jumped out of the car because I was late for an appointment. A girl I had known from school ran out of the shop and said. “Hi Steve, how are you?” She was excited to see me and she said, “Can we visit for awhile?” Since I was late I said, “Not right now, I’m late for an appointment. I’ll stop back later and we’ll have a cup of coffee.” She said, “Great.” Well, I finished my call and forgot about it. She killed herself that night. I still wonder what would have happened if I had taken the time to talk to her that day.

PSP: Thank you.

Selling to the Decision Maker

The following scenario, narrated by Steve Brown, is well-known to any professional salesperson:

“You call on Robert Farley, president of Industrial Packaging Systems. Your product – the raw materials that make up the finished package. You know Farley is the ultimate link in the decision making chain. He tells you. ‘I have a purchasing manager who looks at products. See him.’ You know from experience that whenever you go to a purchasing manager or a sales manager, they waltz you around for three or four visits until they bring you to see the president, in this case Farley, who makes the decision to buy. Your problem is how to get around that.

“The first thing to do is say to Farley, ‘I’d be glad to see the purchasing agent, or anyone else at your direction. May I ask, can he make a financial decision in this matter?’ If his answer is ‘no’ then you say, ‘Well, then what is my purpose in seeing him?’ Now if he answers, ‘ I want you to explain the product to him so that he can explain it to me and then we’ll act on his recommendation.’ Then you say,’ After I see him, what procedure should I follow for the two of us to get back together with you?’ At this point if he says,’ He’ll report to me.’, look the guy right in the eye and say, ‘Mr. Farley, I’m a salesman who has spent a lot of time learning to explain my product thoroughly. It would be impossible for me to impart all of the necessary information and answers to your questions through a middleman. What I’d like very much to do is to see your purchasing agent and then the two of us can get back to you. That way I can be on hand to answer all of your questions.’

“The only other possibility is that Farley will say that the purchasing manager has the authority and the budget to make the purchase. In that case, tell the purchasing manager, ‘Mr. Farley instructed me to see you and asked me to tell you that you have the authority to make this purchase.’ That way they can’t play you off against the other.”