The Q and A Sales Podcast

On this episode, Paul highlights the ways to develop internal champions. Show Notes Internal champions will greatly influence the buyer process. "When you're trying to create internal champions, you first need to know who they are." How do internal champions define value? "You have to put yourself in their position." Internal champions deserve our respect. "You've got to be open; you've got to be...

Paul discusses the three waves of creating a value-added movement. Show Notes Whether you're a small company or large, change will happen in waves. There must be absolute buy-in at the highest level to become a value-added organization. Look to your top supporters—your indirect leaders. "When you're reaching out to these top supporters, it is critical that they understand why you are making this c...

On this episode, Paul discusses how we can partner with our customers, even in these tough times. Show Notes "Tough times are an opportune time to build partnerships with your customers." Is your solution still helping them achieve their goals? "Look for opportunities to…." Call on your team for support. "Every new relationship that you can help build, it helps build a stronger foundation with you...

Paul provides tips to turn a bad experience into customer loyalty. Show Notes If you've been in sales long enough, you're bound to tick off a customer. "These service failures are actually…." How can a customer become more loyal when we screw up? "Nothing frustrates customers more than working with a salesperson that…." Go on a deep-dive to figure out what happened. "They [customers] have to feel...

On this episode, Paul tackles why salespeople should not have discounting authority. Show Notes Don't talk yourself into a price objection! "When the buyer's asking you to make some concessions, you're the one that has the choice." Salespeople who discount lack confidence in their…. "The #1 reason why salespeople will discount is because they can." The sales manager should have ultimate pricing au...

Paul shares ideas on how to prime the buyer for your solution.  Show Notes "Persuasion doesn't have to be as hard as we make it." Don't wait for the presentation to start persuading the buyer. "Persuasion begins with that discovery sales call." "Before we go in and make our presentation, we want to conduct a …." You must clearly understand how your customer defines value. "Provide the customer wit...

In this episode, Paul gives you ten tips to help you sell virtually.  Show Notes "Selling is selling. The principles of persuasion are just the same whether it's in person, over the phone, or virtually." "Get to know your tools and equipment." Don't dress like a slob. "You want to stand out in a way that creates value for the customer." "Practice. Practice. Practice." Building familiarity is key....

Paul shares the three primary reasons buyers object on price and provides the "holy grail" of responses to those objections.  Show Notes It's critical to have a go-to response for price objections. "The very first words out of your mouth when the buyer objects on price have to be…." "You want to demonstrate fairness in your response." "Anytime you have a scarce resource like money, buyers will be...

In this episode, Paul shares four ideas to help you persuade buyers in tough times. Show Notes: It's not that the technique is drastically different; it's that the context you ask buyers to make decisions is different. Buyers define value differently in tough times.  You are not persuading the buyer to purchase your product; you are persuading them to take action. "A lot can happen between the tim...

Paul shares four ideas when going above or around your existing contacts. Show Notes: What is the greater risk, losing a sale, or losing a relationship? "Remember, your job is to sell, not just build relationships." "Try asking the buyer for forgiveness, and then asking for their permission." "If you have a strong relationship, then ask the buyer why they're hesitant to introduce you to the ultima...

In this episode, Paul shares five ideas to overcome price objections when the buyer apparently doesn't care about value. Show Notes: It's hard to care about value that you can't quantify. Price is concrete and tangible; your value should be tangible as well.  When the buyer focuses on price, minimize the difference. "You don't need to sell your full value, just sell the difference…" "You don't hav...

Paul shares three ideas to overcome price objections from procurement.  Show Notes: Identify the root cause of the objection by asking the customer to clarify. There is nothing wrong with asking the buyer why. Procurement managers are trained to ask for a discount until the seller says no. "To me, this sounds like an attitudinal based objection" This buyer feels like they are entitled to a discoun...

In this episode, Paul explains the different elements of a discovery sales call. Show Notes: It's a discovery call for a reason. You're exploring the customer's needs, wants, and concerns trying to discover something new.  "There are three things that get in the way of a good discovery call…" "Pitching your solution before discovering the buyer's needs. That's the equivalent of a doctor prescribin...

Paul explains how to balance your sales pipeline using the 1-2-4 ratio.  Show Notes: Salespeople struggle to maintain a steady inflow of opportunities. Their pipe has run dry due to a lack of activity. Other salespeople have a clogged pipeline filled with dead deals. Too often, salespeople leave opportunities in their pipeline because they don't want to admit they are dead.    The key to managing...

In this episode, Paul explains how positive environmental programming leads to goal achievement Show Notes: "Success does not have to be as has hard as we make it." Positive environmental programming (PEP) is proactively controlling your environment to achieve your goals successfully.  As Mary Poppins said, "Well begun is half done." Conduct a barrier analysis and identify what is getting in the w...

Paul explains why humility is important when selling in tough times. Show Notes: "Humility is one of the most misunderstood virtues in business." Humility is about taking the focus off of yourself. Humility is required to view the world from the eye of the customer.  It's easier to see the absence of humility than humility itself. Humility begets growth. We can't get better until we admit that we...

In this episode, Paul shares four common questions buyers think about when making a decision. Show Notes: Don't you wish you could read your buyer's mind? Selling is not only understanding your buyer's needs; selling is understanding how the buyer thinks. What's the short-term gain? Buyers are going to opt for a short-term gain over a long-term gain, even if the long-term gain is greater.  What am...

Paul shares three embarrassing failures and what he learned from them. Show Notes: Failure is a great teacher. The pain you feel motivates you to get better.  Always prepare. Let the sting you feel from failure motivate you to plan and prepare better. Product demonstrations should be flawless. Never let arrogance or complacency obscure your view of growth opportunities.  "If they need it and we se...

In this episode, Paul shares four ideas to sell the value of your company. Show Notes: "I'm selling the same product as everyone else." If you're just selling a product, you open the door to too much competition—you're selling a bundled package.  Your value-added is already baked into that solution. You cannot remove the value, just like you can't remove the ingredients once they're baked.  Conduc...

Paul shares seven tips to help you become a better listener. Show Notes: Have you ever met a salesperson who listened their way out of a sale? Listening is critical, and it begins with taking the focus off your self. It's not all about you. If you want to become a better listener, then give yourself opportunities to listen by asking better questions.  Put down the phone, shut down your laptop, and...

In this episode, Paul shares five common mistakes that salespeople make. Show Notes: Failing to plan and prepare is the most common mistake. Failing to plan is the height of arrogance or just pure laziness. Ninety-five percent of top-achievers plan every call.  Never accept a no from someone who cannot say yes . You must get in front of the right decision-maker. Following-up with a customer demons...

Paul shares three reasons why buyers focus on price.  Show Notes: Are buyers really the ones focusing on price? Our research shows that sellers make a bigger deal out of price than customers.  Salespeople shouldn't have pricing authority because they will agonize over what price to charge. "Customers focus on price because sellers train them to focus on price. Buyers know if they ask for a discoun...

In this episode, Paul explains the unique selling proposition. Show Notes: Why should the buyer pay a dollar more for your solution, if they don't see a dime's worth of difference?  Think of your industry and how many competitors sound and look the same. If your message blends in, how can you stand out? "Ross Revaes said that a unique selling proposition has to have these three things…" What is so...

Paul shares five reasons why you should never disclose discount percentages. Show Notes: The short answer to the question is… "without a shred of doubt, 100%, absolutely not." There is no conceivable reason to reveal a discounting percentage on a proposal.  There are five reasons why you should not reveal this information to the buyer. Showing a discount establishes an expectation of future discou...

In this episode, Paul shares his thoughts on cold-calling in this current environment.  Show Notes: Cold-calling still works; our research shows that 29 percent of top-achievers use cold-calling to engage prospects and customers.  To be clear, cold-calling is reaching out to a prospect unannounced via phone or face-to-face visit. But before you cold-call a prospect, use these techniques to warm-up...