Dramatically Increase Sales With The KISS Test

We've all heard the term KISS at one time or another - "Keep It Simple, Stupid." However, the majority of salespeople violate this basic principle more often than not.

Let me start with some examples of what I'm talking about. At one position I held, I sat next to someone who could have been a top salesperson. He and I both operated much the same in that rather than cold call, we ran our own personal marketing programs to generate leads and simply took the calls that came in as a result. The problem is what he did with the calls. When someone called me, ready to buy, I immediately went into closing the deal and making arrangements to either come out with the paperwork or to fax it over. He, on the other hand, went into a full-length company story and a lot of other information that he absolutely should not tell a qualified prospect unless they ask for it. The end result is that people who called ready to sign up for one of our services lost interest and didn't buy anything at all.

Another example is what happens every time I try to make a business purchase. Here I am, saying "Yes, I'm going to buy," and the sales rep lauches into a company story about how long they've been in business, who their big clients are, and on and on. Lucky for these salespeople, the product usually sells itself and I still buy. However, I'm willing to bet that a lot of people don't. Nothing is more frustrating than picking up the phone saying, "Hi, here I am ready to buy," and having some rep go into a story bragging about how great the company is and all that they can do. That comes off as pure arrogance to a business owner. What's more, talking about your big enterprise clients alienates most small business owners. They assume their needs will be placed second to those of the big dogs and that they'll be treated as just a number when calling for service.

I think most training is at the root of this massive problem. Every course I've taken has gone through the steps of a sale. The problem is, what if all the steps don't take place? Consider "objection handling." When I was working for that company I mentioned earlier, many of my prospects had no objections because my marketing pieces took care of them in advance. By assuming that each of these steps are going to take place, a lot of salespeople will cause something to happen when it really shouldn't have to begin with. If a prospect doesn't come up with any major objections, don't give them a reason to!

I've seen a lot of managers require their reps to fill out a "lead sheet" that documents each step of the sale. This assumes that each of the steps will happen when they may not. If you're required to maintain these types of records, skip anything that doesn't happen naturally. Don't induce a prospect to enter a selling phase that may not only be unnecessary, but may cause you to lose the sale entirely.

Use the KISS test when you're selling. Always ask yourself if what you're doing is actually necessary. Believe me, you'll save yourself a lot of wasted time and lost sales by doing so. I did.

Frank Rumbauskas is the author of Cold Calling Is a Waste of Time: Sales Success in the Information Age. He is the founder of FJR Advisors LLC, which publishes training materials on generating business without cold calling. For more information, please visit http://www.nevercoldcall.com

---

Your Sales Process Isnt

A lot of energy is expended within selling organizations as... Read More

Evaluating Your Customer

It is one thing to make a sales presentation, but... Read More

Training for Trade Shows - 5 FAQs

Trade shows are so obvious. You go. You hand out... Read More

Instant Rapport: The Key to Sales Success

Did you ever meet someone with whom you just clicked?... Read More

How To Achieve Excellence In Sales

Most people are always striving to better themselves. It's the... Read More

The First Step to Stress-Free Selling (TM)

Step 1: Get Ready - Create a foundation you can... Read More

3 Basic Secrets That Will Explode Your Sales This Year

In this article, I would like to talk about the... Read More

You Dont Love Your Kids if You Dont . . .

"You don't love your kids if you don't buy my... Read More

How To Attract Buyers Using The Right Sales Terminology

It is always important that you use the right terms... Read More

Dont Close Your Eyes Or Let Deaf Ears Fall Upon You

To listen to your customer is important, and to hear... Read More

How to Sell to the Devils Advocate

There is a car commercial running were a husband is... Read More

Start Your Sales Engine!

Does your business run on a sales engine or a... Read More

A Stupid Question

This is a stupid question but it has to be... Read More

Visual Science of Selling

Statistics state that 55% of people judgments are made based... Read More

Sell Yourself - Sell Anything!

Each of us sells every single day. We are all... Read More

Increase Your Sales Without Spending Another Cent

Many home business owners lament they don't have enough cash... Read More

Reaching Goals in Direct Sales

From surveys and experience, we've noticed many setting excellent goals... Read More

Spend More Time Selling

On average a sales person spends less than two hours... Read More

8 Must Questions to Ask in Every Sales Situation

Solving people's and organization's problems is ultimately what business is... Read More

How Can A Smelly, Hissing Goose Teach You To Be A Business Leader?

In the 1990's we lived on a farm in Iowa.... Read More

Customers For Life

Who's talking to your customers? Is it your competition? Why... Read More

Sell Yourself, As Well As Your Product

When selling a product to a consumer, one of the... Read More

3 Ways To Overcome Pricing Challenges

How many times have you had a customer say to... Read More

Why ALL Sales Decisions Are Based On Emotion - Heres The Proof!

Have you ever gone into a newsagent, picked up a... Read More

The 7 Deaths of a Salesman

In sales, you can work one of two ways. You... Read More

The Road to Achieving Training Success: What Holds the Key?

As a trainer, you will be able to see a... Read More

Quit Talking and Listen! Give Clients and Prospects Your Undivided Attention

I have found that the best sales people are the... Read More

Mortgage Leads Are Like a Box of Chocolates

Mortgage leads are like a box of chocolates, you never... Read More

10 Expressions to Avoid in Sales Communication

Keeping up with what words are in and out isn't... Read More

Grow Sales Using Image Tactics

In my dreams, I envision being the marketing consultant equivalent... Read More

Failed Salespeople Share Similar Traits

We are each responsible for our own success - or... Read More

Woo the Buyers Limbic Mind or All Your Sales Efforts are Wasted

If you've driven yourself crazy trying to figure out why... Read More

Six Simple Steps to Increase Sales and Decrease Stress

Have you ever found a lead on a scrap of... Read More