Mark Bernardth at prospects won’t call unless they’re in dire need. For example, they
may call if a particular product has broken down and they need your
service in a hurry.
Instead, say, “I look forward to your call, but Ted, if I don’t hear
fr om you by this coming Thursday [or if I don’t hear from you by the
end of the week], I will give you a call Friday afternoon or Monday
morning. What works better for you?” You’ve just created a next step,
ev en though the prospect said, “I will call you.” People g et busy and
you’re not on their high priority list. But if y ou don’t hear from them
on a specific date, you’d better be calling when you said you would,
because that is building trust. Trust is so imperative to the sales
process.WRIGHT^
So you are not o nly a sales trainer, you are also a sales coach. What
are the three main obstacles you have most commonly found your
coaching clients are trying to overcome?
BERNARD
Traditionally, I would have said y ears ago that they are: o bjections,
cold-calling, and negotiations. The number one reason why people don’t
go into sales is because they can’t handle those three tasks. I’m going
to give you a fo urth one—not planning. If you are working out of your
vehicle, you organize your vehicle so you can have a good working
station. Whether you are making calls fr om your vehicle, working from
home, or working in an office, you must plan your mental environment
as well as your physical environment.
Regarding a proper script, people have fought with me and argued
saying, they don’t believe in scripts—they have a conversation. They
just wing it. These are the types of people who are somewhat hit and
miss, and they wonder why they are so frustrated and sometimes move
into desperation. They’re closing sales one week and then all of a
sudden the next week they’re not. The reason is they don’t have a sales
system. They don’t have a script in front of them, and they have not