Anytime a prospect comes into your store or invites you to their store or office to discuss your product or service, they have an interest. And they have an interest for a reason. If they currently don’t have your product or service, then there is something about living without it that is causing them pain or they are imagining the pleasure that will be theirs if they buy. Perhaps they already own a variation of your product or service, then they are most likely not completely satisfied with what they have and it is your job to find out why.

Here is a real-life example of using this principle. I have a client who sells computer systems. She was invited to a prospect’s office to discuss upgrading their current equipment. When she walked in it was obvious that the equipment was old and outdated. But rather than immediately launch into how much more efficient a new system would make the office, she asked questions instead and found the real issue. Actually, as far as the owner of the business was concerned, he had no problem with the efficiency of his current system. It actually did all he wanted it to do. His employees were happy with it as well. That is except for one.

It seems that the owner’s wife came in two days a week to help out. She had been doing so for several years with no problems. However, she recently began taking some computer classes in the evening to help her to help him. In doing so, she had been exposed to better equipment and now knowing what she was missing had become frustrated with the outdated equipment in the office. And she was letting him know about it. Now, my client knew what to address. She knew that the owner himself was happy with the system he currently had. She didn’t have to “sell him” on the fact that the equipment that she provided “would increase efficiency by 27% and save the company $20,000 this year.” No, all she had to do was show him how it would make his wife happy!

By taking the time to ask the right questions rather than assuming, she made the sale and made it quickly. She found his pain…the pain of his wife constantly insisting that he needed to upgrade. And she showed him how she could alleviate that pain. No efficiency figures, no cost-benefit ratios, no latest and greatest software, and hardware demonstrations. Simply, “Your wife will be very happy with this system, and therefore so will you!”

So simple, yet so rarely used. We have so much knowledge of why our product is the best that we can’t wait to share all of it with our prospects. The truth is, most of them don’t care. They only care about what we are going to do for them. Help them find pleasure or help them avoid pain. And in this case, the prospect was looking for someone to take away his pain. And taking away his pain was as simple as making his wife happy. Case closed. Sale made.

Are you interested in selling Verizon Wireless services? Call us at (855) SELL-VZW or fill out the form below.  We look forward to talking to you soon!

The post Sales Tip – Find the Pleasure or Find the Pain appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

“What? Ask me questions? You mean in the middle of a conversation with my customer?” No, no, nothing that drastic. Not that drastic, but certainly incredibly effective.

You have to ask yourself what your purpose is. Certainly, your purpose is to make money…to make money for yourself and also for your company. But for the most successful sales pros, I have ever met or have ever personally encountered as a customer, it’s about more than that. It has to be. Think about this. The last time you had an encounter with a customer who gave you the impression that his/her #1 goal was simply to make a sale and book the profits, what was your reaction? If you are like me, you ran like the wind and didn’t look back.

So, given that making money is a noble pursuit and one that you should definitely be focused on in your sales career, how do you avoid situations such as this? Well, the truth is, even though making money can be your #2, #3, or any other goal, the most successful sales pros are the ones that truly care about their customer and meeting their needs and their wants. Your goal should always be that your customer leaves your encounter better off than they were before it occurred. And by the way, if you are selling a product or service that you cannot legitimately feel good about, you need to start your search for another product or service today.

Before every customer encounter, you should ask yourself this question and be perfectly clear so that you can relate it orally and through your attitude and actions. Otherwise, customers, who are generally skeptical without any help, will become even more so and your chances for improving both your lives drop to near nil.

Your customer will see the difference. Your results will see the difference. Ironically, by focusing less on your goal of making more money, you’ll actually make more money. You’ll sell more and you’ll have more happy customers who are more likely to offer up referrals when you ask. Besides, you’ll sleep better at night knowing that both you and your customer are better for your transaction.

Are you interested in selling Verizon Wireless services? Call us at (855) SELL-VZW or fill out the form below.  We look forward to talking to you soon!

The post Sales Success Tip – You MUST Know the Answer to This Question appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

1. A superior solution

You may have a superior solution over your competitors, but it is no guarantee that you will win the business. The key is to highlight the value your solution will create for your client.

This is done by focusing on the benefits your client will enjoy with your solution, rather than the features. Unless your client has a clear perception of how your solution’s features will translate into benefits for them, you run the risk of your superior solution being weakened.

Specifically, you should carry out the following:

• Draft a proposition that identifies the value your solution will create and use this to open up discussion with decision-makers.
• Obtain the support of the decision-makers whose personal interests are most closely aligned with the value you will create.
• Identify the decision-makers who may be left behind or suffer personal loss from your solution. Give them a win where you can.
• With a strong solution, you are likely to be delivering value at a number of points. List these points and assist your client to use them as a checklist to evaluate other contenders.

2. A price/cost advantage

Once again, just because you have a strong price/cost advantage, you shouldn’t expect to automatically win the business. There are other important factors that must be addressed to support your price advantage. These include:

• Identify the decision-makers who are most concerned with cost and build their support.
• Identify what your price/cost advantage makes possible for your decision-makers and sell that future to them i.e. spending less with you may free up money to do something else. If you have the price/cost advantage, those other things may only be possible with your solution. Therefore, they become elements of your value proposition. Highlight and sell that fact.

3. You were the first to open dialogue

In some industries being the first to open up the dialogue can bring great rewards. Most significant is that you have time to plan your business development strategy while your competitors are playing catch up.

To further enhance your chances, consider the following actions:

• Offer to write the tender (if there needs to be one). This is a great opportunity as you can tailor the tender to include the areas where you know you will deliver value. Some caution is required for this method, however, as some industries may view this as unethical. In government tendering, for example, you would almost certainly be disqualified for doing this and it would compromise your supporter’s reputation. So maintain caution and remain ethical at all times.
• Acknowledge that even though you proactively opened up the discussion, your client will probably have to explore other alternatives. Facilitate this evaluation and stay as close as your client will allow. It will happen with or without you so your strategy is to preserve your front-runner status.
• Anticipate what advantages your competitors will have and prepare appropriate responses.
• If your front-runner status gives you a time advantage, use it to paint a picture of life with your solution for your client and sell that future to them.

4. Strong credibility

Credibility comes from a number of sources:

1. Personal credibility – you may hold special qualifications that make you an expert in your field or maybe you have a history of always delivering on your promises.
2. Corporate credibility – your company may be renowned for its products or services.
3. Past Performance – credibility may come from strong past service or product performance with this particular client.

Depending on the source of your credibility, you can perform the following actions:

• Research past performance and draw out relevant case studies.
• Identify beneficiaries of your past performance to uncover a broader range of supporters.
• Seek testimonials from your supporter base.
• In your discussions with decision-makers, get them talking about the outcomes of your strong past performance and the value you created. Words that come out of their mouths will be much more convincing than words coming out of your mouth.

5. A deep understanding of the decisions maker’s motivations

It is important to consider both personal and business motivations for making a decision. Analyze the personal impacts on all the decision-makers, rather than focusing solely on the business aspects of your proposal.

• Identify who will win personally if your solution is chosen and sell that benefit.
• Identify which decision-makers may face a personal loss if your solution is chosen i.e. could their position be in jeopardy? If this situation exists, see if you can make an accommodation for their future e.g. taking them into your business. Whatever your plan, make sure you identify these risks and deal with them effectively.

While coming from a position of strength gives you a huge head start, closing the deal requires you to identify and maximize your strengths throughout the sales process.

Are you interested in selling Verizon Wireless services? Call us at (855) SELL-VZW or fill out the form below.  We look forward to talking to you soon!

[ccf_form id=”948″]

The post How to Use Five Core Strengths to Win Business appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

STEP #1: SELL TO YOUR MARKET

The first, and perhaps most important, the key to improving your sales ability is to know your target group – whom you want to sell to. A well-crafted sales pitch keeps the target market constantly in mind, carefully tailoring expressions and words to appeal to that group. If your target group is young children, for example, your pitch should be geared towards selling to that group – with simple language, bright and colorful marketing, and vivid imagery. When selling to a business, however, clearly outlining what you have to offer, and displaying strong facts or statistics packs more punch than a colorful description.

STEP #2: LISTEN TO YOUR MARKET

Being open to feedback and experimenting with wording can bring a mediocre sales pitch to a powerful level. Many salespeople will simply talk over the customer in hopes to overwhelm them into a purchase, but being more open and attentive will give you an instant advantage. Listening to your customer also puts you on their side, and makes them feel that you sympathize with them – no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. When you listen to your customers, you will better know how to make them listen to you, and how to hone your sales skills to match your market.

STEP #3: KNOW YOUR PRODUCT

Whether you’re selling real estate or Barbie dolls, it is essential to truly know what you are selling. Knowledge of your product gives you an immense advantage over a salesperson that is simply “giving their pitch.” Being connected with your product also allows you to be even more connected with your customer, allowing you to answer questions and converse with ease.

STEP #4: SET GOALS

More than almost any other career, success in sales is dependent on YOU – your attitude, your effort, your ability, and your motivation. Setting goals for yourself gives you something to reach for and adds another level of action to the rhythm of your work. It is important to continually challenge yourself, setting realistic goals that will push your performance to the next level. Try setting goals on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis – and as you keep track of your performance, take notes on what works and what doesn’t!

STEP #5: HAVE FUN!!

As cliché as it sounds, your enjoyment of your job comes through to every customer you speak to. If you have a bad day, the customer feels that as well. So keep yourself energized, getting up and walking around, brainstorming creative ways to approach the same things, and getting connected with your customer and your product. Your attitude is everything – it will determine your energy, ability, and success.

Following these steps and maintaining a good attitude will put you well on your way to being able to hone your sales skills and improve your performance. Your drive, your determination, and your connection to your customers will make all the difference in establishing you as a top seller. A career in sales is challenging and rewarding, giving you the power to make every sale a success, and even earn a six-figure salary in your first year – it’s all up to you!

Are you interested in selling Verizon Wireless services? Call us at (855) SELL-VZW or fill out the form below.  We look forward to talking to you soon!

The post Hone Your Sales Skills appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

10: Driving all Day

Spend the minimum amount of time traveling and the maximum amount of time prospecting or closing deals. Divide your area into manageable chunks and work each smaller area on a specific day each week. Only deviate from this plan where there is a very good reason such as collecting a certain sale.

9: (Really Cold) Calling

First impressions count big time. Prospect’s care about their business and not yours so have enough research done so that you can talk to them about their business. This will allow you to start to win their trust from the off. You need to stand out from the crowd and convince that your offering will add value to their business and customers

8. Falling Down on Follow Up

Call your customers or drop in to see if there are any more opportunities and that the current service is up to scratch. Send out some e-mails informing of latest developments or new products and follow up with a call. Speak to old prospects to see if their circumstances have changed. Selling is about building relationships; relationships are based on communication so make sure you follow up.

7: Painful Presentations and Dull Demonstrations

Let me start by saying the number of presentations where I have retained the information and which were in some way memorable I can count on one hand. There tends to be a general consensus that they are a necessary evil. In my opinion, this is not the case and they are often used as a bad sales prop and contain reams of irrelevant information. Good presentation skills are difficult to master so the average seller should limit time spent presenting and increase time spent selling. When evaluating your presentations and presentation skills ask yourself ” What is the presentation adding to the meeting?” and always ask this question from the point of the person or persons receiving the presentation. If your average meeting is one hour and your presentation takes up half, could some of this time be better to spend doing something else? How much of the information do people actually want to hear? A simple rule to apply when presenting is far less tell and much more interaction.

6: Stalling Your Sales Engine

Selling is all about the seller managing opportunities so that each action or conversation produces positive forward momentum ending in sales. Set yourself minimum and maximum objectives each time you talk with a prospect and always achieve in between. Ensure next steps and agree time frames no matter how small. Let stalling be your biggest enemy and attack with all your sales might.

5: Losing Track of Time

Time is your greatest resource, be very greedy with it. Ask the question ” Is this contributing to my sales?” for every action you do and for every conversation you have. If this answer is no, you need to change what you are doing or start having a different conversation.

4: Rejecting Referrals

Referrals are by far one of the easiest ways to get good quality leads. I’m often asked when is a good time to ask for referrals. “Is it when you just made a sale?” “Is it when a prospect is really happy with the quality of back up and after service?” Of course, these are all good times to ask but really the very best time to ask for referrals is “now”

3: Running Scared of the Close

The close is a reasonable request at a reasonable time. At best prospects say “yes” and at worst they say “no” and even then you can still change their mind. Ask the question “Can we do business?”

2: Not Getting to Know Each Other

You know why your product is special and can talk about all its valuable features. The prospect knows what makes their business special. To convince a prospect that your product will add value to their business you too need to know what makes their business special. How do you this, you ask lots of questions to find out. Take the time to find out about what’s important to them and what makes their business great. Only then will you be in a position to demonstrate how your product will make their business even better.

1. Alarming Attitudes

With the right attitude and energy nearly everyone can learn the skills required to become a seller and forge a successful and lucrative career for themselves. However, even today sales are still viewed in some quarters as a stopgap career move. Some companies too add flames to this fire by tossing away under-performing new hires at rate of knots. It’s time these people and organizations woke up to the fact to be successful requires proper training, the correct company supports, a varied skill set, and most of all a professional attitude on behalf of everybody involved.

Are you interested in selling Verizon Wireless services? Call us at (855) SELL-VZW or fill out the form below.  We look forward to talking to you soon!

The post Top Ten Deadly Sales Killers appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

Assuming you said yes, here’s how to do it. Ask the right questions and listen carefully to the answers, your customer will tell you everything you want to know. Easy, eh?

Well, it sounds easy, but it takes self-discipline to do it right. Let’s start with the questions to ask.

The first type is what is known as ‘open’ questions, meaning that they usually produce informative answers of some length – as opposed to ‘closed’ questions which do the opposite.

Some examples; ‘What are the reasons that you are thinking of upgrading your computer?’ ‘What problems did you have with the old one?’ ‘What tasks do you use your computer for?’

Another question word that is ideal to use for open questions is ‘how’.

‘How do you tackle that problem at the moment?’, ‘How are the high gas prices affecting your industry?’

Those were all open questions. I think you’ll agree that with appropriate open questions, the information the customer reveals will help you make your presentation more focused on what the customer cares about.

‘Closed’ questions have their uses, too.

‘Would this product give you the features you need?’, ‘Is 50 pages per minute fast enough for your application?’, ‘Is Tuesday morning a good time to call you?’

These questions get specific items of information or confirmation that you have understood the customer correctly.

Just be careful that you don’t use closed questions where an open one would produce a better result, it’s a common mistake. Here’s a classic misuse of a closed question.

‘Can I help you with anything?’ How many thousands of times do salespeople say that every day? What response does it usually get? ‘No thanks, I’m just looking’.

That’s a useless answer, and now the customer may be less likely to tell you what he really wants, because he may feel a bit pressured. A good salesperson can improve on this very simply; ‘Good morning sir, my name is XYZABC, if you need any help, just let me know. By the way, we’ve got a special on LKJHGFDS at the moment’.

Develop a set of good, relevant open and closed questions to use when you are talking with customers. After a while, you will find that you can frequently ask more or less the same ones every time. It helps because you then don’t have to think so hard about what you are going to ask next. Instead, you can concentrate on listening carefully to the customer’s answers.

That part is critical, of course. It’s little use to get a flow of good information coming from the customer … and then ignore it. I call this ‘Professional Listening’.

Now that the customer has revealed what their reasons are for being interested in your product or service, you can respond so accurately they may tell you,

‘You’ve read my mind’

Are you interested in selling Verizon Wireless services? Call us at (855) SELL-VZW or fill out the form below.  We look forward to talking to you soon!

The post Mind-Reading – For Salespeople appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

Most salespeople, from time to time no matter what you sell, have the opportunity or potential for a big one. It is my experience, however if you only closed these big sales from time to time and nothing else in between that you would most likely starve.

Successful salespeople understand the concept of hitting bunts, singles and doubles while you are working on one of those biggies. Why? Because the big deals:

• Can take longer to close.
• Generally require more work.
• Can leave you with a big – lost sale hangover if they don’t close.
• Require more corporate resources.
• Can take time away from the routine activities of closing the smaller deals.
• Require a higher level of sales skills due to the nature of who your contact is.

The critical factor in maintaining balance in the mix of big deals you are working on to the smaller ones. Yes, a $100,000 deal could represent 20% of your quota for the year but it could also take 50% of your time. Five $20,000 deals will tend to close faster and get you to the same outcome.

What is in your pipeline? A lot of big deals? A few big deals? Just smaller ones? Again, the key is in the mix. The formula I use is ten to one – ten smaller active prospects in my pipeline to every big prospect.

The emotional high of closing a $100,000 even a $1,000,000 deal is a lot greater than closing five $20,000 sales but the disappointment, frustration and stress of losing one of these major deals is also greater than losing a $20,000 sale.

The secret is to get the sales closed and then cultivate the client for more business. Remember it is easier, less time consuming, less costly and less stressful to sell more to a present client than it is to sell a new customer.

I would much rather have a higher repeat business ratio than a new sale close ratio. I know some sales managers might disagree with me but over the long term these repeat and upgrade sales will cost less time and resources than every new customer. This strategy is not meant to give you permission to not focus on generating new customers. You can’t upgrade a current customer until you have sold them the first time.

Are you interested in selling Verizon Wireless services? Call us at (855) SELL-VZW or fill out the form below.  We look forward to talking to you soon!

Are you interested in selling Verizon Wireless services? Call us at (855) SELL-VZW or fill out the form below.  We look forward to speaking with you soon!

The post Home Runs are Great but Bunts Win Games and a Key to Sales Success appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

We demonstrate how easy it is to change the SSID and Password

In this one of a series of videos from ConectUS Wireless featuring the Verizon Internet Gateway, Neil looks into the admin manager to see just how easy it is to make changes to the SSID and password.

The post The Verizon Gateway: Changing the SSID and WiFi Password appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

In this video from ConectUS Wireless, we feature the Verizon Internet Gateway and the Admin Manager to see the ease of navigation and impressive features.

The post The Verizon Business Internet Gateway Admin Manager appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

We know you want to offer your business clients the best options and value possible for their type of organization. This series is published in March. However, ANY month is a good month to bring your business clients over to Verizon – again and again, proven to be the best wireless network in America.

Today we’re covering Business Internet – something that until just a few years ago was not possible. But today, in 2022, Business Internet has come of age. No more is it a stand-by or failover option for when an SMB’s cable internet goes down. Today, Business Internet is a direct replacement for cable internet, but with high reliability and seriously competitive price points.

There are two flavors of fixed wireless internet that you, a channel partner, can recommend to your existing and prospective business customers. The first is the 5G Business Internet. Available across a large swath of America, and growing exponentially during 2022, Verizon 5G Business Internet is a fixed wireless solution that can be activated in a business’ single or multiple locations, providing a reliable broadband service from one supplier with one bill.

At each location, a 100 or 200 Mbps service can be self-installed in minutes or, where available, services of up to 400 Mbps can be professionally installed with one truck roll. All the services that your client already runs over the internet can continue to be supported. Verizon is constantly offering business incentive credits and discounts that you can use to lower your clients’ switching costs to zero. And once 5G Business Internet has proved its worth, you can then go back to your clients to pitch other high-value services such as One Talk (that we discussed in our third article).

Even in areas still awaiting 5G Business Internet roll-out, there is a great product from Verizon. The second flavor is LTE Business Internet. SMBs can choose from 10 Mbps, 25 Mbps, and 50 Mbps. More than enough for most SMBs; and remember, once 5G Business Internet arrives in their area, you can go back and upsell – usually at little or no switching cost for your client.

Verizon Business Internet is a fixed wireless solution. Up until recently, many businesses have considered the cell tower as supporting only mobility solutions. You now have in your hands a disruptive solution: you can offer your business customers fixed broadband internet that does not require digging, or hanging new cable above ground. There is no waiting for new infrastructure to be deployed: typically, it takes only minutes to provision a new Business Internet service. C’mon! Let’s do this.

We’re ConectUS Wireless, a Technology Services Agency that’s been around since 1974. We have an ever-growing partner network of telecom agents who sell mobility services and products to American SMBs in all 50 states. Let’s show Verizon what we can do by bringing our best customers over to the best network ever!

Are you interested in selling Verizon Wireless services? Call us at (855) SELL-VZW or fill out the form below. We look forward to speaking with you soon!

The post Verizon Wireless Business Internet – Simply Incredible! appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.