By understanding your salespeople’s natural fear of qualifying, you can better coach them to ask these seven critical questions early in the sales cycle. Their productivity will ultimately improve, and you will achieve more sales in far less time.

Why Don’t They Qualify?

There are two reasons why even veteran sales pros lapse into working unqualified accounts. The first is tactical. Salespeople, who typically employ a highly political style, don’t want to offend a prospect by asking questions about decision-making, spending authority, and budgets too early in the sales process. They want to make friends first.

The second and primary reason is psychological. It is part of the typical salesperson’s psychological makeup to want to be liked. And most salespeople are very likable. Unfortunately, it is more comfortable in the short run for the salesperson to build a relationship with the wrong person than to ask questions that may alienate the prospect.

Succumbing to Temptation

The nature of the sales job reinforces this fear of early qualification. Because salespeople face a lot of rejection, they are vulnerable to the song of praise and positive feedback from their prospects.

For the prospect, it can be almost like having a congenial (and free!) employee doing problem analysis and preparing the way for the prospect’s solution. For the salesperson, it provides frequent strokes. And because the relationship is good, it is natural for the salesperson to assume that they will eventually make the sale.

Of course, if the prospect is not legitimately qualified, it is only a matter of time before both parties realize that the salesperson’s solution is not a fit. But by then, the salesperson has wasted valuable time that they can’t get back. Even worse, they may have wasted additional helpful resources, such as sales and technical support, throughout this process.

Coaching Your Reps to Qualify Sooner and Smarter

It is reasonable, therefore, for the sales manager to require and verify that the seven critical qualifying questions are answered early in every sales cycle.

By all means, this should be done before your company commits sales support or technical personnel to the sales effort. This is especially important in longer sales cycles or in deals involving more expensive products.

A good time to do this is during the forecast and review sessions that most managers schedule regularly.

During these meetings, confirm that each salesperson is asking the “W” questions (what, why, when, and who) to qualify both the prospect company and the individuals within that company.

What’s the Real Need, and Why Now?

1. What need(s) does the prospect have that your solution can meet? Can your salesperson clearly articulate those needs to the prospect?

2. Why would the prospect be willing to spend x dollars for your product or service? Has it been budgeted?

Timing is Everything: When Will They Take Action on the Presented Deal?

3. When does the prospect plan to implement your product or service? For many products and services, implementation, not the close date, is the key because it is the ultimate purpose of the buying decision. It also focuses on the customer’s perceived benefits, not the salesperson’s sales forecast.

Who Are The Decision Makers?

4. Who will decide to buy the product or service?

5. Who are the decision influencers who can bring pressure to bear (positive or negative) on the person who will make the final decision?

6. Who has the budget or spending authority to implement the decision? Don’t confuse decision and spending authority. They may not be vested in the same person.

7. Which decision makers have your salespeople called on so far? It should be all of them!

Train Reps to Ask What Everyone Else Is Afraid To

Given these questions, there are only two skills that your salespeople need to qualify properly. The first is confidence. The second is questioning skills. Good questioning skills can quickly create confidence.

Before making a call on a prospect, you want your salesperson to get the answers to as many of these seven critical questions as possible. Resources could include the prospect company’s website or past sales representatives who have contacted the prospect company, among others.

The amount of information that can be collected in advance will vary for each prospect. But without fail, once your salesperson is in front of someone in the prospect company, he or she should ask bold, direct questions:

“Do you have the authority to implement this decision?”

“Has this item been budgeted? Does it need to be? Do you have the funds available?”

Your salesperson may not always receive the answers that qualify the lead, but it is better to walk away from a sales cycle that will lead nowhere.

How to Reach the Real Buyer

Teach your salespeople to persuade the influencer to introduce them to the decision-makers. That retains the relationship with the influencer while opening an opportunity to the decision-maker.

If they must, they should bypass the influencer’s authority without permission. This will almost certainly alienate the influencer. But if the sale is going nowhere, your salespeople may have to take that risk.

Ask yourself: Can our sales strategy overcome the loss of this influencer? If the answer is yes, it’s a reasonable risk that they should take.

The post 7 Questions That Top Salespeople Ask Before Wasting a Minute appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

The Lions are one of the young and up-and-coming teams in the NFL, and we are extremely excited to see how both parties grow through this partnership.

Through this partnership, Verizon becomes the exclusive wireless telecommunications provider of Ford Field, and the benefits that each side of this deal gets are phenomenal. Verizon will become the official sponsor of the annual halftime show of the Lions’ Thanksgiving game as part of this deal, and this halftime show has been headlined by artists such as Jack Harlow, Bebe Rexha, and Big Sean over the last couple of years.

Verizon will also expand on its wireless infrastructure throughout the stadium, including 5G Edge Cashierless Checkout technology, deployments of 5G Ultra Wideband, and Private Wireless Network coach-to-coach communication.

Verizon has made countless innovative solutions around Ford Field due to all of the data usage during games. Some of these solutions include Verizon’s Distributed Antenna System, a 5G mmWave system deployment, and a wireless network of antennas distributed throughout the property that allow for better performance and coverage.

Verizon will always continue to look for different ways that they can improve the fan experience at Ford Field, and we are looking forward to see the technological advancements they continue to add.

“We are excited to continue and grow our partnership with Verizon at Ford Field,” said Detroit Lions Chief Operating Officer Mike Disner. “Our partnership with Verizon has enabled us to elevate the Ford Field experience for fans, media and our staff through greater connectivity and network strength. We are thrilled that they will continue to be a part of our annual Thanksgiving Tradition in Detroit.”

All signs are pointing to the Lions having yet again another great season, and with the help of Verizon, their in-stadium experience is only expected to improve.

#weloveverizon #likeconectus #verizon #5G #agentprogram #sellverizon #verizonpartnernetwork #5gbi #fwa #salestraining #businessinternet #conectusracing #cpnzone #teamtexas #corporateevent #letsgoracing #racingschool #NASCAR #RaceTrackTraining #TXRacingSchool #DFWRacing #yearoftheagent

The post Elite NFL Team Makes Verizon their Official 5G Network appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

Following an outstanding start to 2024, ConectUS Wireless is happy to announce that we are the recipient of the 2024 Visionary Spotlight Award for the Top Innovation from ChannelVision Magazine. All of the hard work from all of our employees combined with the seamless partnership with our agents led us to this award this year, and we can’t wait to see how much we continue to grow in this wonderful space.

This year, ChannelVision Magazine stated that there was a “record number of nominations” for these awards, making us feel even more honored that we were selected.

“I can proudly say that all VSA recipients – spanning Overall Excellence, Business Technology, and Service Provider Technology – have made outstanding strides that warrant distinction,” Beka Business Media founder and ChannelVision Magazine publisher Berge Kaprelian said. Receiving this award with the massive pool of applicants is an honor that we don’t take lightly, and we couldn’t have done it without Verizon, our agents, and our core group of employees who get to call ConectUS home.

This award will be published in full as part of the ChannelVision Magazine’s May/June issue, and it will be available in both digital and print formats.

Once again, ConectUS Wireless is honored to receive this award, and we wouldn’t have been able to do this without everyone’s help and hard work. This is just the beginning of what we plan to do in 2024, and we are excited about the progress that we will continue to make leading into 2025.

#weloveverizon #likeconectus #verizon #5G #agentprogram #sellverizon #verizonpartnernetwork #5gbi #fwa #salestraining #businessinternet #conectusracing #cpnzone #teamtexas #corporateevent #letsgoracing #racingschool #NASCAR #RaceTrackTraining #TXRacingSchool #DFWRacing #yearoftheagent 

The post ConectUS Wireless wins 2024 Visionary Spotlight Award appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

We’re Back

This Wednesday at 11:30 AM CT, click on: https://myconectus.com/wpstream/partner-news

In our first episode, we’ll preview our participation at Channel Partners, both at the Expo and the Conference. And David Starr will join us to tell us more about how you can leverage his brand to help your brand.

So watch Partner News LIVE every second Wednesday at 11:30 AM CT.

The post Partner News LIVE is Back! 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!

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

Here are three ways to enhance your listening skills:

1. Make the speaker feel comfortable and important by being courteous and respectful;
2. Show your attentiveness to the speaker by nodding your head or saying, “yes” or “I see” from time to time;
3. Listen between the lines to detect when someone is being dishonest or evasive with you.

By honing your listening skills, you can catch hints in your speaker’s voice, attitude, or body language that indicate a lack of interest or enthusiasm for your product or company.

Many clients aren’t selling or recruiting because they are not listening to the truth when they hear it. They simply hope that what they are hearing isn’t what it sounds like. Our distributors or associates may miss the “not interested” message completely because they either don’t want to hear it or really don’t hear it because they are so focused on what they intend to say next.

Listening Types

Reflective and paraphrase listening will assist you to communicate to your prospects that you are, in fact, listening to them and are aware of their concerns and points of view.

Reflective listening is repeating some words your prospects or customers use as you listen to them speak. Reflective listening builds rapport in three ways:

1. It shows that you are paying attention and understand what the speaker is telling you;
2. It keeps someone else talking long enough for you to evaluate whether they are a prospect who is serious or just curious; and
3. Paying attention and listening is a good investment of a few minutes of your time in the interviewing stages.

In paraphrase listening, you paraphrase what your prospect says. I teach my clients how to interview their prospects to see if they are people they would like to work with. Many people confuse “interview” with “interrogate.”

By practicing the shared listening technique, you will find that all of your questions get answered without your prospects feeling they are under a microscope. Shared listening allows you to turn a questioning process into a conversation.

Developing a conversation, rather than asking one question after another, is a great way to get a person to open up. Your prospects will feel more comfortable revealing information to you if they feel you have something in common and lets them see you as a real person.

Listen closely and make brief notes as your prospects share in your conversation. You will soon discover your prospects’ motivators – or lack thereof – as well as their “hot buttons,” which you can repeat back to them when it’s time to as for a decision or close.

Continue listening even after your new distributor or associate has signed their application. You’ll be able to recall names, places, and other information with little or no effort because when it was first given out, you paid attention.

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 Listening Skills – Pay Attention With More Heart Than Talent appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

My Cake:

I tried to make a box cake. How I did it is I put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and started to stir it. But somehow I ended up with a real mess that I threw out in frustration.

What I learned the hard way was with certain recipes you need to mix part of the ingredients first separately from the other ingredients. Then you mix them together. If you don’t do it in a certain way and in a specific order you end up with problems.

The same is true with customer’s objections.

Here is the recipe for overcoming customer’s objections.

1. Listen to the complete objection – I have witnessed too many salespeople start listening to the customer’s objection. Then before the customer finished the salesperson enthusiastically jumped in and started to overcome the objection. Unfortunately, the salesperson read the customer’s mind wrong and overcame the wrong objection, and didn’t make the sale. I suggest you not interrupt the customer when they are voicing an objection. I even like to have a brief pause when they are done talking to make sure they didn’t just take a breath and we’re going to continue.
2. Restate the objection – Rephrase the objection back to them in your own words. This lets you both know that you got it.
3. Tell them you understand and ask if they have any other concerns – Don’t be afraid to ask for more. Get them all out now so you can resolve them.
4. Overcome the objection – How do you do this? That is the next session. I’ll show you how to overcome 90%+ of all objections.

Use this approach and watch your closing skills soar.

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 The Recipe for Overcoming All Objections appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

Like a lot of others, I have become interested in the game. I find it a very interesting study of people’s personal belief systems, behaviors, and attitudes. I’ve watched poker on TV a number of times and usually, the commentator will explain the basic rules for the uninitiated. One particular individual begins by saying, “It’s a simple game really.” That’s true. Yes, it is.

But there is another poker saying that is even more descriptive and critical to understanding. “It takes a few minutes to learn and a lifetime to master.” It’s this statement that separates the master professional poker players from the herd and keeps the pawn shops in Las Vegas and elsewhere in the business.

That same statement can apply equally to the selling profession. It’s easy to enter but it takes a lifetime to master. Like the poker world, the selling profession’s ranks are littered with broken failures and starving under-achievers.

I have observed that the exact same set of behaviors and attitudes exist in the under-achievers in both groups. Let me share some of the more common examples.

1. In both fields, many put their bankroll of money or their bankroll of their earning potential, ie. their time, on the line without proper study of the game.
2. Many studies only one teacher or one system, believing that to be the best while closing their minds to the wisdom of all others.
3. Many expect to win virtually every hand, tournament, session, or in the case of a salesperson, every selling opportunity.
4. When something doesn’t work, as will eventually happen to everyone, many will look for someone else or something to blame. That could include the other players in the game, the cards, the dealer, or their own bad luck. In the selling business, it will be the customer, the competition, their fellow salespeople, their manager, their product or service, or their company.
5. At a poker table, many will allow other participants to mess with their heads while the game is on, rather than understanding their emotions and exercising proper control of them. Salespeople do that all the time when dealing with customers when they have lost personal control.
6. In both groups, there are those who refuse to take the opportunity of learning from their mistakes, or their miscalculations. Master poker pros keep notes, analyze stats, and review the session’s events in their minds. Surprise, so do master salespeople.
7. Master poker players ‘read’ their opponents, carefully observing body language and other subtle things to pick up information that they will use to edge closer to their ultimate goal, getting paid. Master salespeople do the same because they know, getting paid is good!
8. Master poker players understand that while they have a style, they need to make adjustments to their game based on the opponents they are facing. Hmm, master salespeople do that too because they have acquired the skills that allow them to do just that.
9. Master poker players never pass up the opportunity to learn something new. Their brain is never full. Master salespeople are always taking a course, reading a book, or attending a seminar.
10. Master poker players work hard but they enjoy abundance, recognition, and the joy of doing something they love with a passion. Master salespeople breathe that same rarefied air.
11. It is said that poker is a game that rewards aggression, however aggression that is blind leads to disaster. Aggression that is calculated and controlled wins tournaments. Selling is no different. Overly ‘pushy’ salespeople step on a lot of selling landmines while masters know precisely when to close the deal.
12. Most long-term poker masters do not lose control of their emotions when they have a setback. Yes I know there are always exceptions but they are not the norm. The same holds true for master salespeople.

The most glaring similarity between average amateur or poor poker players and under-achieving salespeople might very well be this.

They make a very bad play, technically and simply ”suck out”. It happens in poker and in the selling business all the time. This “sucking out” on occasion might be the exact thing that keeps these people consistently poor over the long haul. Why? Because it gives them the illusion that they actually did something the right way because it brought some measure of success.

This will cause them to repeat the mistake, again and again, resulting in far more losses than wins. That’s great news for the real professionals because it keeps the money flowing to them. “Getting paid is good!!” So, as you can see, successful selling is a lot like playing “Texas Hold’em”. The great thing is, in selling, you personally get to choose how you will be ranked in the world!

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 Successful Selling, It’s a Lot Like Playing “Texas Hold’em” appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

After his recent successes, including Daytona in early September, David Starr again joins us in our Eagle’s Nest overlooking Texas Motor Speedway. In this episode of The Horn Presents Road to the Race, David talks about what makes a good team and how motivated people find success by maintaining a positive attitude and overcoming obstacles.

The post The Horn – Road to the Race – Teamwork and Motivation appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

How passionate are you about selling? You might be tempted to ask what passion has to do with preparation. If you are not passionate about selling then preparation becomes drudgery since you will only be going through the motions. You may be selling with the intent to pay your monthly expenses and meet financial goals. These goals provide motivation but not passion. Passion itself provides motivation making it easier to sell and to prepare. If you are not motivated to sell then you should not expect the customer to be motivated to buy your product.

To prepare effectively you need a written plan. This written plan should be a way to help you achieve your goals. Sales professionals should have above average goals so that they can prepare more n depth and with more vision.

Preparation is a part of the planning and both work hand in hand. When following a written plan you must prepare for each stage outlined in such a plan.

Preparation is also vital in order to have thorough product knowledge. If your customer knows more about your own product than you do then most likely they will not buy from you. This can be very embarrassing for sales professionals because they are supposed to be prepared and know their products. Missing out on a sale because of a lack of preparation is inexcusable and should never happen. It shows that you are not motivated or take the sales seriously.

Finally, preparation requires practice. For instance, if you were giving a presentation you would prepare by practicing until you can deliver the presentation flawlessly. If it is a sales pitch, you would also have to practice until you can deliver it perfectly. All sales professionals should strive to be adequately prepared which will result in more sales as well as personal and professional growth.

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 Preparation in Sales appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.