Tag: 2016

The Big 3

“There are 3 things every successful salesperson needs: the right mindset, a refined skillset, and an effective tool kit.” – The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need

Mindset is everything.

We must dial in the right mindset before we go anywhere near a customer.

Below are 3 questions that will help you create a killer pre-call mindset.

These 3 questions are applicable to any selling situation.

Below each question is a micro question related to our customers.

Mentally rehearse these before your next appointment:

  • 1) What can I LEARN?
    • What’s been their experience?
    • What do they perceive?
    • What outcomes do they see?
    • What’s most important to them?
    • Where are they apathetic?
  • 2) What VALUE can I bring?  
    • How comfortable are they with dosing?
    • When do they hold off injecting?
    • What muscles are they afraid to inject?
    • How strong is their reimbursement?
    • How efficient is their schedule?
    • What are they working on in the new year?
  • 3) What ACTIONS can we take?  
    • What idea can we agree upon?
    • What 1 patient can we identify?
    • Who can I connect this customer to?
    • Who can this customer introduce me to?
    • What project can we work on together?

LEARN what’s going on inside your customer’s head.

Bring VALUE to every interaction.

Facilitate ACTION.

Do these 3 consistently, take your access and influence to the next level.

#TheBig3

-Joe Ciccarone

12 Books That Will Jump Start Your Morning

These 12 books have influenced my attitude, career, & life.

In no particular order:

“The Compound Effect” – Darren Hardy

“The Art of Possibility” – Rosa Stone Zander

“Start: Punch Fear in the Face” – Jon Acuff

“The Power of Positive Thinking” – Norman Vincent Peale

“The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude” – Jeffrey Gitomer

“Think & Grow Rich” – Napoleon Hill

“Break Out!” – Joel Osteen

“How to Stop Worrying & Start Living” – Dale Carnegie

“Ego is the Enemy” – Ryan Holiday

“Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive” – Harvey Mackay

“What To Do When It’s Your Turn…And It’s Always Your Turn” – Seth Godin

“Power Questions” – Andrew Sobel

What books would you recommend?

-Joe

The Art of the Start

“Every day the world you live in is created by your attitude.” – Zig Ziglar

Sales professionals live in a sea of rejection.

It’s an occupational hazard.

We hear “No” infinitely more than “Yes!”.

Our job is to weather adversity and keep our positive attitude flowing.

Nothing will destroy your success (or career) faster than a poor attitude.

The good news is that we control 100% of our attitude.

Start each day by creating the attitude you want to bring into the world.

Here’s the advice a mentor gave me:

  • Wake up 15 minutes earlier.
  • Read from a positive, thought provoking book for 10 minutes.
  • Write the best idea you learned in a journal.

This process pushes out any negative thoughts floating in your head when you wake up.

It fills that negative space with positive.

It’s one of my favorite parts of the day.

As an added bonus, in just a few weeks, you will create a KILLER JOURNAL filled with the best ideas you ever came across.

It’s a simple process, but CONSISTENCY is key.

Like bathing, this must be done daily to be effective.

Our minds will go in the direction they are pointed.

What we think about becomes our reality.

We are 100% responsible for the energy we bring into each room.

It’s up to us to bring our best self to our family, friends, & customers.

Wake up positive.  Live positive.

Get your morning right, the rest of the day follows.

#StartRight

-Joe

*** If you would like 12 AWESOME books to consider, click THIS LINK.

 

 

 

Don’t Be Sorry

“When customers yell at you, or blame you, don’t say, “I’m sorry.” Just say, “Thank you!” – Jeffrey Gitomer 

It’s inevitable…

Something is going to go wrong with your product or service.

You’re going to walk into one of your busiest offices and run face first into an angry customer.

Your fault or not, the customer is going to take their frustration out on you.

The interaction usually begins like this:

  • Your customer looks at you and says ,“I need to talk to you. Come in here.”
  • You get hustled into an empty exam room.
  • The door is shut a bit too energetically.

Game on…

When this happens, no matter how upset your customer is, DO NOT say “I’m sorry.”

Thank them!

They just gave you an amazing opportunity to connect & prove the type of value you can bring them.

When you respond:

  • Take full responsibility for fixing their situation.
  • Substitute the words, “I’m sorry,” with the words, “Thank you!”

The situation may be about finances.  It may be a misunderstanding.  It may be real or perceived.

Whatever it is, thank them:

  • “Dr Matt – Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I really appreciate you letting me know your perspective.  I will work on this immediately and fix this for you.”

The advantages of “Thank You!” vs. “I’m Sorry.”:

  • Creates an opening to partner with your customer.
  • Turns an obstacle into an opportunity.
  • Shows your desire to take action.
  • Exhibits a ton of self-confidence.

If you feel personally responsible for what happened, add:

  • “I apologize this happened.  You got my word I will fix this.”

Being confronted by a customer is not fun, but it’s an awesome opportunity to take your relationship to the next level.

It’s not what happens, it’s how you respond.

Respond by empathizing, engaging, & serving.

#Mindset

-Joe

 

Before We Get Started…

“Begin friendly. Begin by finding common ground, or don’t begin at all.”  – Jeffrey Gitomer

We all have them: customers we struggle to connect with.

Our call starts with the customer’s arms crossed and them asking, “What’s up?”. 

The customer’s style is transactional.  We struggle to build rapport.

“Before we get started…”  can help.

Insert this phrase after your opening, but BEFORE you get to business.

It only takes a little preparation & creativity on your end:

  • “Dr Meredith, there are 2 ideas I want to run by you, but before we get started…I saw the residents just named you best teacher.  How did that come about?”
  • “Dr Jim, I’m here to follow up on _____, but before we get started, Amy told me that your daughter just left for college. How’s that going?”
  • “Dr Thought Leader, there is a resident training idea I want to run by you, but before we get started, I saw on the hospital website that you are leading a new committee. What’s that all about?”
  • “Dr Dan, the last time we spoke, you asked me to look into_____. But before we get started,  I heard you just ran your first half marathon.  How did that go?”

“Before We Get Started..” is a tactic that will help:

  • Build rapport.
  • Expand your time.
  • Give your ideas a better chance of being heard.

#EngageOrDie

-Joe Ciccarone

Power Up

“Small salespeople ask weak questions.” – Anthony Iannarino

Our job is to ask power questions to people in power.

Below are 3 POWER QUESTIONS to ask your thought leaders, chairpersons, & key influencers:

  • “_______________ has been a hot topic to many of our top customers, how are you handling this?”
  • “As you look out to the year ahead, what is the most exciting project you are working on?”
  • “From your perspective, what is the most important issue we should be discussing today?”

#PowerUp

-Joe Ciccarone

The Art of Preparation

“The ability to think on your feet is no excuse for being unprepared.”

Before every customer interaction, you should have:

  • 1 emotionally engaging, thought provoking question prepared in advance.
  • 1 idea to present that benefits your customer.
  • 1 action you will ask your customer to consider doing.

The average sales professional does not do this.

#DontBeAverage

This Vibe was based on the new book, “The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need”.

-Joe Ciccarone

Fair Game

 

Below is simple question that doubles as a direct close:

“Fair enough?”  

  • Describe exactly what you want your customer to do.
  • Immediately ask, “Fair enough?”
  • “Dr Mary, if you schedule that patient we just discussed for their first injection, I’ll provide the samples.  Fair enough?”

If they agree, the sale is closed.

If they won’t commit, ask “What’s holding you back?”

The real objection will surface.

This idea was taken from a Jeffrey Gitomer seminar.

#PlayFair

– Joe Ciccarone

What Do You Sell?

This week’s Vibe come from Anthony Iannarino’s new book “The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need.“:

·         “Finish this sentence: “I sell ___________________.”

·         If you answered with anything other than “outcomes”, you are wrong.

·         Focus your conversations on your customer’s desired outcomes and watch your                 discussions & results take off. 

Good selling!

– Joe Ciccarone