Here are the upcoming sales training workshops from High Probability Selling, as of Fri 6 Aug 2010.
For notes and general information about our workshops, please visit www.highprobsell.com/workshops.
High Probability Selling is more about being than doing. It requires a radical change in a person, not just a radical change in action.
Who you are is revealed to other people by what you do. People make conscious and unconscious decisions about who you really are, in response to things you do both consciously and unconsciously. Very few people are fooled when you pretend to be someone you are not. It feels wrong.
We teach High Probability Selling as a sales process, the details of what to do and how to do it. Using this process will change who you are. If it does not change you, it is not likely to work for you.
When you start using High Probability Selling, people will see a new person. This is the kind of person that decision makers prefer to deal with. People who cannot be or become that kind of person usually cannot “get themselves” to follow the process. It feels wrong.
If you want to understand more about this, we recommend that you read the book “High Probability Selling” by Jacques Werth and Nicholas Ruben. It tells the story of a person who is learning, doing, and being transformed by High Probability Selling.
Note: You can read the Intro and the first 4 chapters of the book “High Probability Selling” online.
For most salespeople, establishing a relationship with someone is the most difficult and confronting aspect of High Probability Selling. It requires the salesperson to forget about selling and just be a person. It’s also the single most important step in High Probability Selling.
It’s a time when you don’t talk about your product at all. Your only purpose is to get to know the prospect and determine whether he or she is someone you can trust and respect. That decision is key because it determines whether you’re willing to do business with that person. You learn that through conversation and by asking questions.
When you don’t trust and respect someone, it’s very tough to hide it. If you don’t, they’ll know it almost as soon as you do, and they won’t want to do business with you. But more importantly, you’ll know it and you won’t want to do business with them. If you try to do business with someone you don’t trust and respect, you’ll never have a workable relationship. And if the relationship isn’t workable, it’ll be difficult and unrewarding at best, forever.
Put yourself in the prospect’s place. If you were the prospect and you felt that someone was trying to get you to do something, you would naturally try to protect yourself. That’s where resistance, suspicion and hostility come from. Whatever the salesperson does or says in that kind of environment will be construed as manipulative, insincere and inevitably creates resistance.
In High Probability Selling we only do business with people we trust and respect. When you’re establishing a relationship with a prospect, your purpose is to discover who the person inside the prospect is and how he or she got to be there, both personally and professionally. How you do that varies. Everyone’s style is different.
In order to determine whether you trust and respect someone, you have to really get to know them – find out what makes them tick. What motivates them and why? What incidents or feelings shaped who they are? How they wound up in their current job? The search goes way beyond surface amenities.
It’s not a matter of prying or trying to manipulate. You only have a limited period of time to spend on a call and you sincerely want to develop a relationship that means something. All meaningful relationships, professional or personal, are based on mutual trust and respect. If you can develop that kind of relationship with a customer you have such a competitive edge that is very difficult for anyone else to overcome. Everyone prefers to do business with someone they trust and respect. If you don’t develop that kind of relationship with a customer and get to know who they are at a personal level, you’re just another salesperson to them.
In order to do what I’m suggesting, you have to be sincerely interested in the prospect. That kind of sincerity can’t be faked. People know when you’re asking questions and only pretending to be interested in the answers. When that happens the prospect will abruptly cut you short.
Remember, your purpose in discovering what makes a prospect tick isn’t to uncover any “hot buttons” or what it will take to convince, persuade or manipulate someone to buy. It’s to see whether they are the kind of person you’re willing to do business with – to see whether you trust and respect them.
To do that you probably have to operate in a way that’s goes against everything you’ve been taught or conditioned to do in sales. You have to let go of “trying to please,” “dancing to the prospect’s tune,” “getting them to like you,” “being interested in what they’re interested in” and “flattering them.” You’re not there to impress, entice, or “build rapport.” You’re not there to “get them to buy.” You’re there to discover whether there’s a mutually acceptable basis for doing business, or not.
Editor’s Note: This blog post is excerpted from the book, “High Probability Selling” by Jacques Werth and Nicholas Ruben.
Here are the workshops currently being offered by High Probability Selling.
The next High Probability Prospecting Workshop starts 20 July and runs for 6 consecutive Tuesdays. The price is $775. More details
The next High Probability Selling Workshop starts 25 August and runs for 6 consecutive Wednesdays. The price is $775. More details
The next High Probability Closing Workshop hasn’t been scheduled yet. More details
This is an overview of the things we Believe In, the fundamental beliefs at the core of High Probability Selling, the things we stand for. Our best customers are the people who share our deepest beliefs.
We thank Simon Sinek for his TED talk on How great leaders inspire action, which inspired us to feature “What We Believe In” as a category in this blog.
Jacques Werth and Carl Ingalls
PyrBlu has developed software that supports the High Probability® Prospecting Process. The software has been tested with over 40,000 prospecting calls and is now available on a subscription basis. The first month is free for graduates of High Probability Prospecting training workshops. After that, the price is $65 per month or $500 per year.
The software is called High Probability® Launch Pad – A Prospecting Support System. It automates many of the details of the prospecting process, enabling the prospector to make more calls in less time. Most users have been able to prospect about 50% faster than they could without the software.
Here are some of the things the software does:
Most users become proficient at using the software within an hour or two. The software runs in your browser, so you do not have to install extra software.
Please note that the software is not likely to work for someone who does not use High Probability Prospecting.
You can get more information about High Probability® Launch Pad on its website. A list of features, along with the benefits and detriments of each feature is available on the Conditions of Satisfaction page.
Live demos of the software take between 10 and 20 minutes and can be arranged by emailing Charles Himmer at charles@pyrblu.com or calling him direct at 888-851-0550.
The next Conditions of Satisfaction Workshop starts on 6 May and ends on 13 May 2010 (two consecutive Thursdays). Classes will be conducted by telephone sessions (teleconference) from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM each day, led by Jacques Werth. The price is $185 USD per participant.
The Conditions of Satisfaction is the sales closing process we teach as part of High Probability Selling. We are offering it as a separate course because this gives people a way to try one piece of High Probability Selling to see if it works for them, without having to learn the entire process.
This closing process is completely open and transparent, with no pressure or manipulation of any kind. Salespeople who master and apply this process see significant increases in their closing rates.
When using the Conditions of Satisfaction closing process, each feature of the product or service is presented along with its benefits and detriments, and the prospect is asked to close on each feature. You can see some examples of how this is done on our Conditions of Satisfaction webpages. These webpages show the features, benefits, and detriments for using the process and for taking the workshop.
This is a “learn by doing” workshop, which means that participants will need to do a lot of preparation before each of the two sessions, and submit their work for critique and coaching. A homework assignment is due before the first session.
We require all workshop participants to read our Confidentiality Agreement and agree to its terms before they participate in our workshop. These terms are explained on our Confidentiality Agreement Webpage. This is necessary because other participants will be revealing important details about their business.
We also require all workshop applicants to complete the Pinnacle Benchmark Survey. We want all of our workshop participants to be very successful in benefiting from the Conditions of Satisfaction process, and this will help us be more selective in accepting applicants for the workshop.
Complete instruction on how to apply for the Conditions of Satisfaction Workshop can be found on our Conditions of Satisfaction Workshop Application Form.
It’s been well known for at least 70 years that “Prospects buy on emotion and justify with logic.” So why is it that average salespeople rely only on logic to sell their products and services?
Perhaps they don’t realize that the very top producing salespeople always rely on their ability to reach the emotional core of their prospects. The connections that they achieve result in profound relationships of mutual trust and respect.
This changes the basic concept of what selling really is.
You can read more about this concept in our book, “High Probability Selling”. The first four chapters are online.
Being willing to walk away from a deal will get you much better deals. This may be obvious to some readers, but may not be so obvious to salespeople who cannot take “No” for an answer.
Most buyers see an abundance of salespeople in the world. They have no difficulty in walking away from any one of them, because there will always be plenty more. They feel they can afford to be selective, and this reveals confidence.
Many sellers see a scarcity of buyers. They act as if they have to pounce on every opportunity for a sale, even when the chances are slim. They feel they cannot afford to be selective, and this reveals desperation. Salespeople who cannot take “No” for an answer are people who are not willing to walk away, and they pay a penalty for this. For one thing, they have to cut their prices, and then they blame the customer for caring too much about price.
The most successful salespeople see plenty of buyers in the world. They have no difficulty in walking away from any one of them. They just move on to the next person in their list. They are very selective about the people they do business with. As a result, they make more sales and they get better prices.
Author’s note: The theme of this blog article was suggested to me by Linda Sgoluppi in a conversation on Twitter.
by Jacques Werth and Carl Ingalls of High Probability Selling
“Market demand” comes from people who want what you’re selling. This article describes an efficient process for finding and connecting with these people.
Get a list from a reputable list broker of people who are likely to need your product. Start with the demographics of your current customers, or with those of your competitors. Check all the different demographics that the list broker can sort for and select those most pertinent to your business.
Focus only on the decision makers, the people who have the authority to buy.
Call each person on your list. Ask to speak with that person. If you get a gatekeeper, ask for help. Don’t attempt to “get around” the gatekeeper. Some can and will influence the decision maker. Treat everyone with respect.
Be direct, open, and transparent. Be clear and obvious about your purpose.
Be a seeker. Be the prospector looking for gold, not the alchemist who desperately tries to turn everything into gold. Look in likely places, and move on when they don’t pan out.
Respect the fact that the buying decision is up to the prospect, not up to you. Think of how you feel when a salesperson tries to make your purchase decision for you, and especially when you know that you are the one who has to deal with the outcome.
Begin your conversation by immediately getting down to business. Don’t begin with, “Hi, how are you?” That sends the wrong signal. People who want to do business aren’t looking for a new friend.
Identify yourself and your company. Describe your product as concisely as possible. Ask if this is something they want. Say all of this in 45 words or less, preferably less. If you’re still talking after 45 words, your prospect has probably stopped listening.
Avoid saying anything designed to persuade, convince, or influence. You are looking for someone who already wants what you’re selling. Anything you say that is meant to influence them will create sales resistance.
How you say these things matters just as much as what you say. Pay careful attention to your clarity, tone, and timing.
The question is simple: “Is this something you want?” It doesn’t ask the prospect to decide if they will buy from you. It asks them to tell you whether they want your specific type of product or service, or not.
This question will identify the prospects who have real buying intent, as opposed to those who are merely interested.
Do not ask, “Is this something you might want?” It’s too tentative. You’re not looking for a maybe, and neither is a real buyer.
Only after the prospect says a definite “Yes,” should you spend any time talking with them.
You need to be prepared to take “No” for an answer, and to respect that answer. Don’t try to turn it into “Yes.” Don’t even attempt to discuss it.
If the prospect says “No,” simply accept it and courteously end the call. Don’t let any disappointment or frustration color your tone of voice or manner. Always be respectful and professional. This will significantly improve your chances that the same person will say “Yes” on a future call.
If the prospect says “Maybe,” you can tell them that you are looking for people who definitely want what you are selling right now. Politely end the call and do not spend any time talking with them.
If the prospect asks a specific question about your product or service that can be answered simply and directly, then answer the question. Then restate your offer and ask again if this is something they want.
Never hesitate to answer a question about price. Answering with a wide price range often works best, i.e.: “It will cost between $10,000 and $20,000, depending upon your specific requirements.”
If the prospect is merely interested or asks for general information, verify that you have their correct email address and send them the appropriate email brochure. Then end the call politely and move on.
If the prospect asks you not to call them again, make sure you comply completely. No mistakes. Keep your own “do not call” list, and never call that person again. (There may be other decision makers in the same company you should be calling; find them.)
If people seem confused about what you’re saying and don’t understand the question, then your prospecting offer may be too vague. This can also happen if you attempt to sell the benefits of your product, rather than clearly stating what it is.
After each call, record the results and move on to the next person on your list as quickly as possible. Be persistently disciplined. Set a goal for how often you are going to prospect, and for how long.
Keep a log of how much time you spend prospecting, who you called, what offer you gave them, and what was the result. There is software to manage these details for you, but doing it manually for a while is a good way to develop a clear picture of what’s happening. Tracking results is the best way to improve your methods.
Continue calling the same list. Each individual should hear from you every 3 to 4 weeks. Vary your prospecting offers so that you don’t repeat yourself. It’s best to have a cycle of at least five different prospecting offers, so you go through all of them before the prospect hears the first one again.
Being able to take “No” for an answer, respecting your prospect’s time, and not being repetitive are the things that will allow you to call again and again. This creates favorable “front-of-mind” awareness, so that when the prospect does want what you’re selling, they will likely think of you, and respond positively to your next call.
If you follow the steps in this article, you’ll have a much higher probability of contacting prospects when the time is right. Prospects buy in their own time.
The next High Probability Prospecting Workshop starts on Tuesday 6 April and ends on Tuesday 11 May 2010. This workshop covers the High Probability Prospecting process, an alternative to traditional cold-calling. There will be one workshop session per week for six weeks, and exercises will be assigned between sessions. Telephone sessions will be every Tuesday from 10:30 AM to noon (Eastern Time, USA).
Tuition is $775 (USD) per participant.
To register for this workshop, you may do any of the following:
Please note that we require all workshop participants to read our Confidentiality Agreement and agree to its terms before they participate in our workshop. These terms are explained on our Confidentiality Agreement Webpage.
For more information, please visit our workshop description page.