Month: January 2018

Finding Companies That Embrace This Philosophy

Someone anonymously posted this message yesterday via the webform on the Contact Us webpage for High Probability Selling.

Finding Companies that embrace this philosophy
Hello.  I ran across your site today after getting pitched yet another sales training program.   I have been in sales and business development for close to 30 years.   May companies are so stooped into the old school ways of selling it is ridiculous.   I embrace this philosophy but how do I connect with companies that want people trained using this thought process?  Do you have roles available within your consulting practice?

I’ve decided to provide an answer here on this blog.

The short answer is – ask them.  Use High Probability Prospecting to find a job, and use High Probability Disqualifying to filter out the ones that aren’t going to work for you.

The best detailed instructions I have seen for doing this are in a blog post written by Jacques Werth in 2009:  Finding the Sales Position You Want.

However, there are two changes we would recommend today.  The first is to make your prospecting offer much shorter, 30 words or less, even if you have to include only one feature instead of two (see Guidelines for Creating a High Probability Prospecting Offer).  The second change is that we now recommend leaving voice mail messages (see this article).

Before accepting a sales position, find out if you will be allowed to sell the way you choose to sell, or not.  Ask about that directly.  If part of your compensation is a salary, that may mean that they are paying you to sell the way they tell you to sell.

Another article that might help is:  Finding the Job You Want – Josh’s Story

Happy Prospecting.

Workshops in Feb 2018:
Chapter 12 Updated on Thu 15 Feb for $95

Finding Someone Who Will Refer You To Their Clients

I received the following a few days ago:

Study book continuously. I need help with last question. I am calling sports agents and I would like them to refer me to their athlete clients. I sell high risk disability income insurance. Should I say: \”Is this something your clients might want?\” Or \”Is this something you want me to tell your clients about?\”  ~ Herb Williams

Finding an agent who wants to subject his or her own clients to a call from an insurance salesperson is going to be difficult.  It will take multiple calls to the same agent before they will consider trusting you with any of their clients.  They have to see how you sell.

Multiple calls means multiple offers, and it works better when the offers are different.  The problem with your offer is that “high risk disability income insurance” covers just about everything that you have to offer to an athlete.  It’s too broad for this kind of prospecting.  When a sports agent says no to that, you don’t have anything else to offer the next time you call them.

One way to narrow yourself is to mention only one kind of disabling event and only one sport at a time.  For instance, you could say you sell disability insurance that covers motocross accidents.  The next time, it could be golf or weight lifting, or something else.

As for the final question, you could ask the agent something like this:  “Do you want any of your clients to hear about this.”  Do not include yourself in that question.

Most of the time, the answer will be no.  You say, “Ok.  (pause).  Goodbye.”  Say nothing more.  Wait a few seconds and then hang up.  (See more about saying ok goodbye in this article)

If someone says yes, always remember to ask why.

Tip.  Don’t tell them what you want them to do, and don’t ask them what they want you to do.  Ask instead, “What do you want to do.”

Additional reading:  Guidelines for Creating a High Probability Prospecting Offer.  Please note that there is more learning to be found in the comments and replies to that article.

Workshops in Jan 2018:
High Probability Mindset Discovery on Tue 16 Jan for $255
Chapter 12 Updated on Thu 18 for $95