Stephen M. Haines - Tips for sales professionals

One of my favorite things to hear as a sales leader is when a salesperson is presenting the terms of a potential deal, and throws in..... "...and, they've gotta have an extra $2000.  It's a deal killer!" You know, Ben Affleck said it best in Boiler Room.   In every interaction a sale is made, just sometimes the Buyer sells the seller on why they can't or won't buy!  As a sales professional, you are responsible for both how the value of the product and/or transaction is portrayed, and in my humble opinion, the deal killer is usually.... US! I'll let you off the hook... slightly... and acknowledge that SOMETIMES customers can get price fixation, and thereby overlook the true value of the produce you are selling.  We've all been there - the buyer has been given or set a specific price in their mind, and all logic, begging, and value-adds cannot budge them.  What I am suggesting today, however, is that this is rarer than we like to believe.  That t...

In a "down" market, I have seen few principles as clearly as I have seen the principle of BATNA. What is it? It is the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement. Said simply, it is your next best choice if this current deal falls through. I'll never forget being in 9th grade in Greer, South Carolina. I was attending my first year of high school, which I began with much intrepidation. Towards the end of the year, a senior girl I had met invited me to her prom. Me? A 9th grader? I know what you're thinking - she must have been a dog! Did she have fleas? Did she kick her leg when I scratched behind her ear? Actually, she was pretty cute, just shy. My brother, who was a senior that year at the same school, was incredulous! How could his little brother be going to his prom? He begged my parents to not allow me to go, he bribed me, and maybe even threatened. At the end of the day, I still went. K (I'll protect her full name in case she is some huge re...

Over the years, "fads" have crossed the sales profession, from "Spin Selling" to "Relationship Selling".  It's funny, dust off one of the fad techniques in your next pitch, and your peers and boss will look at you like you came to work in tight parachute pants and a "Pantera" t-shirt.  Oddly, human behavior has not changed significantly, we just continue to evolve to try to understand it better. Here is what is different, whether you are selling retail goods or B2B, the buyers have become more selective as their budgets have tightened.  I saw this firsthand last month in the US territory of Saint Thomas, a vacation destination that relies heavily on tourism.  In 2003 I visited, and everybody was happy go-lucky, there were steel drums everywhere, it was all lots-of-laughs.  Enter 2011, and the weekly cruise stops have dwindled from twenty-something plus to less than 5.  Doors are closed, businesses are suffering.  Now, the street "handl...

It rarely fails - I am coaching one of our sales counselors through a negotiation, only to recommend a negotiation point that strikes fear into my counselor.  Not just "I don't think that will work, Stephen." kind of fear - no - I'm talking sweaty palms, dilated pupils, "I don't want to get shot", and "I'm-going-to-be-so-broke-my-three-year-old-will-have-to-go-to-community-college" kind of fear.  Why is that?  Because the closer you get to realizing a sale or a deal, the more one fears losing it.  However, we homosapiens are funny creatures, because this phenomenon goes way beyond sales, it's true for all aspects of our lives. It is our nature that anything that we care about, we want to keep.  At the very least, we wish to stake our claim in what we already have firmly prior to evaluating other options.  This is why a high school senior may really want to ask out the head cheerleader, but will keep his current date UNTIL he gets a fi...

After years of speaking to people and hearing "you really should write" - I figured now would be the best time to do it.  After all, it's Father's Day, and I am perched on my throne as King of my household.  I may be slightly delusional, but to a father of five, it is rather unusual to have a Sunday afternoon without a honey-do list longer than the Constitution.  My youngest, whose nickname is Red Bull, made me a paper Burger King-esque crown today, which I've worn with a great deal of pride.  I could tell the state highway patrolman was contemplating whether or not to stop me as I raced the 9 passenger family van down Georgia 400 wearing the contraption, but the regal open hand wave certified that I was legitimate royalty. I have been in some kind of sales my entire twenty-four year career.  Better yet, I've been pretty darn good at it!  Most of you are in sales, too - whether or not you know it!  Ever need a better price on...