Pumping up profits. Keeping the numbers up. If you've been
in business for any length of time, you know how important sales
are to keeping your business afloat and making it thrive. But if
you're like many business owners, you also know how tough it
can be to get customers to say that final "yes."
Sales trainer and motivational speaker Pam Lontos is no stranger
to this challenge. She had some 20 years of sales experience before
starting Lontos Sales and Motivation Inc. in Orlando, Florida, in
1981. A year earlier, Lontos had increased sales 500 percent as
vice president of Disney's Shamrock Broadcasting.
How did Lontos go from salesperson to superstar? She started by
adopting one of the tenets she uses today to help entrepreneurs and
other salespeople excel: "Salespeople aren't born;
they're trained."
Content Continues Below
In this exclusive interview, Lontos reveals some of her inside
secrets to help your business' sales skyrocket.
Entrepreneur:How important is the skill of selling in
business today?
Pam Lontos: In today's competitive market, selling is
the name of the game. The biggest mistake you can make is thinking
you are not in sales. You are always selling. It is vital if you
own a business because your money is coming from your customers.
And if you don't know how to sell, you aren't going to make
any money.
Regardless of how inexperienced you are in pitching your
products, ideas or services, selling is a highly learnable skill.
The best part is that you can not only learn it, but you can also
enjoy doing it.
Entrepreneur:Why do so many entrepreneurs have a
tough time selling?
Lontos: Many entrepreneurs think of themselves as
creative people, not as salespeople. They don't want to use
sales techniques that might be perceived as too pushy or
direct.
To succeed in business, you need to know what questions to ask
your customers. People come to you because they want the benefit of
your expertise. People fear making the wrong decision; they want to
[buy from] someone they perceive as an expert they can trust.
Entrepreneur:Is it best to recite facts about your
product or service to your prospects?
Lontos: Giving facts when you talk is not selling;
it's telling. It will not build the right type of relationship
you need to clinch the sale.
You must have passion for what you do; however, talent and
passion must be fine-tuned by taking care of your customers'
needs. You must build a rapport with your customers by finding out
their needs. You want them to buy from you and refer all their
friends as well.
Entrepreneur:One of the messages you teach is that
salespeople aren't born; they're trained. What do you mean
by that?
Lontos: Salespeople are not cut out of one mold. Some
people are quiet; others are outgoing and enthusiastic. There are
many different types of personalities. However, everyone has the
ability to develop the habits needed to be a good salesperson.
These skills include knowing how to listen, when to be assertive
and when to empathize.
Step one in selling your product or service is to develop trust
and build emotional rapport through a common bond. Step two is to
ask questions and get the prospect to say he or she wants what you
have. Step three is to handle objections promptly. Step four is to
explain the benefit of what is in it for the prospect. Step five is
to close the sale. If you haven't been able to close the sale,
step six is to go back to the start of the circle of emotional
rapport and questioning.
Entrepreneur:What is the number-one fear of every
salesperson?
Lontos: Without a doubt, it's rejection. If you never
ask for the sale, you'll never hear the word "no."
That's why you have to believe in what you're selling.
When I sold health-club memberships, it was for a club where I
had lost 50 pounds. I believed in that program, and I never minded
asking for the sale. If I let a prospect go without [closing the
sale], I felt I was doing him or her a disservice. It's
important to have the mind-set that if a customer walks out without
buying your product or service, his or her life is not going to be
as good. When you believe that, you'll do everything possible
to get that customer to buy from you.
Entrepreneur:What is the number-one reason prospects
say no?
Lontos: The main reason people don't buy is fear of
making the wrong decision. They'll go with the person who takes
away that fear. People may say no five or six times before they say
yes because they have said yes too quickly in the past.
Entrepreneur:When you go out in the field with
salespeople, what common mistakes do you observe?
Lontos: Talking instead of listening and failing to build
rapport and trust before they start selling.
The salesperson will go in and just start talking about his or
her product or service without describing any benefit or
determining why it's important to that particular person. They
won't ask questions to find out what a person needs. Then, if
the person says "I'll think about it," they stop at
that point and get ready to leave--and that's just when they
should jump in and start really selling.
Entrepreneur:How can business owners reprogram their
minds for success?
Lontos: Constantly see things in a positive light. When
something adverse happens, you need to understand it's just
temporary. Take 10 minutes each day, close your eyes, and feel
yourself in a situation that is a positive reflection of what you
want to happen.
Entrepreneur:How important is it to remain
positive?
Lontos: It is essential that you remain positive. You
must have the attitude that you will never give up. Even if six
customers in a row don't buy from you, or if you don't have
a sale for three days, you can't let it get you down. You must
try new techniques.
Find out what everyone else is doing, and do something
different. If you're like everyone else, you won't stand
out. You must give extra customer service to get people to come to
you. Walt Disney went through two or three bankruptcies before he
became successful. When people believe in themselves so much, they
will have persistence and stick with it. Be positive no matter how
bad things appear.
Entrepreneur:What are some inside secrets to help
entrepreneurs become super salespeople?
Lontos: The strongest human need is to be appreciated.
Learn to ask questions of the prospect and listen to the answers.
You must do your research and determine how you can help the client
or prospect.
First, write down the six most common objections your customers
typically raise. These are the reasons prospects don't want to
buy now. Then, write down how you will counter these objections.
It's important to practice so your comments are natural and
flow smoothly. If you can't come up with the correct answers
yourself, read books or listen to tapes on the subject of
sales.
Entrepreneur:Based on your experience in the field,
are there other tips you offer businesspeople to put them over the
top?
Lontos: No matter how much business is coming in, never
stop marketing. It's also very important to trust your
intuition and to hire employees or consultants not because you like
them but because they can do the job.
Take the time to help others. Many good things have come into my
life by taking this approach.
Entrepreneur:How do you build trust with a
client?
Lontos: Always find something you like about the client.
Think and feel "I like you and I think you are terrific"
while you are talking to the client. In your conversations, show
you care about your clients and their businesses. It's
important to find a common bond between you.
Entrepreneur:Can you give us some sample questions
that might help close the sale?
Lontos: You can take control by asking strong questions
like "What is your main concern?" or "Is there
something you haven't told me?"
People will gravitate toward you if they feel you are helping
them and that you care. Always talk about benefits and end results.
Discuss what they want. You must personalize your approach so you
show you care about your clients and about solving their
problems.
Entrepreneur:Can you give an example?
Lontos: I recently gave a seminar for cake designers.
These people not only wanted customers to buy cakes from their
bakery but also to order the bigger cake, the nicer icing and the
fancier decorations. I told them to think about not just selling a
cake but selling memories. Think how happy their customers will be
10 or 15 years from now when looking back with their children at
wedding pictures. Seeing themselves cutting the cake is a memory
they will cherish forever.
Another type of person may be more interested in impressing his
or her friends. One may be more interested in the taste of the
cake. Therefore, qualifying questions will help you discover what
they really want, and if you listen, you'll obtain the answer.
You will not only make the sale but also satisfy them and make them
happy.
Entrepreneur:Once you've been properly
trained in sales, is it a skill that will stay with you?
Lontos: It's like riding a bike--you don't
forget. If you get back out there and start doing it, it comes back
to you. I learned how to sell, and I learned how to be motivated.
I'm not saying I didn't have setbacks; I'm not saying I
don't have ups and downs. I feel down like everybody else, but
now I know how to bring myself out of it.
Alan Rothman is a consultant, author, columnist and speaker.
E-mail him at arothman@fea.net
Contact Source
Lontos Sales and Motivation Inc., P.O. Box 617553,
Orlando, FL 32861, (407) 299-6128