TAKING THE FEAR OF REJECTION OUT OF SELLING
Master Stress-Free Lead Development
For most salespeople, prospecting is the least appealing aspect of their jobs, with the fear of rejection hanging over every call. This creates a self-fulfilling cycle: When the salesperson fears rejection, this fear becomes apparent in their tone of voice to the person on the other end of the line, which makes that person less likely to want to continue the conversation.
PROSPECT THE SANDLER WAY: A 30-Day Program For Mastering Stress-Free Lead Development, by sales trainer John Rosso, enables salespeople to break this cycle by applying the proven techniques of the Sandler Selling System to prospecting. The book provides 30 principles for mastering stress-free lead development by phone and over the Internet, in accordance with the selling system developed by David Sandler.
Rosso has used his insights into prospecting to transform not only his own career but also those of his clients. The most important insight is that salespeople must take responsibility for their own beliefs and actions. Negative beliefs, which can be ingrained from experiences early in life, become habits, which become self-fulfilling prophecies, such as “CEOs never take my calls, so there’s no point in trying.”
The principles in PROSPECT THE SANDLER WAY help salespeople recognize and alter these negative beliefs by addressing both the psychological and technical aspects of prospecting. For example, most salespeople approach prospecting with a mindset, drilled into them from countless sales training courses, that the prospecting call should follow a set pattern of establishing rapport, presenting features and benefits, resolving objections, and closing. The problem with this approach is that it mirrors the buyer’s system, leading to what Rosso calls the Buyer-Seller Dance.
PROSPECT THE SANDLER WAY teaches a different approach utilizing an Up-Front Contract, a set of ground rules that the salesperson establishes with the prospect at the outset of the call regarding possible outcomes, including the possibility that the company or its products might not be suitable for the prospect. This disarmingly simple approach has the effect of taking the stress off both the prospect and salesperson, greatly improving the odds of success.
The principles in PROSPECT THE SANDLER WAY instruct readers in the proven Sandler Selling System. Readers will become skilled in the following tools and techniques that will greatly improve their effectiveness in converting prospecting calls into appointments:
The Prospecting Plan
Avoiding the Buyer-Seller Dance
The Sandler Mini-Submarine
Pre-Call Research
Harvesting Referrals via LinkedIn
The 30-Second Commercial
How to Establish Rapport
The Up-Front Contract
Getting Past the Gatekeeper
The Sandler Pain Funnel
A centerpiece of the Sandler prospecting system is the 30-Second Commercial, a message that describes, in a succinct, compelling way, exactly what the company’s product or service does and how the prospect might benefit. It is not a recitation of features and benefits. The objective of the 30-Second Commercial is not to sell the product or service, but to sell the prospect on the idea of having a further conversation.
Distilling and summarizing the major points of a complex presentation into 30 seconds requires an investment of time and practice on the salesperson’s part, but the payoff in the form of a higher percentage of appointments is worth the effort. “The success or failure of your prospecting call will rely in large measure on the care with which you identify and practice the 30-Second Commercial,” says Rosso. “So be prepared to spend some significant time working on this.”
The book is organized so that one principle can be read and implemented each day over a period of 30 days. Numerous worksheets and exercises help readers to understand and practice each principle. “Let one principle sink in for a full 24 hours, and be sure to complete any activities connected with that principle before you try to master the next one,” says Rosso.
For sales professionals who wish to advance their careers, as well as sales executives and CEOs who wish to boost the productivity of their teams, PROSPECT THE SANDLER WAY provides the essential knowledge and tools for generating a high degree of success.
About the Author
John Rosso is a recognized business development expert specializing in executive sales consulting and sales productivity training. A dynamic, exuberant speaker certified in the proprietary selling system developed by David Sandler, Rosso informs, entertains, and motivates leadership and rank-and-file sales teams to achieve their full potential. Leveraging over two decades of Sandler training experience, he focuses on helping people succeed by transforming attitude and behavior, as well as techniques for each step of the sales process.
About David Mattson
David H. Mattson, CEO and President of Sandler Training, oversees the corporate direction and strategy for the company’s global operations including sales, marketing, consulting, alliances, and support. His key areas of focus are sales leadership, strategy, and client satisfaction. Under Mattson's leadership, the Sandler organization expanded domestically and internationally to over 250 offices in 27 countries around the world.
About Sandler Training
Sandler Training dominates the global training market through an unparalleled network of more than 250 offices worldwide, with professional trainers providing more than 450,000 hours per year of instruction in 23 languages. For more information about Sandler Training please visit www.sandler.com.
