craig elias founder & chief catalyst selling, inc. shift! how to push aside your competition

Craig EliasFounder & Chief Catalyst

Selling, Inc.

SHiFT!How to

Push Aside Your Competition

© COPYRIGHT Craig Elias 2002 - 2006

Craig Elias

• 20 years as a top sales performer

– WorldCom: #1 within 6 months

• Founder of InnerSell, Inc.

– Won Billion Dollar Idea contest

• Collected $1,000,000 prize

– Dow Jones’ 50 most promising

• Creator of Event-Based SellingSM

• Chief Catalyst, SHiFT Selling, Inc.


Press Coverage

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http://www.business2.com/


• Today …

• Extrovert?• “Success is not measured by what

you accomplish. It is measured by the opposition you encounter and the courage with which you maintain your struggle against the odds” – Jerry Frenz

• Where could you be in 10 years?


Objectives

• Provide genuine insights

– Differently not better

• Make the complicated simple

– What, how, and why

• Get you to take action

– Learning is only possible if you’re open to new

experiences


Agenda

• Identify the best opportunities

• Find the best opportunities

• Close the best opportunities


Three Keys to Sales Success

Product

Credibility

Timing

More Viable Opportunities

HigherClose Ratio

Raise Valueof Average

Sale


• Write your signature with your wrong hand

• Write it with your usual hand?

“If you will do what most will not do for just the next few years, then you can do what they can not do for the rest of your

life” – Wade Cook


Testimonials

• “… we have grown the business by more than 50% from the previous year.”Donato Polignone, MSDS a Division of NuGeneration Technologies - Rohnert Park, California

• “I went from closing one sale in twenty to closing two out of three …”Jess Harding, Independent Consultant - Banff, Alberta

• “We gained sales almost immediately …”Rodd Stubbs, Owner, International Security & Protection Co., Ltd. - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

• “… Craig will save us 100’s of hours of wasted time and effort while increasing our conversion rates.”J.P. Obbagy, President, Good Earth Travel Adventures LTD. - Vancouver, British Columbia

IDENTIFYINGTHE BEST

OPPORTUNTIES

Window of DissatisfactionSM


The Secret to Sales is…

Timing:

Getting in front of the right buyer

at EXACTLY

the right time !


Timing & Buying

Buyers are always in one of three buying modes

• Current solution meets the buyer’s needs

• Buyer too busy to search for alternatives

• Buyer actively searching for alternatives

Window of Dissatisfaction

SM

Searching Alternatives

StatusQuo


The Window of Dissatisfaction

Buyer knows what they have does not meet their needs but they are too busy to search for alternatives


Timing & Close Ratios

Status Quo

Window Of Dissatisfaction

SM


Close Ratio

You are five times more likely to close a sale when you have timing - are the first

viable seller in front of a buyer in the Window of Dissatisfaction

Average, cross industry, close ratios

0% 60 – 90% 10 - 20%


Timing & Value

Status Quo



A buyer’s perception of value is the difference between what you offer and what they already have…

Valu

e Valu

e… or what you offer and your next nearest competitor offers.



Searching

Alternatives

Price

Sales Cycle

Close Ratio

High Low

Short Long

LowHigh

Timing and Sales

Valu

e

Valu

e



Searching

Alternatives

Type

Loyalty

Profitable

Demanding

References

Referrals

Core Peripheral

Loyal

80% of Profit

Likely

Likely

Disloyal

80% of Headaches

Unlikely

Unlikely

20% of Headaches

20% of Profit

Timing and Customers


Timing & Selling

• The sooner you get in front of motivated buyers …

• Shape ideal solution– On a scale of 1 to 10

• New Status Quo

• Will not switch, unless …


Value Proposition

Status Quo


Increased MarginsHigher Close RatiosShorter Sales Cycles

Core CustomersLoyal Customers

80% of ProfitReferences & Referrals

Grow Faster: You don’t have to replace customers and

make up for lost revenues before you grow!



How To Know?

• Status Quo• Not interested• Don’t need it right now

• Window of DissatisfactionSM

• We’ll be looking at that in a few months• Call me back in ? when we’ll be looking

• Searching Alternatives• Currently looking• Send me a quote



Status Quo


Questions ?


Exercise

What is your target market1. Geographic 2. Demographic3. Psychographic

– Attributes relating to personality, values, attitudes, interests, or lifestyles. Also called IAO variables (for Interests, Attitudes, and Opinions).

– E.g. An organizations culture. Do they outsource or not?

Event-BasedSellingSM


What is Your Competition

• Status Quo

– Buyers doing the same thing they have

done in the past

• Buyer’s have selective perception

– Too busy… to look at what you sell

• You can’t get their attention, unless…


Event-Based Selling

Remember the buying modes



StatusQuo

A Window of Dissatisfaction is created by a particular event, or a series of events.


What Kind of Events

• Experiences

– People, products, providers

• Change / Transition

– People, places, priorities

• Awareness

– Legal, risk avoidance, economics


Finding The Events

• Won Sales Analysis

– What event(s) lead up to this purchase

– What made you choose us?

– When in the process did you decide?

– What could we have done better?


Keeping Customers

Outcome

Almost Meets/Fails

Meets Exceeds

Pro

cess

Exceeds

Window of Dissatisfact

ionStatus Quo Status Quo

MeetsSearching

Alternatives

Window of Dissatisfacti

onStatus Quo

Almost Meets/Fails



Window of Dissatisfacti

on

Source: Adapted from “e-Service” by Ron Zemke & Tom Connellan


Exercise

Dissatisfaction Events

1. Top three bad experiences

2. Top three changes / transitions

3. Top three awareness strategies


Questions ?


Commitment

Based on what you have learned what is the one

thing, about identifying the best opportunities,

you will do differently, starting next week.

GETTINGTHE BEST

OPPORTUNTIES

Emotional FavouriteSM



• Buyers make emotional decisions and justify them with logic afterwards

• They buy more from, and refer more often, those they know, they like, they trust…

and want to see succeed!



• Murphy’s law– 95% of the time you do not sell what buyers want

• Connect motivated buyers to solutions and you become the Emotional FavouriteSM / ‘Go To’ person that gets called first when buyers want what you sell.



• Value of being the Emotional FavouriteSM

– Superior relationships– Differentiate yourself– Customer face time– Get more referrals– Get called first– Sell faster



• Learn of outside opportunities• Ask the right questions

– “Forget about what I do for ABC Company” 1. What is the biggest issue you have that you just can’t

get to?

2. What is the one thing you are looking for but can’t seem to find?

3. What issue have you tried to solve but can’t find a satisfactory solution to?

• Use the ‘six second rule’• Connect buyers with solutions


Exercise

Emotional Favourite Targets

• Top three prospects


Customer Referrals

• Best time to ask is?

• You can ask for referrals before you make a sale if…

• Have I earned the privilege of asking?

• Sales Analysis– Won Sales

– Lost Sales

– Pre Sales


Exercise

Ideal Referral Identifiers

• Circumstances that lead to events– Another event

• E.g. Insurance sale people looking for those in their thirties who just got married


Questions ?


Commitment


thing, about getting the best opportunities, you will do differently, starting

next week.

CLOSINGTHE BEST

OPPORTUNTIES

BuyerJustification


Justification

• Buyers make emotional decisions and justify them to others with logic afterwards

• What is a buyer’s justification for buying from you– Legal

• Statutory or regulatory requirement

– Risk Avoidance• Risk of action > risk of inaction

– Economics• Productivity• Expenses


Exercise

How will buyers justify choosing you

• Two biggest competitors

• Most popular alternative/competition

Justification

1. Legal

2. Risk Avoidance

3. Ecomonics

The Credibility Curve



• What is the #1 reason people don’t buy– Risk

• The first thing buyers do is…• Credibility offsets risk

Time

Ris

k

Sale

No Sale!

Cre

dibi

lity


What is Risk?

• Risk = Complexity X Cost

– Complexity: Perceived likelihood– Cost: Perceived impact

Cost

Com

plex

ity

Risk


What is Credibility?

• Credibility = Rc + Lc + Ec

– Rc = Relationship Credibility

– Lc = Leveraged Credibility

– Ec = Expertise Credibility

• Raising credibility takes too long using

traditional selling strategies


Shift the Curve Up

Time

$$$

• Increase your credibility

– Create yours

– Build your company’s

– Leverage someone else's


Shift the Curve Left

• Decrease the risk

– Complement DON’T REPLACE

– Reduce scope

– Raise risk of inaction

Time

$$$


Do Both !

• Decrease risk AND increase credibility

Time

$$$

Sales


Exercise


• Raising credibility– Top three ways

• Lowering the risk– Top three ways

First Call EffectivenessSM


First Call EffectivenessSM

• Be first and address a buyer’s needs on the first call and you can win the business 75% of the time

• Don’t end the call, until …– Credibility > Risk– Can deliver solution– What is the difference?

• If you don’t– Customer can continue looking or …


Exercise

First Call Effectiveness

1. Right buying mode

2. Worthwhile

3. Can deliver

4. Be around to support


Questions ?


Commitment


thing, about closing the best opportunities, you will do differently, starting

next week.


Summary

If you only take away three things about today’s training please take away the following:

1. Emotional FavouriteSM

2. Window of DissatisfactionSM

3. First Call EffectivenessSM


Objectives

• Provide insights • Make the complicated, simple • Get you to take action


Taking Action

What is the one thing

you will do differently

from today forward?


10 Years Later…


Passion Is Now Expertise

Help small companies

outsell big companies


SHiFT Selling, Inc.

• Services– Train

• 1 hour• ½ day• Full day• Multi-week

– Coach– Advise


Complete Training Includes

• Finding the best opportunities– Networking & networking referrals– Seven Second Sale (Roger Grant)

• Creating the best opportunities– Creating the Window of Dissatisfaction

• Closing the best opportunities– Path of least resistance selling– Demand compression

• Account penetration strategies• Completion of one-page action plan


Territory Management

Ris

k

Big

Sm

all

Weak Strong

Relationship

Unsolicited

Avoid

Relationship

Bad Experience

Create

Replace

Transition

Exploit

Expand

Awareness

Search

Compliment


Contact Information

• Phone:

866.744.7901

403.313.0412

• Email:

[email protected]

• Web:

www.ShiftSelling.com


Contact Information


Today

Go out and make today the best day of your life

EVERYDAY!

craig elias founder & chief catalyst selling, inc. shift! how to push aside your competition

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