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"PUT THAT COFFEE DOWN! COFFEE IS FOR CLOSERS!"
Who could forget that famous sales scene from Glengarry Glen Ross where Alec Baldwin storms into a branch office of a real estate firm and runs roughshod over a group of excuse-laden, non-performing salespeople? After berating the group and telling them that they are all fired, Baldwin then says they have one week to get their jobs back. The only thing that matters, he said, “is to get the person to sign on the line which is dotted!”
Baldwin then flips the chalkboard and exhorts, “A—Always, B—Be, C—Closing! ALWAYS BE CLOSING!!”
Sit back and think for a minute ... how many times have you heard a sales manager repeat that statement over the last five years. If it is once, that is one time too many.
In today’s social networking/consultative selling world, movies like "Boiler Room" and "Glengarry Glen Ross" are nothing more than entertaining views of how self-centered sales was in the past, leading to jokes like, "What do you call 100 sales people at the bottom of the ocean ....? A good start!" (or was that lawyers?)
Always Be Closing is dead. It is sad ... we never gave it a proper funeral.
The good news is; it has been replaced. The bad news is that it has been replaced with a really bad acronym: SOCPAWSOO. Let’s break it down ... SOC-PAW-SOO.
It is nine simple words strung together that gives us purpose, meaning and trusted advisor status in the eyes of our customers.
What are those words?
"SOLVE OUR CUSTOMERS PROBLEMS ... AND WE’LL SOLVE OUR OWN."
That’s it. That is the purpose and the meaning for every sales professional. And I did say professional.
If we solve our customers’ problems which may include...
- Growth
- Increase efficiency
- Increase productivity
- Reduce day to day friction
- Meeting deadlines
- Preventing future problems
- Maintaining a sense of well-being
...we’ll solve our own. What are our problems? Put simply, making our revenue and margin targets — profitable growth.
Do you know what the difference is between the successful salesperson and the unsuccessful salesperson?
“The Successful salesperson is in the habit of doing things the unsuccessful salesperson doesn’t do.”
It’s those three little words ... in the habit.
The successful salesperson is in the habit of solving their customer’s problems through mastering these five skills:
- Social networking: they invest in the relationship. They research their prospect. They understand their background interests, etc.
- Operating reality: they are always in the customer’s operating reality. They see problems/opportunities as they appear through the customer’s eyes. They understand their company’s products/services and how they could potentially solve their customer’s challenges
- Active listening: they understand they have two ears and one mouth for a reason. They make sure they do twice as much listening as talking so they can truly understand customer needs.
- Effective questioning: they recognize that asking the right questions is the strongest form of problem solving. It shows you understand their operating reality, illustrates empathy, and forces the customer to think of you differently.
- Objection handling: they don’t fear objections. They see objections as merely a request for more information.
While I am fairly certain that SOCPAWSOO will not become an everyday sales term, I truly believe that those nine words are the foundation for any sales training program. If you are a three letter acronym fan, we can reduce it to: “A—Always, B—Be, S—Solving. ABS—Always be solving.
At Butler Street, our training programs DO NOT teach people how to close. We help companies and their people grow by mastering the five skills outlined above. The companies we work with grow 4X their respective markets. Not achieving those kinds of results? Click on CONTACT, we would love to learn more about you, your company and your challenges.
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- Marketing and Sales
With 194 percent year over year growth and a 90 Net Promoter Score, Butler Street has established itself as one of the leading consulting, training and research firms to the middle market. Before founding Butler Street, Mike Jacoutot spent the previous nine years as CEO of a national health care staffing company and most recently, a revenue cycle company. Jacoutot brings a strong combination of Lean Six Sigma process skills together with 34 years of sales and marketing experience.
Jacoutot is also the author of "Become the Only Choice." Now in its third printing, the book emphasizes a combination of consultative selling and process management techniques to enable salespeople to sell the way clients buy.
A four-time All-American collegiate wrestler, Jacoutot led The College of New Jersey wrestling team to two national championships. He culminated his senior year by winning the NCAA Division III Championship after three consecutive second place finishes. In March 2015, Jacoutot was inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame. In October 2013, he was also inducted into The College of New Jersey Athletic Hall of Fame along with his 1981 NCAA Division III Championship Team. He holds a B.A. in Management.