“Connecting is all about your friendliness, your ability to
engage, and your willingness to give value first.
When you combine those three attributes, you will have uncovered
the secret of powerful connections that lead to RICH
relationships.”
-Jeffrey Gitomer

The four connection questions to ask yourself this week:

1. Who do you know?
-Working at Lilly we’re exposed to alot of connections such as
doctors, nurses, and PA’s. Then we get disconnected from them
and lose business to our competitors? Key thought: Who are your
top 10 most powerful doctors? Can you name them from memory?

2. How well are you connected?
-We all have our circle of influence whether it be the catering
staff at Black-Eyed Pea or the doctors you call on, it’s
important to take an inventory of your networking connections.
Key thought: Who could you call late in the evening to get a
lunch to your doctors tomorrow? Would anyone answer?

3. Do you know how to make a connection?
-Most of us are taught some form of “cold-calling” the better
way is networking. Key thought: What can you do for your doctors
this week that will make them remember you?

4. Who knows you?
-Our job as sales reps is to expose ourselves to the marketplace
in a valuable way. Key thought: Do your doctors know you by
name?

Your Networking Champ,

Lindsey Root

According to Jeffrey Gitomer, “Salespeople become known by the questions they ask.”

Here are some powerful lead-in questions to start a conversation in sales:

1. “What do you look for…?”
2. “How do your customers react to…?”
3. “What does your competitor do about…?”
4. “What has been your experience…?”
5. “How have you successfully used…?”
6. “How do you determine…?”
7. “Why is that a deciding factor…?”
8. “What makes you choose…?”
9. “What do you like about…?”
10. “What is one thing you would improve about…?”

-Lindsey Root

Always do something different than everyone else to standout.  I’m a pharmaceutical sales rep.  There are tons of us out there, so in order to make a sell I need to stand out above the others. 

Every single day of the week I have a breakfast and lunch scheduled to meet with doctors and their staff to educate them on my products.  I also try to have dinner programs scheduled at least once a week or every other week.  The more your client sees you, the more he/she will think about your product. 

Always make yourself approachable and don’t act like a know it all.  Make sure that the client is talking about 80% of the time and you are talking 20% of the time.

Once your client reveals their concerns to you about your product than you know how to address them properly to make them more comfortable with your product.

Once I increased my frequency and branding my numbers went up tremendously.  I was in the top 10% of my region.  Just remember to believe in yourself.   

The most powerful way to increase sales results is to be confident in who you are as a person and what product you sell.  If you walk in with your head held high and a smile on your face, no one wants to turn you away. 

Stop focusing so much on selling and first focus on building a relationship with your client.  Once you have a good relationship, your client will trust you and want to hear what you have to say.  Once trust is established than you really don’t have to sell at all.

If you believe in the product you sell than the product should sell for itself.  You are the face of the product.  Remember that.

If you were buying a product that you didn’t know very much about but were very interested how would you act on the other side? 

Here is a great quote I read out of a great sales book I would recommend buying.  The book is very easy reading, kind-of cheesy but has great advice when it comes to selling.  The book is called Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book of Selling.  My favorite quote from the book is:

“It’s not hard sell, it’s heart sell. 

Good questions get to the heart

Of the problem/need/situation

Very quickly-without the buyer

Feeling like he or she is being pushed.

                        -Jeffrey Gitomer

-Lindsey Root  :-)