Step Up Results

You hear me reference it all the time, but what exactly does STEP UP stands for anyway:

• Standards
• Talents
• Evaluations
• Preparation
• Unleash Potential

It’s an acronym that identifies 6 steps that make 80% of the difference in the achievement of superior results.                      

                                                          6) Invest in Coaching

                                                5) Unleash Your Potential

                                         4) Proper Preparation

                                   3) Consistent Self Evaluation

                               2) Identify Your Talents

                         1) Raise Your Standards        

                 6  STEPS   = 80 % of the Difference

Knowing how to STEPUP is important, but actually stepping up is invaluable! The market has STEPPED UP -have you?

www.stepuptoolkit.com and   www.DanielGrissom.com

Do you use questions effectively?

Questions are the keys to your success in sales and life.  Why?

First, they help engage the customer, and an engaged customer is more likely to buy, than one who is not engaged.  This is why so many direct mail packages contain an “involvement device.”  The research has shown the marketing firms that when the customer gets the slightest bit involved, he ends up buying the product, more often than not.

Second, good questions provide you with important information you need in order to frame your benefits, value proposition and solutions.

Third, when the questions imply that the customer has a “knowledge gap” that could have negative consequences, he seeks more information.  Thus, he becomes more proactively involved in the conversation.

If questions are so great, why don’t more people use them?  Perhaps because most of us have been taught to make presentations, to have a one-way focus which is mostly about the company, product or service.  We already know about those things;  we’ve memorized the fact book.  Presenting is easier than asking questions because the presentation materials are already made.  All we have to do is go through the drill when we’re in front of the client.  The problem is, this is a totally ineffective approach.

On the other hand, while questions require more effort, they represent a much more effective approach. Think of pealing an onion.  Each question removes another layer, and with each layer you learn relevant information about the person.  With such information, you are better able to position your product or service to show greater value.

Sometimes it’s as simple as using phrases such as  “Tell me more…..” or “What do you mean by that?” or my favorite – “Help me understand.”  Asking good questions doesn’t mean memorizing a list of questions (yet another script).  It means learning to think in questions, so they become a natural part of how you converse.

What questions or questioning strategies will you add?

Do you give a true and objective accounting or are you focused only on you / your product or service?

Objectivity demonstrates character and credibility.  That’s because it is so easy to “spin” your conversation to sell, rather than help.

There is a Geico Insurance TV commercial that shows a conversation between a customer and an agent.  The agent actually recommends the competition.  Not only is it memorable, but it bolstered Geico’s credibility.  Why?  Because it leveraged the psychological power of both objectively and the unexpected.

We expect salespeople to recommend their products or services as the obvious and best choice.  So, we are caught off-guard when they recommend the competition, or anything other than their own product or service.  It causes our trust level to immediately spike.  It is how some sales people sacrifice a single sale to build credibility and generate referrals.

How can you demonstrate objectivity?

Do you think and communicate in terms of problems that you solve for your customers?

No matter what you’re selling, your customers are most likely buying solutions to their problems. When you learn to think in terms of problem solving and speak the language of solutions (rather than features, bells and whistles) you will find your conversations become more relevant, and that means more engaging.

The benefit here is that your customers will begin to view you as a resource or partner, rather than simply a salesperson.

Use this simple exercise to organize your thoughts. Draw a line vertically down a page. In the left hand column, list every customer problem you can think of. In addition to problems, include customer opportunities (an opportunity is simply a problem turned inside out). To the right of each one note how your product or services solves the problem or enables the customer to capitalize on the opportunity.

When you complete this exercise, think about how you can weave this information into your next sales discussion. Consistently demonstrating how you or your product or service solves the customer’s problems will put you on the road to results excellence.

Have you identified the problems you solve for your customers? How will you use this information to be more effective?

How much do you really know about your customer’s business?

I am amazed at how many people set out to sell to customers they know very little about. It is easy to assume that all customers are the same, that everyone in a particular industry is the same and has the same challenges, opportunities and risks. You do yourself and the customer a disservice by assuming such.

The bottom line is this: If you don’t clearly understand your customers’ business, and in particular the specific challenges, risks and opportunities they face, you will not be able to position yourself as the solution or response to these challenges. It’s all relative, and by that I mean, your solution(s) must be directly related and relevant to each of your customers.

A second reason for learning about the customer’s business is this: It increases your credibility and builds trust. Customers want to know you’ve done your homework, that you’ve taken the time to learn about their industry and their particular business challenges. This knowledge is key to your ability to “connect” with the customer, ask important questions, build trust and craft winning solutions.

What steps will you take to learn more about your customer’s business?

Do you understand your value from your customer’s perspective?

You can’t sell what you don’t understand. That means the first step in selling to or influencing anyone is to clearly understand in your own mind the value of what you’re selling. The second step is to be able to articulate that value proposition in a clear and intriguing way.

Value is always defined by the customer. Your value is how you and your product or service provide relevant solutions to the customer. In other words – how you and your product represent value to the customer. It’s not just what you or your company or your marketing materials state as valuable. Rather, it’s what your customer perceives as valuable. This requires that you understand your customer both inside and out.

This may seem obvious, but sadly it isn’t. The reality is, many people go out to sell or influence every day without a clear picture of their value proposition, or the ability to communicate it. It is easier to deliver a scripted spiel of features and benefits. It is easier to assume or expect customers to perceive your value simply because you do. It takes effort to understand the customer’s business and connect what you sell to his needs and wants. But when you do it, the payoff in results is substantial.

What will you do to better understand what your customer values?

Hey, I get it.  It’s tough out there!  Demands are increasing, opportunities are decreasing.

So how can YOU achieve superior results in your business?  The answer is simple, but it’s not easy.  You’ve got to Step Up!

Step Up is the acronym for excellence.  It’s about being at your best when it matters the most.  But your results, in business and in life can only grow to the extent that you do.  In order to win more business, you have to deliver more value.  And since the client buys YOU, the value you create starts with the value YOU can deliver.

These 6 Steps make 80% of the difference in business:

S – Raise Your STANDARDS.

T – Align Your TALENTS.

E – Conduct Superior EVALUATIONS.

P – PREPARE Properly.

U – UNLEASH Your

P – POTENTIAL

I invite YOU to stand up, Step Up and Invest in YOU!  Committ yourself to the principle that perfection is the goal, but excellence will be tolerated.