OCT 15 TH 2008 / ISSUE 12 WHY ARE CUSTOMERS SO INDECISIVE? The Full Story Factor PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE How much is too much? MENTAL TOUGHNESS: How Lessons From Salespeople Are Being Applied To The Rugby Field
Mar 22, 2016
ocT 15Th 2008 / Issue 12
Why AreCustomersso IndeCIsIve?The Full story Factor
ProduCtKnoWledgehow much is too much?
mentAl toughness:how lessons From salespeople Are Being Applied to the rugby Field
NZsM / ocT 15Th 2008 / 2
ocT 15Th / Issue 12
4 IntervIeW
mentAl toughness
Applying lessons in
mental toughness from
salespeople to the
canterbury crusaders.
8 thIs WeeKs must reAd
Why Are Customers
so IndeCIsIve?
The full story factor
10 nZsm CAlendAr
11 tWo mInute toP-uP
ProduCt
KnoWledge
how much is too much?
12 BooK revIeW
PrInCIPle-Centred
leAdershIP
13 sAles trAInIng
dIreCtory
14 the Close
4 8
11
12
NZsM / ocT 15Th 2008 / 3
selling is often likened to
competitive sport and
many lessons and prin-
ciples from the sports field have
been applied in the boardroom.
Discipline, persistence, hard work and preparation
are just some of the skills learnt by top sports people
and not surprisingly many sporting greats have gone
on to great careers in business. In fact, many of you
reading this will no doubt credit part of your success
in selling to lessons you’ve learnt through your own
sporting endeavours.
however, when it comes to mental toughness, the
one trait Kiwi sportspeople are most accused of
lacking, it seems that top salespeople are now
teaching sportspeople a thing or two.
Jamie Ford has been studying and working with
salespeople in the area of mental toughness for the last
two decades, and has recently been chosen to teach
these principles to the canterbury crusaders rugby team.
Be sure to check out our interview with Jamie to find
out how studies of salespeople are now benefiting the
sporting world and why we love to hate those Aussies!
And just for a bit of fun, if you think your sales meetings
are rough, check out this short scene from the movie
Glengarry Glen Ross starring Alec Baldwin. coffee
drinkers take note!
(I would say “some language may offend” but knowing
what I know about salespeople… it won’t!)
Richard
ABouT /
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comments to [email protected] and we’ll share the best ones in future issues.
NZsM / ocT 15Th 2008 / 4
nZsm: Cutting straight to the
chase Jamie, in your experience
dealing with sales professionals
and business owners over the
years, what separates top sellers
from the rest?
JF: They have the mental toughness
“X factor” attitude to continue
persevering towards their goals
when others fall by the wayside,
and despite well meaning friends
advising them to give up. If you ask
any group of people what makes the
difference when it comes to results,
the vast majority will say, “Attitude!”
Thomas edison and colonel sanders
are great examples, as is sir William
hamilton.
nZsm: you’ve done a lot to apply
the work of renowned American
psychologist Professor martin
seligman in new Zealand – for
those who haven’t heard of
lessons from sport are often applied in business but Jamie Ford’s work with salespeople has recently seen his mental toughness training be taken from the board room to the sports arena. he explains to nZ sales manager the mysterious attitudinal ‘X factor’ and why seemingly positive salespeople often crumble under pressure. ]
I N T E R V I E W
NZsM / ocT 15Th 2008 / 5
seligman can you explain what
he does and the significance of
his work for sales managers?
JF: Professor seligman is regarded
as one of the ten most important
psychologists in the history of
psychology, and he specializes in
motivation. his studies of over 1
million salespeople enabled him to
unpack the “X factor” attitude in
motivation that makes the difference
between the average salesperson
and the super stars. he also designed
a test for this
attitude, called the
sAsQ which is now
being used by the
canterbury crusaders
and the Wallabies
rugby teams, as
well as business
organizations such as
ANZ National Bank.
Perhaps the most
valuable aspect of his work is
that he proved that the X factor
attitude is learned, and that puts
us in the happy position of being
able to actually help sales people
can develop this attitude, with big
improvements in their results.
nZsm: A “positive attitude”
and “mental toughness” are
always high on the list of
managers when they’re looking
for salespeople but many
salespeople appear outwardly
positive yet crumble under
pressure. Is mental toughness
part of a positive attitude or are
they two separate things?
JF: No! They are not the same and
managers will make progress faster
with their salespeople if they get
to grips with this vital difference.
Most of us learn the importance of
presenting ourselves with a “positive
attitude” at an early stage in life.
But it’s a superficial front, and
doesn’t indicate that the fundamental
mental toughness needed to
persevere against the odds and
succeed, is present.
Mental toughness is something much
more fundamental and valuable.
Think of it this way. Mental toughness
is the foundation of the house you
are building, while a positive attitude
is merely the interior decorating. one
is absolutely vital to everything that
follows, while the other, the interior
decorating, is open to personal
preferences without creating any
great risk of structural failure.
A positive attitude is a “nice-to-
have”, while mental toughness is the
“must-have” X factor attitude.
nZsm: you mentioned that this
type of thinking can be learned
- aren’t some people just born
more optimistic than others?
JF: optimism and pessimism, as
styles of thinking, are learned. While
we are somewhat pre-disposed to
one or the other, the major factor by
far is accidental learning when we
are very young.
The impact of this accidental
learning is huge. More than 1,000
studies with the seligman test show
that those salespeople with the more
optimistic thinking style outperform
those with the more pessimistic
style, by 30% on average in sales
results. In some industries it goes as
high as 300%.
But the good news is that this old
learning can be
replaced by new
learning.
nZsm: to date
most of your work
has been done in
the business world
with salespeople.
Can you tell us
a bit more about
your work with the Canterbury
Crusaders? many readers would
suggest the Auckland Blues are
the ones who need a bit more
mental toughness...
JF: The work with the canterbury
Rugby union and the crusaders
Franchise is focused on developing
their resilience and optimism - that
X factor attitude we talked about
which is often referred to as mental
toughness.
This involves assessing their present
levels of that critical attitude; working
with their leaders and coaches to
embed that attitude into their culture
and practices; providing coaching
expertise and resources.
The intention is that optimistic and
resilient thinking habits of high
Mental toughness is the foundation of the house you are building, while a positive attitude is merely the interior
decorating
NZsM / ocT 15Th 2008 / 6
performance become the norm.
As for the Auckland Blues... Well all
NZ sports teams would be wise to
follow the Crusader’s lead! In fifteen
years of using seligman’s test we
have come to the conclusion that
pessimism is endemic in our culture
and action is needed urgently on all
fronts, including sport.
nZsm: some sales managers
deliberately seek out salespeople
those who have excelled in
competitive sport – what’s your
take on this?
JF: sports people are
comfortable with goals and
targets. They are competitive and
want to win. They understand the
fact of failing and having to get
up for next week’s game. They
are also comfortable with regular
training and individual coaching.
Those are the norm for top
salespeople, and therefore the
probability of a person who has
excelled is sport excelling in sales
is quite high, and the risk of another
recruitment failure is reduced.
nZsm: last year you correctly
predicted on national tv that
both the All Blacks and silver
Ferns would lose their respective
world cups based just on the
language they were using. Can
you explain what happened in a
bit more detail?
JF: It’s as obvious as the nose on
your face to a trained observer.
We give away clues to our deeply
embedded thinking style habits
in the way we talk about why we
have succeeded or failed in our
endeavours. Technically this is
known as our “explanatory style”.
I’ve been using the All Blacks and
silver Ferns in case studies for
many years now, and this provides
insight into their thinking style
habits. What makes this relevant to
my predictions is that the science
behind it proves, beyond doubt,
that those with the more optimistic
explanations beat those with the
more pessimistic explanations.
With the silver Ferns there is a
strong pattern of more pessimistic
explanations, while the Australian
Diamonds are more optimistic in
their explanations.
similarly for the Black caps
(NZ cricket Team) winning is an
aberration while losing is the
norm. It’s the other way around
for the Australian cricket Team.
NZsM / ocT 15Th 2008 / 7
In the fact the Australian cricket
team were once asked to name
the second best side in the
world. Their answer was Australia
B! Now they were not intending
to be perceived as arrogant.
That’s the way they think.
nZsm: Kiwi’s versus Aussies…
we often accuse Australians of
being arrogant yet we praise
their mental toughness… is this
just symbolic of Kiwi’s being
more pessimistic in general?
JF: My observation is that it is more
than symbolic. I think that Aussie’s
have a more optimistic thinking
style, and this comes across as
“arrogance” to Kiwi’s, but it’s not
intended that way by the Aussie’s.
It’s an outcome of accidental
learning at an early age. Fortunately
for them!
Kiwi’s on the other hand are accidentally
learning a more pessimistic way of
thinking from an early age.
What ought to concern us all is the
way that Australia has been able to
maintain a high oecD ranking for
many years. I think it is currently #3,
while NZ has slipped to 23 from # 3
in the early 1950’s.
It’s my strong opinion that this has a lot
to do with optimistic and pessimistic
attitudes, alongside other factors.
In fact, treasury people are studying
this connection. If we had a national
optimism project, like scotland, I think
a surprising degree of improvement
would be achieved in a relatively short
period. A national optimism survey
would be a good start.
nZsm: you worked as country
manager for the international
sales training organisation
learning International (now
Achieveglobal) quite some time
ago – have you noticed any
improvement in the way Kiwi
salespeople sell since then?
JF: This was in the early 90’s. I
have noticed some improvements.
unfortunately there are still
appallingly low standards of sales
practice being accepted, and
I’m sure we have all been on the
receiving end of some of that.
A good number of corporate’s do
provide their people with quality
skills training. unfortunately there is
far too much reliance on “product
knowledge training”, when the
evidence is strong that sales go
down after product training. Instead
of asking questions to help define
how to assist clients achieve their
goals, salespeople engage in
unloading all their newly acquired
“product knowledge”, and turn off
the customer.
one very good indicator of
progress is the growing practice
of appointing “sales coaches” to
work with the sales team members.
In some cases the coach is a
consultant, in many others the
coach is an internal sales expert.
Jamie Ford is currently working on a new book called Mental Toughness – The X Factor In Your Attitude and you can find out more about his work at www.foresight.co.nz.
Why Are Customers so IndeCIsIve?The Full story Factor
Do you know why your cus-
tomer won’t buy? You’ve
given her the best price,
possibly even the best options. Yet
she fidgets. Maybe, maybe not, she
ponders.
You stand by the wayside and sweat,
praying the sale will go through. Then
almost inexplicably, it slips out of your
hands, and you don’t even know why.
You curse, rant and rave silently at her
indecisive nature. Yet ironically, the
fault is all yours.
Don’t agree? hold your horses and
you’ll learn a simple, fundamental
psychological factor you’ve been
missing in your marketing strategy,
and how you can rectify it in a flash.
Why The Trees In Our Front Yard Are
Still Looking For a Barber
Let me tell you a story about our front
garden. Any time now, I’m expecting
Tarzan and a couple of chimps to
swing merrily by. Like something out
of a horror movie, the foliage has
spread its tentacles, and now hangs
menacingly over several parts of the
house.
Yes I know we need an arborist to
lop off those branches. And yes, we
have called in at least half a dozen.
Incredibly, we haven’t made up our
minds on whom we should choose.
Like deer caught in the headlights,
we’ve been frozen in indecision. one
itty-bitty factor would have made it
easy to decide, but it has eluded us
completely.
I Know What You’re Thinking, And
It’s Not Price…
oh boy! We have estimates up to
our ears. one quote is as high as
$800 (aaargggh!), while the other one
blushes at $250, and all the rest do a
merry dance in between. You’d think
the cheaper quote would get the
thumbs up right away, wouldn’t you?
Well it didn’t.
In fact, it has added to the confusion
because we can’t understand why
there would be such a huge difference
for what is essentially the same job.
And Here Is The Reason Why We Can’t
Decide...
It’s a factor called the Full story. While
every single one of those arborists
provided us with quotes, not one
of them gave us a single reason to
choose them. Any reason would have
been better than none. Ten reasons
would have clinched the deal, even
with a higher price.
This is one of the main reasons why
most deals seem to disintegrate
before the eyes of most business
owners and sales people. We fail
(and fail miserably) to educate
our customers about the unique
advantages of working with us.
By Sean D’Souza
It’s An Impossible Puzzle If It Doesn’t
Have The Pieces
People need to be gratified
psychologically. our brains are dying
to know more about the companies
that bid and all we get are terms and
prices. The arborists should have
educated me about the quality of
their cutting, their comprehensive
insurance policies, their warranties,
their skills, and their service
guarantees in detail. I needed to know
anything and everything that would
help me decide in someone’s favor.
Not one of those bids included that
kind of information.
Look at yourself. Let’s say you hire
someone for your firm. How little
NZsM / ocT 15Th 2008 / 9
Sean D’Souza is a marketing strategist, speaker, author, and the principal of Psychotactics. visit sean’s website at www.psychotactics.com
would you like to know about him?
or say you go out on a date. how
little do you want to know about your
partner? every piece of the puzzle is
absolutely necessary. Don’t forget to
give your customers a reason to buy
from You. Tell them about yourself.
Provide all the juicy details, and you
will leave your competitors crying in
their beer.
What Is The Psychological Reasoning
Behind The Full Story?
The strong, silent type is the one our
mamas told us to watch out for. We
instinctively trust people less who tell
us less. even if we do like the person,
we want them to open up. If you want
people to trust you, you have to tell
them about yourself.
This instinct of distrust is hardwired
in our brains, and you’d do well to
pay attention to it. A lack of adequate
detail doesn’t help to build trust,
which is why customers go from
hello to sayonara very quickly. once
you have their attention, stop saying
stupid things like, “Buy from me,”
and start giving them all the reasons
WhY they should buy from you
(read the article on The Power of
Why). Add spices to your marketing
strategy curry, and your customer will
be captivated by the aroma. churn
the gastric juices in their brains.
Make them salivate. Get them to
drool. And when they’re ready to eat,
feed them well.
Ta-Ta Risk
Telling the Whole story eliminates a
big hurdle called risk. The less your
customers know about you, the more
they are frozen in indecision. When
faced with this scenario, they resort
to the only thing they know—price.
Just like you, they make a decision
on the cheapest, trashiest option
available… because that’s all you
gave them!
Abolish the hazard of your customer
choosing to buy solely on price. Give
her a first class education about why
she needs to buy from you.
The worst thing you can do is leave
her hanging without sufficient info.....
NZsM / ocT 15Th 2008 / 10
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NZsMcALeNDAR
NegotiationDavid FormanAuckland
sales DevelopmentDavid FormanAuckland
sales DevelopmentDavid FormanAucklandNegotiation skillsNZIM NorthernAucklandPresentation skillsuniversity of AucklandAucklandFundamentals of sellingTop Achievers sales Traininghamilton
sales DevelopmentDavid FormanAucklandNegotiation skillsNZIM NorthernAucklandPresentation skillsuniversity of AucklandAuckland
sales DevelopmentDavid FormanNew Plymouhsales PlanningDavid FormanAucklandAdvanced selling skills (healthcare only)Pro-Formance DrivenAuckland (oct 20 - 22)
sales DevelopmentDavid FormanNew Plymouhsales PlanningDavid FormanAucklandsales Leadership WorkshopTop Achievers sales TrainingAucklandsales BasicsGeewizAuckland
sales DevelopmentDavid FormanNew Plymouhsales ManagementGeewizAucklandNetworking skills WorkshopTop Achievers sales TrainingAucklandProfessional Telephone sellingDavid FormanAuckland
sales DevelopmentDavid FormanNew PlymouhProfessional Telephone sellingDavid FormanAucklandcold calling WorkshopTop Achievers sales TrainingAuckland
Fundamentals of sellingTop Achievers sales Trainingchristchurch
Prospecting & New Business DevelopmentDavid FormanAucklandFundamentals of sellingTop Achievers sales TrainingWellington
sales DevelopmentDavid FormanAuckland
Key Account ManagementDavid FormanAuckland
Prospecting & New Business DevelopmentDavid Formanchristchurch
sales DevelopmentDavid FormanAuckland
Key Account ManagementDavid FormanAuckland
sales DevelopmentDavid FormanAuckland
sales DevelopmentDavid FormanAuckland
Negotiation skillsPro-Formance DrivenAuckland
Presentation skillsDavid FormanWellington
Presentation skillsDavid FormanWellington
Presentation skillsDavid FormanWellingtonThe executive healthcare Representative(healthcare only)Pro-Formance DrivenAucklandsales Managing – outstandingly successful sales TeamsGeewizchristchurch
Negotiation skillsPro-Formance DrivenAuckland
The executive healthcare Representative(healthcare only)Pro-Formance DrivenAucklandAdvanced serious sellingGeewizWellingtonMotivation & AttitudeGeewizWellington
The executive healthcare Representative(healthcare only)Pro-Formance DrivenAuckland
Prospecting For New BusinessGeewizchristchurch
NZsM / ocT 15Th 2008 / 11
The problem of the self serving ‘sales patter’ inflict-
ed by many salespeople on their prospects, stems
from sales training and inductions for new recruits
still being too focused on product features and benefits,
rather than the problems and issues that clients have.
I learned this lesson myself the hard way many years ago
selling scientific instruments in England.
During the first couple of weeks of my employment I was
sent to the laboratory to learn the product. I soon knew the
product range inside out and couldn’t wait to impress an
unsuspecting customer with how much I knew.
A full demonstration took about half an hour. It took me a
while to figure out that success of a sales call was inversely
related to how far I got through the demonstration!
understanding the problem the client was trying to solve,
and demonstrating the relevant features of the analyzer was
a much more successful strategy.
hoW muCh Is too muCh?When too much product knowledge can hurt your salespeople
By Paul newsom
In the book, Business Think, a story is told of a
furniture store that found its salespeople became
less effective after 18-24 months on the job.
Researchers found that it took about 6 months
to gain good product knowledge. For new
salespeople with little or no product knowledge,
they were keen to have conversations with clients,
and asked lots of questions.
For the experienced sales people, they spent
their time trying to impress clients with their
fountain of product knowledge. In the end
management attributed the problem to too much
product knowledge. They solved the problem by
rotating salespeople every 18 months to a new
department to keep curiosity alive.
I don’t think the problem was too much product
knowledge. salespeople can’t have too much product
knowledge, but they can misuse their knowledge.
No-one wants a meeting with a walking/talking brochure.
Brochures are for reading and on a first meeting, the
feature and benefit information is usually best left in the
brochure for the client to read in his own time.
Product knowledge should be used by salespeople to
enhance the conversation about your clients business
by:
• Building the perception of value in the mind of
the client
• Asking insightful questions
• Answering questions with an informed opinion
• To further the conversation in the interests of both the
salesperson and the client
Product knowledge – aim to express no to impress!
Paul newsom is learning & development manager of the rev sales network overseeing the content and quality of the rsn’s executive sales training programs.
NZsM / ocT 15Th 2008 / 12
B O O K R E V I E W
how do we as individuals and organizations survive
and thrive amid tremendous change? Why are ef-
forts to improve falling so short in real results despite
the millions of dollars in time, capital, and human effort being
spent on them? how do we unleash the creativity, talent, and
energy within ourselves and others in the midst of pressure? Is
it realistic to believe that balance among personal, family, and
professional life is possible?
stephen R. covey demonstrates that the answer to these
and other dilemmas is Principle-centered Leadership, a
long-term, inside-out approach to developing people and
organizations.
The key to dealing with the challenges that face us today
is the recognition of a principle-centered core within both
ourselves and our organizations. Dr. covey offers insights
and guidelines that can help you apply these principles
both at work and at home -- leading not just to a new
understanding of how to increase quality and productivity,
but also to a new appreciation of the importance of building
personal and professional relationships in order to enjoy a
more balanced, more rewarding, more effective life.
PrInCIPle-Centered leAdershIPBy stephen coveyPublished by Free Press
$28.26 from www.fishpond.co.nz
NZsM / ocT 15Th 2008 / 13
NZsM / ocT 15Th 2008 / 14
“ “- Rodney Dangerfield
A girl phoned me the other day and said... come on over, there’s nobody home. I went over. Nobody was home.