So, I’ve made a slight turn again to cover a topic that seems to get ignored a lot.

So….Yes…

We’re still in our series:

Selling Opportunities Come From Everywhere

http://howtosellpreneed.com/prospecting/selling-opportunities-come-from-everywhere#more-2650

The above link will take you to the first part of the series but…

But, well, here I go again.

I received a rambling email and thought I’d address the rambling nature more than the problem which I think are one in the same.

You’ve often heard me talk about FOCUS and staying on track.

Even though I’m not a big fan of scripts it is important to outline where you are and where you’re heading.

So, scripts can help keep you focused on the task and yes, for some, internalizing the words of the presentation can help as well.  (I have scripts on the catalog page that will be available shortly).

By the way, this is another reason why I constantly preach the “4 Commitments to a Sale”  (check the catalog page)

Get those commitments and you’ll get the sale every single time.  Miss a commitment and you risk a “no” sale.

YOU are an expert Pre-Need Seller.

I don’t care if you’ve been in the business one day YOU are an expert.  You know infinitely more than almost anyone on the street including your prospect.

The worst thing you can do with all that knowledge is tell everyone you meet everything you know.

Because most prospects…heck, all prospects…are interested in ME, the ME being YOUR PROSPSECT.

It is way more important to share information with your Prospect that is applicable to your Prospect.

How do you know what information to share with your prospect?

Well, that’s the point I’m making today and the response I sent our email friend above.

You’ve got to listen to your prospect to determine the information your prospect is looking for and not the other way around.

You’re not a Preacher….

You’re a Presenter of info….

And that info must be relevant to your prospect.

The only way of knowing what is relevant to your prospect is to ask questions and listen closely to the responses.

The old formula of listening 80% of the time and speaking 20% of the time with a focused clear path of where you want to go solves the problem of TWADDLE.

And, twaddle was exactly what I found in the email I received from our friend.

How do you eliminate the twaddle?

Go back to the basics.  Go through the presentation script.  Go through the 4 commitments to a sale.

Go through and streamline what you’re doing by listening to what your prospect is telling you.

In fact, when you get really good at this you’ll hear your prospect tell you how to sell them.

It’s that simple!

Happy Selling without Twaddle!

David…

P.S.  Most of the answers to selling pre-arrangements can be found on the catalog page.  I’m about to launch the Whole Enchilada (everything I’ve got including the kitchen sink!)

All subscribers will be notified when the Whole Enchilada is ready.

If you’re a member I’ve got something even more special for you.

Stay tuned…

Catalog

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Pre-Need Selling, an Art or Science?

             I’m working on an interview you will be hearing more about shortly.  In preparation for the interview I picked up a few books on the subject.  One book really caught my attention and below is an excerpt from the first two paragraphs of the book, “How to Interview”, The Art of the Media Interview by Paul McLaughlin:

            “If I could write one chapter about interviewing, it would be listening.  And if I could write only one sentence it would be this.  The more deeply you listen, the more eloquently people will speak.

            Active concentrated listening does not benefit only you.  It also helps the speaker.  Just as an actor playing Hamlet would have great difficulty delivering a soliloquy with feeling if the audience were distracted, an interviewer who does not pay complete attention to what a guest is saying will diminish the interviewee’s ability to speak and the quality of what he or she says.”

            Isn’t it amazing how we find topics, techniques, and strategies outside our industry that are so compelling and applicable to today’s pre-need sales associate you’d think it was written for us in the pre-need industry?

The only formula for success

     I’ve mentioned that there is a two step formula for success in this business.  That formula is to find people to talk to and to talk to those people you find.  I went a little more in depth by suggesting you incorporate your story, your “WHY” you got into this business into your presentation.

Here’s today’s tip: 

     You, the Presenter, should be speaking approximately 20% of the time while making your presentation.  I can’t tell you how many Memorial Counselors I’ve worked with that wait for the Prospect to take a breath and immediately speak.  And when I say speak I don’t just mean speak, I mean shove lots and lots of words into the mix usually interrupting the train of thought of the Prospect.

     There is a science to Presenting and there is an art to Listening.  Another way to say it is there is a formula to presenting much like there are ingredients to baking. 

     When you bake you use a formula with ingredients and specific times and places to incorporate the two.  When baking, if you mix the ingredients out of order, or different from the formula you have a big fat disaster on your hands!

God gave you two ears to listen twice as much as you talk

     Listening is like cooking, not baking.  When you cook dinner you can throw a little of this and a little of that in the mix without being precise.  Dinner will still come out excellent unlike baking that requires an exact formula and ingredients added at certain times.

     That is the way it is with presenting to a couple.  Presenting is like baking a cake and you need to go over different steps in a set order. 

     Listening is just the opposite.  There is no preciseness to it.  It is a fluid interaction that requires a level of understanding that only works when you the Presenter listen without jumping in. 

     When you the presenter “hear” all of the thoughts of the Prospect in full context uninterrupted, usually explained in layman non-industry terms you understand what’s being said more clearly.  Many times you the Presenter need to ask questions to clarify what your Prospect means when he/she makes a statement.

Practice the Art of Listening

     Here’s a way to “practice” listening.  The next time you are having a conversation with anyone about any subject listen and “SAY NOTHING”. 

     Just listen, or encourage the individual to keep talking.  What you will discover is a whole new world out there. 

     A world of understanding more of what people are saying to you, a world of accomplishing more of what you want because you know what the other party wants.

     Try it.  Try listening a lot and saying very little.  You’ll find that it’s difficult because we all like to hear ourselves talk. BUT, listen anyway!

It’s amazing

     It goes with the other adage of talking about ourselves.  Nothing beats talking a lot about your number one most interesting subject:  I, ME, and MY SELF.

     Stick with the formula of speaking 20% of the time and listening 80% of the time while discovering the Art of understanding what it is your Prospect truly wants.

Happy Selling!

David…

P.S.  To get more info on the formula for success it begins with Mining Your Natural Market (tapping into your spheres of influence) and continues with Champion Endorser, follow-up programs, stay-in-touch programs, newsletter, and systems.  Check it all out here.

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