Creating an Internal Sales Mastermind to Make More Sales

Calls not getting returned?
Prospects telling you your price is too high?
Prospective customers asking for three bids?
Unable to get to the real decision maker?

Do you think you’re the ONLY salesperson facing these issues? Come on, really now?! My bet is every one of your colleagues has exactly the same issues. So, eh, why are they reoccurring?

Why aren’t your calls getting returned? Why is your price continuing to be too high? Why are you having major blockage to get to the decision maker? Huh? Why?

Another bet: there are a few people on your team who are able to get through. There are a few people on your team that are able to get their price. But in spite of that or them, you go out every day banging your head against the wall and the world, trying to make your sales and your quota.

Here’s how to have a better, easier, more fun, more productive, less frustrating (sound good so far?), more bountiful, and more profitable sales life: Create an internal sales mastermind.

One of the most powerful principles Napoleon Hill wrote about in Think and Grow Rich is the ninth step: Power of the Master Mind. He defines mastermind as a “Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.”

In other words – people working together in harmony to get to ‘best answer’ or ‘best response.’ In your case: sales barriers or objections in common.

Take one objection at a time and have single subject meetings…

Everyone has two to five minutes to discuss their issues and whatever form of success they have had.
Everyone takes notes.
No one interrupts.
Everyone has a chance to have two minutes to share their best idea based on their homework, their past experience, and what they’ve just learned.
Everyone takes notes.
No one interrupts.
Each person in the group shares their personal opinion of what they believe will work best, either by what they’re doing in the field, or what they have just learned.
Everyone takes notes.
No one interrupts.
One or several answers and strategies are agreed upon, and all participants agree to try them – and RECORD them as they’re being executed.

The next mastermind session (one week later) should begin with ‘what happened’ in the past week…

Everyone has two to five minutes to discuss their application, what happened, and what form of success they have had.

Everyone takes notes.

No one interrupts.

Everyone gives their refinements based on actual circumstances, applications, and results.

Final tweaks are offered and agreed upon.

The entire sales force now has a set of answers they can use.

When applying new strategies in the field, or on the phone, do them a few times to get familiar. Depending on your situation, and who you’re talking to, wording may be critical. Make certain your language is positive. Make certain all language is non-manipulative.

For example, if you’re trying to find the decision maker and you ask, “Are you the decision maker?” it will breed inconsistent answers and half truths. But if you ask: “How will the decision be made?” followed by asking, “Then what?” a few times, it will bring real results.

Pretty cool, huh?

If you wanna make certain to get the best results, follow these rules and guidelines:

MASTERMIND GROUND RULES:

A mastermind is NOT a corporate meeting.
A mastermind is not a politically correct meeting – it’s wide open.
A mastermind IS a real-world meeting designed to generate answers in less than 60 minutes – and those answers are to be taken out into the field, or delivered over the phone, the same day or sooner.
A mastermind is all about what CAN BE DONE.
If a member acts like a jackass, toss them IMMEDIATELY.
Keeping the focus on ONE SUBJECT PER MEETING cannot be stressed enough.
• At least three consecutive meetings on each topic.
Let the laughs flow; the answers and ideas will follow.

CHALLENGE: If you have balls, invite your CEO to attend your mastermind. He or she will not only be impressed, they will get to see how their paycheck is created.

Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.

About the Author

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].