AMERICA’S #1 CORPORATE TRAINER STEPHA N SCHIFFM A N 25 THE SALES HABITS of HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL SALESPEOPLE 3RD EDITION  25 tHe SaleS HabitS of HigHly SucceSSful SaleSpeople 3rd edition Stephan SChiffman AmericA’s#1corporAtesAlestrAiner Avon,massachusetts To your future •  •  • Copyright © 2008, 1994, 1990 by Stephan Schiffman. All rights reserved.  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any  form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are  made for brief excerpts used in published reviews. Published by Adams Media, an F+W Publications Company 57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A. www.adamsmedia.com ISBN 10: 1-59869-757-9 ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-757-5 (paperback) ISBN-13: 978-1-44050-112-8 (EPUB) Printed in Canada. J I H G F E D C B A Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher. 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Contents Introduction to the Third Edition…viii Introduction…xi Habit #1 If it doesn’t work, fix it…1 Habit #2 Communicate the message that it is sound business to trust you…5 Habit #3 Ask the right questions…9 Habit #4 Take the lead…13 Habit #5 Listen, learn, and lead…17 Habit #6 Engage the prospect…21 Habit #7 Find key requirements…25 Habit #8 Know the sales timetable…29 Habit #9 Convert the leads that “fall into your lap”…33 Habit #10 Know how to make your product or service fit somewhere else…35 Habit #11 Pretend you’re a consultant (because you are)…39 Habit #12 Ask for the next appointment while you’re on the first visit…43 Habit #13 Take notes…47 Habit #14 Create a plan with each new prospect…49 Habit #15 Ask for referrals…51 Habit #16 Show enthusiasm…55 iii tHe25sAlesHABitsoFHiGHlysUccessFUlsAlespeople Habit #17 Give yourself appropriate credit…59 Habit #18 Tell the truth (it’s easier to remember)…63 Habit #19 Sell yourself on yourself…67 Habit #20 Start early…71 Habit #21 Read industry publications (yours and your clients’)…73 Habit #22 Support your visit the next day…75 Habit #23 Give speeches to business and civic groups…77 Habit #24 Pass along opportunity when appropriate…81 Habit #25 Take responsibility for presentations that go haywire…85 Bonus Habits Habit #1 No one wakes up and says, “I’m going to be stupid today”…89 Habit #2 The customer isn’t always right…93 Habit #3 Be honest with yourself about the nature of the firm you work for…97 Habit #4 Tell everyone you meet the name of the company you work for and what you sell…99 Habit #5 Keep your sense of humor…101 Quick Reference Summary…105 About the Author…110 iv acknowledgments iwouldliketothankthefollowingpeoplefortheirhelp withthisbook:myeditor,curtschleier;myagent,steph- anieKiprosten;lauraDalyandpeterArcheratAdams media;monikaVerma;andofcourse,Anne,Daniele,and Jenniferfortheirunceasingsupport. Introduction to the Third Edition forbetterorworse,we’reallcreaturesofhabit.Weusu- allygotosleepandgetupatthesametimeeveryday. somepeoplelayouttheirclothingthenightbefore,some brushtheirhairthesamenumberoftimesbeforetheygo tosleep. i’mnotapsychologist,butisuspectthiskindofritu- alisticbehaviorisagoodthing.Wehaveenoughtoworry aboutinourlives.sothechancetoperformsimple,day- to-daytaskswithoutreallythinkingaboutthemisabig plus.myguessisthatifwehadtoreflectoneverysimple taskwenowdoautomatically—whenweputoutour clothes,howmanytimeswebrushourhair—we’dbecome paralyzed. it’slongbeenmycontentionthatthebestsalespeople arealsocreaturesofhabit.youask,“Howcanthatbe, steve?youkeeptellinguswehavetobeflexibleinour approach,beabletoadjusttochange.”Andthat’scer- tainlytrue. vii tHe25sAlesHABitsoFHiGHlysUccessFUlsAlespeople Thegreatsalespeopleareflexibleenoughtoadoptnew salestoolsastheybecomeavailable—frompowerpointto textmessaging.Theyknowthattheycan’tbelockedinto asinglesalespitch,andtheyhavetoadjustwhattheysay toeachcustomer.Theyknowtheimportanceofthesales process—andtheirgoalsarealwaystogettothenextstep. Butthatdoesn’tmeanroutineisn’timportant.The mostimportantsalesskillisprospecting.Thoseofyou who’vetakenmycoursesorreadmyotherbooksknow thatwhenitalkaboutprospecting,imeanfindingsome- onenewtospeaktoeverysingleday. somepeopletellmethey’reabletorelyexclusivelyon businessfromexistingaccounts.i’mnevercertainwhether theymeantheydon’tneedtoprospectbecausetheyhave arichveintheycancontinuetomineincompanieswith whichtheyalreadydobusiness...orthatthey’rejust ordertakers. iftheycanreallydothatandarehappywiththe results,morepowertothem.Butgoodsalespeople—by mydefinition—can’taffordnottoprospect.They’renever satisfied.They’rehungry.Theyknowthey’llneedgood paydaysfour,five,six,sevenmonthsdowntheroad,and thatcanonlycomefrom(dependingonyoursalescycle) clientstheypickuptoday.(moreonthatinHabit#8.) Fromthetimeifirstgotintosales,imadeitmybusi- nesstocallfifteenleadseveryday;i’vebeeninbusinessfor myselfnowalmostthreedecades—andistilldothat.it becameahabitwithme. Whilemanycolleagueswentstraighttothecoffee machinewhentheycameintotheofficeinthemorning viii