1. The Chart Getting to the Next Level From The Accidental Salesperson
By Chris Lytle

2. The Categories Level 4: Sales & Marketing Professional
Level 3: Professional Salesperson
Level 2: Salesperson or Problem Solver
Level 1: Account Executive

3. Level of Trust Level 1: Neutral or Distrustful
Level 2: Some Credibility
Level 3: Credible to Highly Credible
Based on Salesperson’s History
Level 4: Complete Trust
Based on established relationship and past performance

5. Goal/Call Objective Level 1: To open doors, see what’s there
Level 2: To persuade & make a sale, or to advance the prospect through the process
Level 3: Customer creation and retention; find the fit; upgrade client & gain more info
Level 4: To continue upgrading and increase share of customer’s business

6. Approach and Involvement
Level 1: Minimal or Nonexistent
Level 2: Well-planned; work to get prospect to buy into the process
Level 3: True source of industry information and business intelligence
Level 4: Less formal and more comfortable because of trust and history

7. Concern or Self-Esteem Issue
Level 1: Being Liked
Level 2: Being of service, solving problems
Level 3: Being a resource
Level 4: Being an “outside insider”

8. Pre-call Preparation Level 1: Level 2: Level 3: Level 4:
Memorize a canned pitch, or “wing it”
Level 2:
Set call objectives; prescript questions; articulate purpose-process-payoff
Level 3:
Research trade magazines, Internet; analyze client’s competition
Level 4:
Thorough preparation, sometimes with proprietary information unavailable to other reps

9. Presentation Level 1: Level 2: Level 3: Level 4:
Product literature, spec sheets, rate sheets
Level 2:
Product solution for problem they uncover during needs analysis
Level 3:
Systems solutions
Level 4:
ROI proof and profit improvement strategies

10. Point of Contact Level 1: Level 2: Level 3: Level 4:
Buyer or purchasing agent
Level 2:
End users as well as buyer or purchasing agent
Level 3:
Buyers, end users, and an “internal coach” or advocate within client’s company
Level 4:
“Networked through the company; may be doing business in multiple divisions

11. Change in Attitude I
Sales techniques and pressure took precedence over solving a prospect’s problem.
Silent close: Ask a question and listen.
First one to speak “loses.” Right idea, wrong attitude
Pushy vs. Professionally Persistent
Take your relationship with each client to the next level.

12. Change in Attitude II
Align your sales behavior with those things that buyers value most in salespeople.
You buy time when you gain trust.
Your clients and prospects can teach you a lot about selling by the way they react to you. LEARN!

13. Dealing with Tough Customers I
Car dealer who cancelled his order

14. Dealing with Tough Customers II
Tough customers don’t want to deal with pushover salespeople.
You’ve got to be different.
Pre-call planning is vital.
The customer is always right, unless the customer is wrong.
Be willing to walk away from a bad deal or a bad character.
Have friends inside the organization.

15. Magic Phrase “This is the way I work…”
Tell your prospects how you are going to sell them before you try to sell them your product or service.
Transparency: If they buy the way you sell, they’ll buy more of the things you sell.
Sell them on how you sell, and the pressure is off; less pressure; less defensive.