The document outlines a sales methodology for building training commitment. It discusses qualifying prospects by understanding their needs, envisioning desired outcomes to create compelling visions, proposing steps to attain outcomes, persuading by demonstrating how the proposal brings outcomes, responding to objections by returning to the vision, and closing by securing ongoing commitments. An example uses this process with a call center supervisor envisioning a perfect workplace and developing a proposal to achieve it.

1. A Soft Sale: Using Proven Sales Strategies to Build Training Commitment Susan Lowman-Thomas Human Resource Officer Idaho Division of Veterans Services August 2007

2. The Sales Steps Qualify : Gather data about prospect’s needs and resources Envision : Create compelling visions of desired outcomes Propose : Identify steps needed for attaining outcomes Persuade : Demonstrate how proposal will bring outcomes Respond : Encounter and defuse objections Close : Use ongoing commitments to clinch the deal

3. The Perfect Training Scenario What does it Look like? Sound like? Feel like? Smell like? Taste like?

4. A Sale vs. A ______________ Don’t focus on ____ - ______ event Focus on ____ - ______ relationship Talk about _______ Show the _________ of having a relationship with you Focus on what the _________ wants from you, not on what you want from the person Ask “How can I best be of _________ to this person today?”

5. Some Basics Use a ________ (made up mostly of questions) Get in an _________ mood Converse ( ____ - way) Be ___________ Never ____________ Most important …

6. Listen, Listen, Listen People think based on ________ , but often act on ________ Find out what ________ the person holds dearest Show how they’ll be ____ or ________ Listen with the purpose of _____________ , not creating a response You can’t _______ while you’re talking

7. Qualify Gather data about prospect’s _____ and __________ You don’t want to pursue a lead that won’t result in _____ ___________ You want to make sure this _____ ___ ______ for your involvement today

8. Types of Prospects Red: Yellow: Green:

9. Questions to Qualify Who … wants this done? …has approval authority? ...will claim responsibility for results?....will be champion? What … money is allocated? …other resources are available? … Where … will this be done? … When … will decision be made? …are results expected? …will evaluation be done? Why … does management want something done? … How … will this be evaluated? …

10. Envision Create compelling ________ of desired outcomes Connect ______ /emotions/ _______ Creative ________ uses _____ images and _______ thinking to achieve _______ . Why use creative visualization ? Because it works. What you see, you can achieve.

11. The vision should be Clear Detailed Made up of multiple senses Focused Vivid Like a movie Everything happens to us twice: first on the inside then the outside.

12. Let’s Envision Person A : Pretend you are a terrific Green Light Manager. Person B : Ask the manager to describe a perfect workplace in his/her unit. What does it Look like? Sound like? Feel like? Smell like? Taste like?

13. Help create an emotional response to the scene How does it make you ______ ? How does it affect your view of yourself as a __________ ? How would you feel telling your ________ about this? How would you feel talking about this with your ________ ? What would it be like reading about it in the _______ ? Person B : Ask these questions of the Green Light Manager Person A : Thinking about that perfect workplace, provide specific answers

14. Echo the Emotions Restate the emotions cited above. Person B : Paraphrase and re-state the emotions you just heard described. Person A : Give feedback. LIST OF EMOTIONS Acceptance, Amusement, Anticipation, Awe, Calm, Comfort, Contentment, Confidence, Courage, Desire, Delight, Elation, Euphoria, Ecstasy, Friendship, Glee, Gladness, Gratitude, Happiness, Honor, Hope, Humility, Joy, Kindness, Love, Liveliness, Nostalgia, Pride, Peace, Patience, Relief, Surprise, Yearning, Zest

15. Propose Identify steps needed for reaching perfect scene: Learning outcomes Training methods Personnel Equipment / materials Schedule Expenses, including travel

16. Exercise: The Property Tax Commission’s Call Center You’ve just worked through the qualifying and envisioning portion of your “sale” with a supervisor of 23 frontline employees in a call center associated with your county’s property tax office. These are citizens’ first contact with the agency when inquiring about property taxes. Prompted by your questions, she envisions her perfect workplace scene .

17. Smiles, calls answered before 3 rd ring Permission to put on hold; no hold > 30 sec Approved response; genuine query; echo Empathetic response to upset callers Solutions followed by query Closure with thanks, name, #, invitation to call Proper documentation Assigned work between calls Breaks with positive, respectful behavior

18. Your task: Propose the steps needed to get to the Perfect Scene for t he Property Tax Commission’s Call Center : Who: What: Where: When: Why: How: How Much:

19. Persuade Demonstrate how proposal will bring outcomes Guide person toward adopting your proposal Tie benefits directly to vision

20. Your task: Provide specific justifications how each step in your proposal will bring the desired outcomes. Always return to the vision of the perfect workplace.

21. Respond Obstacles are those terrible things you see when you take your eyes off the goal. Hannah Arendt, political theorist Objections = signs of _______ Objections help you _______ buyer in solutions. Objections give you chance to show how ______ they are in relation to _________ .

22. Questions for Responding Why do you feel that way? What would make you satisfied? What can we do to overcome that? Can you help me understand how that matters in light of the results? Always return to the vision

23. Some Responses Always return to the vision You appear to be very committed to creating the perfect call center. Am I now hearing that there are things more important than that goal? I guess I’m confused. You said earlier that your lifelong dream was to lead a polished group of professionals to setting new standards in customer care. Are you now saying that this dream is not something you want to vigorously pursue?

24. Your task: Build a list of possible objections the supervisor might come up with. Then build a list of possible responses , which return the supervisor to the vision of the perfect workplace. Always return to the vision

25. Close Closing is the chance to use ongoing _____________ to “clinch” the deal. Closing is the chance for the prospect to ____ on his / her dreams and for you to help make them _________ .

26. Closing Questions Is it better to start right away or wait till the first of the month? While I’m here, should I begin some of the preliminary work today? May I allocate two days early next week to start my interviews? Can we proceed?

27. The Sales Steps Qualify : Gather data about prospect’s needs and resources Envision : Create compelling visions of desired outcomes Propose : Identify steps needed for attaining outcomes Persuade : Demonstrate how proposal will bring outcomes Respond : Encounter and defuse objections Close : Use ongoing commitments to clinch the deal

28. Your task: Please identify three (3) things from this presentation that you’ll share with your colleagues.

29. Thank you. Thank you very much.