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Welcome to The Wedge Group sales training home page

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you were caught up in last fall's flu vaccine shortage, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The same is true in sales.

Objections from prospects are the diseases that ruin any sales engagement. Fortunately, like the flu, there is a vaccine against these objections. The Wedge Group wants to inoculate you against these objections. Best of all, there aren't any needles involved.

One of the best ways to eliminate prospect objections is to prevent them from occurring. The best prevention is a good story. Remember, objections are the way prospects express fears of commitment or change. A story is a non-threatening way to overcome fear and build rapport. This is how to do it.

Build a good story. Prior to the engagement, identify common objections (at least the three most common) and create a story, based on your experience, and memorize it! If the story can combat all of the objections and contain some humor, it will be even more effective.
Tell the story EARLY. When you meet the prospect, even before qualifying them, tell your story. It will be perceived as a relationship builder, not a 'vaccination.' When the objections 'normally' come, you will be protected with your story.

It's that simple. One question we often get is: "What does the story look like?" You need to make the story YOUR own, but here is an example that works for me at The Wedge when talking about sales training. It's not uncommon for me to hear the same objections- sales training is a waste of time, or money, or it just doesn't work - over and over from prospects. This is the story I tell:

"I agree sales training doesn't work."(You have taken them off of the defensive.) And then I tell them why. "Most sale training is like taking a overweight person that works at Kentucky Fried Chicken and putting them through Jennie Craig. After they've lost all the weight you bring them back to work at Kentucky Fried Chicken. What's wrong with this picture? You haven't changed the environment. Sales training is a three step process..."

This story builds great rapport in a non-threatening way. It doesn't challenge their way of thinking or a decision they have made putting them on the defensive. On the contrary, I agree with them, we are in the same boat (rapport). List out the objections, list the why, find an analogy, and tell them the better way based on logic. For example when I hear the objection "My sales staff is quite successful," I agree with them. Then my analogy is "Your sales people are like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. They have discipline and exceptional skill. All they need is the coaching to achieve incredible results... And that's how The Wedge Group can help, we are those coaches."

Create your story, tell it early, and prevent those nasty objections from popping up! Contact us with your stories, questions, or successes with this technique. Go out, stop selling and start winning!

Randy Schwantz
President & CEO
The Wedge Group

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We hope you have enjoyed this month's The Wedge Report. If you have any comments, questions, or story ideas, please don't hesitate to Contact Us. Also, if you know anyone who would like to receive a copy of The Wedge Report, please forward them this copy and suggest they subscribe online.

The Wedge Group - more than sales training

USEFUL SALES TIPS:
An Exercise to Stop Objections

This month, The Wedge Report gets insight from Senior Consultant, Kevin DeVaan.

"One of the biggest challenges with this 'story vaccine' technique is that sales producers may not realize what the objections are that they face. Here is an exercise that helps create your story," Kevin DeVaan.

1. There are typically 6 objections to any product or service, no matter who you engage. Identify those six objections for your typical target, an assistant to your target, and an executive.
2. Identify how these objections are similar and different.
3. Create a story for each of these engagements.

If you have questions about this exercise or the 'story vaccine' technique, please Contact Us. We'd be happy to discuss it with you.

The Wedge Group and Amazon.Com want to give the readers of The Wedge Report the opportunity to get the new book, How to Get Your Competition Fired on March 29, 2005 as part of a "First Day Offer."

The "First Day Offer" is a ONE DAY ONLY promotion that gives purchasers special incentives with the purchase. Simply go to Amazon.Com on March 29th, buy How to Get Your Competition Fired, and then go to the First Day Offer, fill out the information, and you will receive:

The Wedge CD
$400 Discount Certificate for any 2005 Wedge Public Workshop
32 Lessons from Randy Schwantz's Salesperson Development Program
1st Three Chapters (sneak preview) of "Wedge for Financial Advisors"


	"The Wedge Approach has been an important factor in my growth, and in addition, our training sessions with you have got me to believe in myself, my experience and my collective expertise." Garth Lane Account Exec. - Lloyd Sadd Ins. (Have a story you want to share? Let Us Know)