Occasionally I get notes from folks saying they’ve been using my process for years, and they don’t consider Buying Facilitation a new method. Every time I ask these folks just what they think I’m advocating, I hear the same thing: ask questions to find out what the prospect needs, ask questions to find out what their buying system entails, and then appropriately manage the ensuing behaviors. Yet this is a description of consultative selling.

Sellers do NOT need data about the prospect during the decision discovery phase of the sales cycle. Indeed, as we’ve seen above, the buyer is the one who needs to take action and make discoveries. The type of question used in Buying Facilitation helps the prospect make mental/strategic links to those elements that need to be included, and makes action items obvious. Then buyers design their unique solution that includes all relevant variables.

For decades, probably centuries, you’ve needlessly accepted a 93% failure rate in your sales processes. Shift your focus from selling product to supporting solution design. It’s easier, quicker, more ethical, and makes you a true trusted advisor. Not to mention that you’ll close a helluva lot more sales (200-600% according to our records with major companies we’ve trained over the past 13 years).

To address the entire decision/sales process and lead buyers to effective decisions you must recognize:

1. you don’t have the answer, and your pr
   Escape PowerPoint Hell: 5 Tips For Better Presentations
   Everyone knows the signs. The glazed expression, the droning sentences, the bored audience. These are all indications that someone is stuck in PowerPoint purgatory. Avoid this fate by consciously developing slides that are an asset rather than a detriment. Following are five tips that you can apply immediately to help you get out from behind your slides and engage your audience.1. Use Titles Effectively: The titles of your slides can help your audience understand and follow your presentation. In general, slide titles should be concise and informative. Use short phrases with simple words. Avoid excessive jargon.2. Use Fewer Words: Limit the words on your slides. Avoid long sentences because this encourages you to read the slide verbatim. Instead, craft short phrases that clearly communicate your key concepts.3. Use Simple Diagrams: They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Develop simple diagrams that outline the key points of your presentation. You will have to explain what the diagram means, which will force you to engage with your audience.<
   For the past 15 years or so, I’ve been writing books and articles on the process I’ve developed that gives sellers the skills to teach buyers how to manage their systemic buying process. The good and bad news is that the field of sales is just now realizing that the buyers process is actually an important element of the sales process.

   It remains problematic, however, when sellers continue directing their focus toward product sale rather than decision facilitation and use what they think is knowledge about the buyer’s buying patterns as a manipulation into the selling end of the equation.

   It doesn’t work. Selling and buying are two separate, disparate, activities.

   Let’s say you know how a buyer buys – which is impossible for an outsider and difficult for an insider, given personalities, politics, communication, roles/rules, etc. But for arguments sake, let’s say you know exactly all of the internal, unique, systemic elements that to into the buyer’s unique, internal system and corresponding set of decisions. What are you going to do with that information? How would you sell into that?

   If you know, say, that the CEO makes all decisions, are you going to go over the head of your contact to try to persuade the CEO? Or spend months attempting to get in to see the CEO, only to be told once you’re there that s/he takes direction from a department head? I had a neighbor who was on the Board of a Fortune 50 company. He attempted to get me training work in the company. Didn’t work: the department heads (who met with me out of courtesy) told me they liked the way they were selling and didn’t want to change.

   What if it’s a committee? Are you going to call each person – even the ones you haven’t been introduced to – and take a ‘few moments’ of their time? And then what?

   What if it’s a small business, a Mom and Pop, and you know that the spouse needs to be involved? Are you going to wait for a time when you know your prospect isn’t around, and make a sneaky call in to the spouse? And then what?

   I know a company that has been awaiting a decision on a multimillion dollar service solution, and their perceived clients – the tech group – aren’t even involved in the decision: it’s a Union decision. The techies have not invited the Union onto the decision team, and they don’t even live in the same country. In fact, only one person is in touch with the Union and it’s a person in a different department at a higher level of responsibility than the seller’s contact.

   OUTSIDERS CAN’T KNOW AN INSIDER’S DECISION STRATEGY

   As an outsider, you can’t get into the heart of the buyer’s decision system. The thought that you could do so is fallacious on two counts:

   to think that just because you know ‘how’ someone makes a buying decision (can we ever really know that?) and can influence that decision is arrogant;

   you will not be invited in to help. You just won’t. Sorry to be so blunt, but this is the very core of why sales takes so long to close.

   Buyers close when they have all of their own answers. It’s not about the product. It’s not about the seller. It’s not about the need. It’s not about the money. They see the same problem that you see. They just have to manage, somehow, all of the internal elements that need to be addressed prior to designing a solution that will not create disruption.

   I once ran a pilot program for a very large insurance provider. In my course prep, I discovered that the sellers were paid on the number of visits they made, not on closed sales. I sat down with my client and the person with the pen who devised compensation, and we agreed that, after my program, the sellers would get paid by closed sales. “Sure,” she said. “If that helps incentivise them, let’s do it.”

   We had a 600% increase in sales the first month – they went from 110 field visits and 18 closed sales to 27 visits and 25 closed sales. Pretty close to a visit-to-sale ratio of 1:1. Good, huh? Given their newfound ability to help buyers quickly line up their decision criteria, the sellers only visited prospects that were ready to close, and even found more folks than normal who needed their service (Prospects didn’t hang up on a cold call like that had initially, due to the difference in skills and structure of a facilitative call.). Imagine not wasting any more windshield time. Imagine having more office time to find those prospects who want your product and want to close, rather then work so hard to find that 7% that are seeking your offering!

   The sellers were ecstatic. My client was thrilled. We were ready to roll the program out to 1500 people. And then the paychecks came. The sellers were paid on visits; the checks were paltry – with visits down from 110 to 27, they got ? their normal pay. What happened? The person with the pen decided she couldn’t change the pay modality. And wouldn’t. That ended the deal. So who was the decision maker? Not my client and not my successful pilot, certainly. And, how was I to further influence that situation? I placed a few calls into the woman with the pen. She never returned my calls. Oh: my students went back to their old approach, and my client got fired.

   Let’s assume that buyers live in idiosyncratic situations that are not only hidden from us as outsiders, but are mysterious to the insiders as well (In the case above, my client was the VP of Sales and actually had little to do with the finance people.). How can sellers have major influence over a decision that is initiated or compounded by those outside of their natural purview? Or one that has elements way outside of your contact’s normal control?

   Eventually, through the chain of decisions that must be made before a new product or service gets introduced into a company, group, or family, all of those decision elements must be addressed and managed. Even at the retail end of the market, the buyer needs to line up internal, personal decisions before making a purchase. But at the time the discovery process begins – when a problem is first recognized, or a prospect begins to examine their status quo to notice a possible problem – there is no way a buyer can understand all of the decision elements that must be addressed before adopting or designing a solution.

   This discovery process must be done, with you or without you. And the time it takes - the people and policies, politics and partners, that have to be discovered, managed, included, addressed, reconsidered - determines the length of the sales cycle. Not your product. Not their need. Not their budget. Not your relationship. Not your professionally demeanor.

   IT’S ABOUT THE BUYER, NOT THE SELLER

   Until now, you’ve used your job to find unique ways to push product. As a result, you’ve suffered over-long buying cycles, objections, product commoditization, and prospects who may purchase the wrong product from the wrong supplier (if they even make a purchase).

   Occasionally I get notes from folks saying they’ve been using my process for years, and they don’t consider Buying Facilitation a new method. Every time I ask these folks just what they think I’m advocating, I hear the same thing: ask questions to find out what the prospect needs, ask questions to find out what their buying system entails, and then appropriately manage the ensuing behaviors. Yet this is a description of consultative selling.

   Sellers do NOT need data about the prospect during the decision discovery phase of the sales cycle. Indeed, as we’ve seen above, the buyer is the one who needs to take action and make discoveries. The type of question used in Buying Facilitation helps the prospect make mental/strategic links to those elements that need to be included, and makes action items obvious. Then buyers design their unique solution that includes all relevant variables.

   For decades, probably centuries, you’ve needlessly accepted a 93% failure rate in your sales processes. Shift your focus from selling product to supporting solution design. It’s easier, quicker, more ethical, and makes you a true trusted advisor. Not to mention that you’ll close a helluva lot more sales (200-600% according to our records with major companies we’ve trained over the past 13 years).

   To address the entire decision/sales process and lead buyers to effective decisions you must recognize:

   1. you don’t have the answer, and your pro
      Precautions for Outsourcing Software Jobs
      Outsourcing software jobs is certainly a viable business solution for all types of industries. Software plays an integral part in many different industries and because software is constantly evolving and developing it isn’t always feasible to employ an in-house software staff capable of meeting complex software needs. Companies may find the ability to outsource software projects while still maintaining a certain degree of profitability; however, there are a few caveats to doing this. Outsourcing software jobs is a sound business practice but care should be taking to avoid certain pitfalls often associated with outsourcing work. Taking a few precautions can prevent the company from making mistakes while outsourcing such as outsourcing the work to individuals ore companies who lack necessary qualifications, making fatal scheduling errors and spending too much money to outsource the project.Properly Screening Outsourcing CandidatesOne of the most common mistakes made in outsourcing software projects is delegating the project to an individual who lacks the necessary qualifications and capabiliti
      – even the ones you haven’t been introduced to – and take a ‘few moments’ of their time? And then what?

      What if it’s a small business, a Mom and Pop, and you know that the spouse needs to be involved? Are you going to wait for a time when you know your prospect isn’t around, and make a sneaky call in to the spouse? And then what?

      I know a company that has been awaiting a decision on a multimillion dollar service solution, and their perceived clients – the tech group – aren’t even involved in the decision: it’s a Union decision. The techies have not invited the Union onto the decision team, and they don’t even live in the same country. In fact, only one person is in touch with the Union and it’s a person in a different department at a higher level of responsibility than the seller’s contact.

      OUTSIDERS CAN’T KNOW AN INSIDER’S DECISION STRATEGY

      As an outsider, you can’t get into the heart of the buyer’s decision system. The thought that you could do so is fallacious on two counts:

      to think that just because you know ‘how’ someone makes a buying decision (can we ever really know that?) and can influence that decision is arrogant;

      you will not be invited in to help. You just won’t. Sorry to be so blunt, but this is the very core of why sales takes so long to close.

      Buyers close when they have all of their own answers. It’s not about the product. It’s not about the seller. It’s not about the need. It’s not about the money. They see the same problem that you see. They just have to manage, somehow, all of the internal elements that need to be addressed prior to designing a solution that will not create disruption.

      I once ran a pilot program for a very large insurance provider. In my course prep, I discovered that the sellers were paid on the number of visits they made, not on closed sales. I sat down with my client and the person with the pen who devised compensation, and we agreed that, after my program, the sellers would get paid by closed sales. “Sure,” she said. “If that helps incentivise them, let’s do it.”

      We had a 600% increase in sales the first month – they went from 110 field visits and 18 closed sales to 27 visits and 25 closed sales. Pretty close to a visit-to-sale ratio of 1:1. Good, huh? Given their newfound ability to help buyers quickly line up their decision criteria, the sellers only visited prospects that were ready to close, and even found more folks than normal who needed their service (Prospects didn’t hang up on a cold call like that had initially, due to the difference in skills and structure of a facilitative call.). Imagine not wasting any more windshield time. Imagine having more office time to find those prospects who want your product and want to close, rather then work so hard to find that 7% that are seeking your offering!

      The sellers were ecstatic. My client was thrilled. We were ready to roll the program out to 1500 people. And then the paychecks came. The sellers were paid on visits; the checks were paltry – with visits down from 110 to 27, they got ? their normal pay. What happened? The person with the pen decided she couldn’t change the pay modality. And wouldn’t. That ended the deal. So who was the decision maker? Not my client and not my successful pilot, certainly. And, how was I to further influence that situation? I placed a few calls into the woman with the pen. She never returned my calls. Oh: my students went back to their old approach, and my client got fired.

      Let’s assume that buyers live in idiosyncratic situations that are not only hidden from us as outsiders, but are mysterious to the insiders as well (In the case above, my client was the VP of Sales and actually had little to do with the finance people.). How can sellers have major influence over a decision that is initiated or compounded by those outside of their natural purview? Or one that has elements way outside of your contact’s normal control?

      Eventually, through the chain of decisions that must be made before a new product or service gets introduced into a company, group, or family, all of those decision elements must be addressed and managed. Even at the retail end of the market, the buyer needs to line up internal, personal decisions before making a purchase. But at the time the discovery process begins – when a problem is first recognized, or a prospect begins to examine their status quo to notice a possible problem – there is no way a buyer can understand all of the decision elements that must be addressed before adopting or designing a solution.

      This discovery process must be done, with you or without you. And the time it takes - the people and policies, politics and partners, that have to be discovered, managed, included, addressed, reconsidered - determines the length of the sales cycle. Not your product. Not their need. Not their budget. Not your relationship. Not your professionally demeanor.

      IT’S ABOUT THE BUYER, NOT THE SELLER

      Until now, you’ve used your job to find unique ways to push product. As a result, you’ve suffered over-long buying cycles, objections, product commoditization, and prospects who may purchase the wrong product from the wrong supplier (if they even make a purchase).

      Occasionally I get notes from folks saying they’ve been using my process for years, and they don’t consider Buying Facilitation a new method. Every time I ask these folks just what they think I’m advocating, I hear the same thing: ask questions to find out what the prospect needs, ask questions to find out what their buying system entails, and then appropriately manage the ensuing behaviors. Yet this is a description of consultative selling.

      Sellers do NOT need data about the prospect during the decision discovery phase of the sales cycle. Indeed, as we’ve seen above, the buyer is the one who needs to take action and make discoveries. The type of question used in Buying Facilitation helps the prospect make mental/strategic links to those elements that need to be included, and makes action items obvious. Then buyers design their unique solution that includes all relevant variables.

      For decades, probably centuries, you’ve needlessly accepted a 93% failure rate in your sales processes. Shift your focus from selling product to supporting solution design. It’s easier, quicker, more ethical, and makes you a true trusted advisor. Not to mention that you’ll close a helluva lot more sales (200-600% according to our records with major companies we’ve trained over the past 13 years).

      To address the entire decision/sales process and lead buyers to effective decisions you must recognize:

      1. you don’t have the answer, and your pr
         Ethics in Advertising
         Making money and corrupting the morals of a minor at the same time is not my idea of ethical advertising. Recently a television ad depicted a small boy breaking a window so the owner's wife could upgrade to their own style of window. There were several messages inherent in this ad that bother me.First, it says that it is O.K. to destroy other people's property if the owner gets someone else to do it. It's like arson, but without the fire. Then, if you lie to the insurance company (and your husband) and say it was an accident, you can use the money to buy a new window.Of course, since the damage will be over a thousand dollars, the crime is now a felony. Felons can't hold government jobs and are marked for life. Oh, yeah, insurance fraud is a crime, too. But who would fall for such an idea? You'd have to find a little kid, give him money and get him to promise not to tell who paid him and why. All eight year old children have to face life's decisions sometime, don't they?Now, some ad executive decided to put these ideas on the tube so that millions of people see it, incl
         n.

         I once ran a pilot program for a very large insurance provider. In my course prep, I discovered that the sellers were paid on the number of visits they made, not on closed sales. I sat down with my client and the person with the pen who devised compensation, and we agreed that, after my program, the sellers would get paid by closed sales. “Sure,” she said. “If that helps incentivise them, let’s do it.”

         We had a 600% increase in sales the first month – they went from 110 field visits and 18 closed sales to 27 visits and 25 closed sales. Pretty close to a visit-to-sale ratio of 1:1. Good, huh? Given their newfound ability to help buyers quickly line up their decision criteria, the sellers only visited prospects that were ready to close, and even found more folks than normal who needed their service (Prospects didn’t hang up on a cold call like that had initially, due to the difference in skills and structure of a facilitative call.). Imagine not wasting any more windshield time. Imagine having more office time to find those prospects who want your product and want to close, rather then work so hard to find that 7% that are seeking your offering!

         The sellers were ecstatic. My client was thrilled. We were ready to roll the program out to 1500 people. And then the paychecks came. The sellers were paid on visits; the checks were paltry – with visits down from 110 to 27, they got ? their normal pay. What happened? The person with the pen decided she couldn’t change the pay modality. And wouldn’t. That ended the deal. So who was the decision maker? Not my client and not my successful pilot, certainly. And, how was I to further influence that situation? I placed a few calls into the woman with the pen. She never returned my calls. Oh: my students went back to their old approach, and my client got fired.

         Let’s assume that buyers live in idiosyncratic situations that are not only hidden from us as outsiders, but are mysterious to the insiders as well (In the case above, my client was the VP of Sales and actually had little to do with the finance people.). How can sellers have major influence over a decision that is initiated or compounded by those outside of their natural purview? Or one that has elements way outside of your contact’s normal control?

         Eventually, through the chain of decisions that must be made before a new product or service gets introduced into a company, group, or family, all of those decision elements must be addressed and managed. Even at the retail end of the market, the buyer needs to line up internal, personal decisions before making a purchase. But at the time the discovery process begins – when a problem is first recognized, or a prospect begins to examine their status quo to notice a possible problem – there is no way a buyer can understand all of the decision elements that must be addressed before adopting or designing a solution.

         This discovery process must be done, with you or without you. And the time it takes - the people and policies, politics and partners, that have to be discovered, managed, included, addressed, reconsidered - determines the length of the sales cycle. Not your product. Not their need. Not their budget. Not your relationship. Not your professionally demeanor.

         IT’S ABOUT THE BUYER, NOT THE SELLER

         Until now, you’ve used your job to find unique ways to push product. As a result, you’ve suffered over-long buying cycles, objections, product commoditization, and prospects who may purchase the wrong product from the wrong supplier (if they even make a purchase).

         Occasionally I get notes from folks saying they’ve been using my process for years, and they don’t consider Buying Facilitation a new method. Every time I ask these folks just what they think I’m advocating, I hear the same thing: ask questions to find out what the prospect needs, ask questions to find out what their buying system entails, and then appropriately manage the ensuing behaviors. Yet this is a description of consultative selling.

         Sellers do NOT need data about the prospect during the decision discovery phase of the sales cycle. Indeed, as we’ve seen above, the buyer is the one who needs to take action and make discoveries. The type of question used in Buying Facilitation helps the prospect make mental/strategic links to those elements that need to be included, and makes action items obvious. Then buyers design their unique solution that includes all relevant variables.

         For decades, probably centuries, you’ve needlessly accepted a 93% failure rate in your sales processes. Shift your focus from selling product to supporting solution design. It’s easier, quicker, more ethical, and makes you a true trusted advisor. Not to mention that you’ll close a helluva lot more sales (200-600% according to our records with major companies we’ve trained over the past 13 years).

         To address the entire decision/sales process and lead buyers to effective decisions you must recognize:

         1. you don’t have the answer, and your pr
            International Investment And World Trade
            Currently, there is an estimated 40,000 multinational corporation’s world wide in and approximately 250,000 overseas collaborations running cross-continental operations. Globalization has allowed access to markets via technology and has reduced distribution, lower internal coordination costs. It has also allowed for networking of specialized services and products in support of corporate functions through business process outsourcings (BPO’s) whether within the companies’ internal operations or its external activities.With the current communications and management technologies available, more companies are able to make the most out of international trade liberalization. Today, multinational corporations are expanding themselves to increase their markets, increase brand presence and image and benefit from inexpensive raw materials and labor. As mentioned, the major reason for multinational expansion is accessing a wider market.Though there has been some setbacks because of international financial crises and recession, trends in Asia, particularly China and India, have been able to sustain inte
            s into the woman with the pen. She never returned my calls. Oh: my students went back to their old approach, and my client got fired.

            Let’s assume that buyers live in idiosyncratic situations that are not only hidden from us as outsiders, but are mysterious to the insiders as well (In the case above, my client was the VP of Sales and actually had little to do with the finance people.). How can sellers have major influence over a decision that is initiated or compounded by those outside of their natural purview? Or one that has elements way outside of your contact’s normal control?

            Eventually, through the chain of decisions that must be made before a new product or service gets introduced into a company, group, or family, all of those decision elements must be addressed and managed. Even at the retail end of the market, the buyer needs to line up internal, personal decisions before making a purchase. But at the time the discovery process begins – when a problem is first recognized, or a prospect begins to examine their status quo to notice a possible problem – there is no way a buyer can understand all of the decision elements that must be addressed before adopting or designing a solution.

            This discovery process must be done, with you or without you. And the time it takes - the people and policies, politics and partners, that have to be discovered, managed, included, addressed, reconsidered - determines the length of the sales cycle. Not your product. Not their need. Not their budget. Not your relationship. Not your professionally demeanor.

            IT’S ABOUT THE BUYER, NOT THE SELLER

            Until now, you’ve used your job to find unique ways to push product. As a result, you’ve suffered over-long buying cycles, objections, product commoditization, and prospects who may purchase the wrong product from the wrong supplier (if they even make a purchase).

            Occasionally I get notes from folks saying they’ve been using my process for years, and they don’t consider Buying Facilitation a new method. Every time I ask these folks just what they think I’m advocating, I hear the same thing: ask questions to find out what the prospect needs, ask questions to find out what their buying system entails, and then appropriately manage the ensuing behaviors. Yet this is a description of consultative selling.

            Sellers do NOT need data about the prospect during the decision discovery phase of the sales cycle. Indeed, as we’ve seen above, the buyer is the one who needs to take action and make discoveries. The type of question used in Buying Facilitation helps the prospect make mental/strategic links to those elements that need to be included, and makes action items obvious. Then buyers design their unique solution that includes all relevant variables.

            For decades, probably centuries, you’ve needlessly accepted a 93% failure rate in your sales processes. Shift your focus from selling product to supporting solution design. It’s easier, quicker, more ethical, and makes you a true trusted advisor. Not to mention that you’ll close a helluva lot more sales (200-600% according to our records with major companies we’ve trained over the past 13 years).

            To address the entire decision/sales process and lead buyers to effective decisions you must recognize:

            1. you don’t have the answer, and your pr
               Medical Billing - GX2 Record
               We're almost to the end of our review of oxygen billing for medical billing practices. So far, we have covered the GX0 record and the GX1 record for NSF 3.01 specifications. In this installment, we're going to cover the GX2 record, which is facility information.Usually facility information is covered in the E records of a claim. So why do we have to include facility information in a CMN for oxygen billing? The reason is because of the nature of oxygen therapy. Oxygen therapy is strictly regulated because, quite honestly, working with oxygen can be very dangerous. The number of regulations for working with oxygen are enough to choke a horse. That's why there is all this red tape when submitting claims. Therefor, facility information is not only required in the E records but also in the GX2 record for any oxygen claim. In this installment we cover all the fields of the GX2 record.GX2 field 1, positions 1 - 3, is the record type. This must be filled in with GX2. This record must follow the GX0 and GX1 records in that order or the claim will be denied.GX2 field 2, positions 4 -
               find unique ways to push product. As a result, you’ve suffered over-long buying cycles, objections, product commoditization, and prospects who may purchase the wrong product from the wrong supplier (if they even make a purchase).

               Occasionally I get notes from folks saying they’ve been using my process for years, and they don’t consider Buying Facilitation a new method. Every time I ask these folks just what they think I’m advocating, I hear the same thing: ask questions to find out what the prospect needs, ask questions to find out what their buying system entails, and then appropriately manage the ensuing behaviors. Yet this is a description of consultative selling.

               Sellers do NOT need data about the prospect during the decision discovery phase of the sales cycle. Indeed, as we’ve seen above, the buyer is the one who needs to take action and make discoveries. The type of question used in Buying Facilitation helps the prospect make mental/strategic links to those elements that need to be included, and makes action items obvious. Then buyers design their unique solution that includes all relevant variables.

               For decades, probably centuries, you’ve needlessly accepted a 93% failure rate in your sales processes. Shift your focus from selling product to supporting solution design. It’s easier, quicker, more ethical, and makes you a true trusted advisor. Not to mention that you’ll close a helluva lot more sales (200-600% according to our records with major companies we’ve trained over the past 13 years).

               To address the entire decision/sales process and lead buyers to effective decisions you must recognize:

               1. you don’t have the answer, and your product isn’t it;
               2. all buying decisions are made using the same internal systemic elements (see NewSalesParadigm.com and look under What is Buying Facilitation and the Funnel);
               3. it’s your job to lead buyers through their decisions to a solution design.

               It’s time to change your job. Do you want to sell? Or have someone buy? They are two different activities.