I have long believed that sales is an honorable profession, at least for those individuals who “get it” and do it right. Unfortunately, there are many people who give sales a bad name and reputation.
If someone gave me a magic wand and I could “fix” the sales profession, here’s what I would do…
1. Sales people ask thought-provoking questions.
If you’ve read my blog for any length of time you know that I’m a big believer in asking people high-value, tough, penetrating questions. Unfortunately, most sales people miss this.
2. Every sales presentation focuses on the prospect or customer’s needs first.
It sounds like a simple concept but the majority of sales people start off on the wrong foot.
3. Sales people never misrepresent their product, solution or offering.
I have never understood this approach. You might get the sale in the short term but you will seldom get a long-term client or a repeat sale.
4. Sales reps who cold call actually take the time to do some research before they dial.
This is such a fundamental concept. Enough said!
5. No sales person ever opens a call with, “How are you today?”
This is so lame…can’t you think of a better way to open a dialogue with people?
6. Sales reps are honest about the drawbacks of their product.
No one likes to admit that their product won’t do everything their customer wants it to. But no buyer expects a product to be perfect either. Be honest with people and your results might change.
7. No sales pitch ever starts with 5 slides focusing on the seller’s company.
I don’t think anything needs to be added to this point other than to say this, “If you think opening your presentation with details about your company is goingto compel them to buy from you….you’re sadly mistaken.
8. Sales people actually listen.
Huh? Seriously, if more sales people listened to their prospects and customers more sales could be won.
9. Sales training consists of more than product training.
Too many companies mistakenly believe that product training is enough. However, truly successful companies know the difference between product training and sales training.
10. Sales leaders hire people who are actually well-suited for their sales role.
Experience in a particular industry does not mean someone is, or will be, a good sales person.
11. Good sales people aren’t automatically promoted to sales manager.
Just because someone is a great sales person doesn’t mean they will be a good sales manager. In fact, in most cases, they will fail because the requirements for success are completely different.
Seriously? Do you REALLY think that helps your team close sales?
13. Sales people don’t waste time trying to develop rapport by engaging prospects in small talk or social chit-chat.
This is an outdated sales tactic that needs to be abolished. Busy decision makers no longer have time to talk about non-sales-related topics.
14. Sales leaders involve their team in the setting of quotas and targets.
Far too few sales managers involve their reps when determining sales targets. However, it is a powerful techniques that gain buy-in and commitment.
15. Marketing and sales work together to develop materials that actually work and mean something to prospects and customers.
Unfortunately marketing departments create fancy and expensive brochures that don’t actually help sales people.
16. Sellers stop using manipulative tactics to try and close a deal.
If you need to resort to this type of approach you should consider another career.
17. All sales people possess a solid understanding of their products.
This can be challenging if your company sells a wide ranges of products. However, at the very least, you should have a basic understanding of all of your products.
18. Companies provide on-going sales training to their team.
A pipe dream, I know. However, regular sales training can help your sales team deal with new challenges and learn how to deal with changes in the marketplace.
19. Sales people constantly upgrade their selling skills.
See above point.
20. Sales managers never use the phrase, “Always be closing!”
Similar to point 12, this comment does not motivate people to close a sale.
21. Sales managers take the time to properly coach their team.
Unfortunately, sales coaching is still not widely accepted. Yet, when executed properly, it can have an very positive impact on sales results.
You will notice that I did not include anything about the negative behavior of buyers or decision makers.
I deliberately excluded this because if the above issues were fixed buyers wouldn’t behave the way they often do. After all, they wouldn’t need to.
What do you think? What have I missed that should be included on this list?
Please add your comments below…
I help sales teams master their sales conversations. Could this help your team? If so, give me call: 905-633-7750 or Kelley@Fearless-Selling.ca
During my vacation to Mexico a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go zip lining.
Zip lining means you hook yourself up to cable and zip across a rainforest, or in my case, a swamp. Suspended several stories above the ground, you zip along the cable from one landing area to another.
I love theme park rides and this was an equivalent experience.
I admit that I was nervous; my hands were wet with sweat as I waited my turn, especially at the first line. However, it was another person in our group that really inspired me.
Peggy admitted that she was afraid of heights but she still embraced the challenge. Her knees were actually shaking she was so apprehensive. But, when it was her turn, she hooked herself up to the cable and off she went. At the end of the day, she was excited and proud of herself.
I found her courage inspiring and it got me thinking about the fears people have about selling.
Cold calling
Very few people enjoy cold calling. However, if you develop a great opening script and make the effort to start dialing that fear often diminishes relatively quickly. The key is to believe in your product or offering and to take that initial plunge.
Asking for the sale
Many of the people in my sales training workshops (LINK) are reluctant to ask for the sale. What they usually find is that when they summon up the courage to ask for the business, they don’t get the negative reaction they thought they would. After all, most prospects and customers expect you to ask for the sale.
Trying new sales approaches
If you want to succeed in today’s new economy and business world it is imperative that you use new approached. However, many people balk at this because the approach is uncomfortable. Resist the natural temptation to revert to your old tactics and try something new.
If you are serious about improving your sales, step out of your comfort zone and try something new. You may be surprised with your results.
Could your sales team benefit from a program on this topic? Call me and we can discuss the way to approach it. kelley@fearless-seling.ca or 905-633-7750
After weeks of trying you connect with a prospect. Woo hoo!
The conversation goes well and finishes with something like, “I’ll get that information to you by tomorrow and I’ll call you early next week to discuss it with you.” But when you call the following week, you get your prospect’s voice mail. After repeated failed attempts to connect with your contact, you move on to another opportunity.
Sound familiar?
Here’s how you can prevent this situation from happening. Pinpoint and nail down a specific day and time before you end your call. Here is an example of how you can do that easily and without sounding aggressive or rude.
“I’ll get that information to you by tomorrow and I’ll call you next week to discuss it with you. How does Tuesday morning work for you? Great, what time works best for you? Any time in the morning? Is your calendar open at 10:15? Terrific; l will send you an email invitation this morning so we can both confirm next Tuesday at 10:15 AM.”
This assertive approach is extremely effective for getting your prospect to schedule a specific time to speak with you which means that you increase the likelihood that you will actually connect with your prospect especially if you have the courage to ask them to mark the call in their calendar. Not only does it demonstrate your expertise and professionalism, it differentiates you from your competition, and in today’s crowded marketplace, it is essential to find little, yet meaningful ways to stand out from the crowd.
Sometimes, however, it is easy to get mislead by an unfocused prospect who simply says, “Call me next week.” The key here is to use the same approach and narrow down a specific day and time. Here is how you handle that conversation and the questions you need to ask:
“What day usually works best for you?” If they say, “Any day is fine” narrow it down with, “How does next Tuesday look?”
Follow this with, “Do mornings or afternoons work best?” or “Is there a particular time of day that works better?” The word ‘particular’ is key because it encourages your prospect to consider their typical day and think of the best time to call.
In some cases, they may still respond with a vague answer like, “mornings” so take a deep breath and ask one more question: “Does 10:15 work for you?” or “What’s your schedule like at 10:15?” I have found that scheduling an appointment on a quarter hour is more effective than a standard time like 10:00 or 10:30. Some other sales trainers even suggest that you request a time like 10:20 or 10:40. I haven’t tried that so I can’t comment on its effectiveness.
This approach requires a bit of gentle persistence and practise but it is not aggressive or offensive and people respond well to it because it shows that you respect your prospect’s time. One key to remember is to keep your voice evenly modulate and your tone conversational. Avoid allowing any type of frustration to creep into your tone because you will automatically be perceived as aggressive instead assertive.
Finally, when you do make your follow-up call, start the conversation by saying something like, “Mr Contact, I’m calling you as promised.” If you happen to get their voice mail, hang up and call three- to- five minutes later. If you get bumped to VM again, leave the above message. More often than not, you will get a return call. At least that has been my experience.
Resist the temptation to leave the next call or meeting unscheduled and you will dramatically improve your results. By the way, this approach works equally as well for face-to-face meetings.
Planning a sales meeting, conference or retreat? If I can help you or your company, please drop me a line and we can talk. 905-633-7750.
Ever have those days when, despite your best intention, it didn’t seem like you made any progress?
Want to know one of the most effective ways to improve your productivity and get more done every day? Interested in learning a sure-fire way to make more sales?
Okay, here it is…
Start with the most important tasks first.
Simple, huh?
Well, it is in theory.
Unfortunately, most people tend to do the more enjoyable tasks first. From responding to emails, making calls to the customers they like dealing with, or writing a proposal.
However, these are often low-yield activities. You may think they are important but the reality is that they are easy-to-do tasks.
Cold calling, prospecting, and attending networking events usually have a higher impact on our results. But, these activities are seldom fun or enjoyable.
They require effort and considerable mental energy.
Let’s face it, dialing for dollars is not an enjoyable task for most people, especially in today’s business environment. But, when executed properly and with the right focus, it generates new leads and sales opportunities.
It’s easy to get distracted from doing important and tough tasks. Emails from customers, problems that need your attention, and returning “urgent” calls from low-value accounts. These all take your attention away from difficult activities and you justify it by saying, “I NEED to take care of this.”
Here’s my suggestion for the upcoming week.
Block time in your calendar to take care of your MOST important sales tasks first. The activities that will help you increase your sales. Tasks that are critical to your long-term success. Do those first.
Shut off your Blackberry. Don’t open your email. And don’t do anything until those tasks are done.
Start this morning! I guarantee that you will get more done this week.
Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any help to you or your company.
There’s nothing like real-life examples to point out the good, the bad and ugly about sales calls and how they can help or prevent you from increasing your sales. Here is a post-mortem of a sales call I received yesterday afternoon.
The call didn’t get off to a great start because I answered the telephone with, “Good afternoon, Kelley Robertson” and the caller said, “Hi, I’d like to speak with Kelley Robertson please.” Um, didn’t I just say that it was me?
Lesson: Listen carefully when your prospect answers the telephone.
She introduced herself and I caught her name but not her company. She even repeated her company’s name a few times during our one-sided conversation but I never did catch it. It wasn’t until see snet me an email that I figured out who she represented.
Lesson: Make sure that you clearly articulate your name and that of your company.
Anyway, she mentioned that she came across my name from the Top Sales World website and the series of webinars that were conducted last week. She asked if I knew one of the presenters and it turned out that it was one of few whom I didn’t.
Lesson: Attempts at building rapport need to carefully thought-out.
Like most salespeople she told me about her company and what they did. I have to admit that her approach here was because she didn’t spend a lot of time talking about her company and their services. This is rare.
Lesson: Limit the amount of time you talk about your company in the early stages of a sales call.
After she told me about her company she proceeded to ask me several questions about document production including workbooks for my training programs etc. Unfortunately, she made the classic error of trying to pitch a service that I had little need for. Here’s what I mean…
She asked how I review my workbooks after I submit them to my printer and I told her that I didn’t need to because I have been working that printer for almost 15 years and they have never misprinted a workbook. It appeared that pre-printing proofing was a hot button for her but it wasn’t for me.
Lesson: Never discuss aspects of your product or service that have little or no relevance to your prospect’s situation.
Finally, she asked if she could send me information and arrange a 20 minute demonstration of their service even though I said I had no intention of changing suppliers. After all, my printer has been doing a great job for more than 15 years, why would I change?
Lesson: Recognize low-value leads and move on to other sales opportunities.
Oops, I almost forgot. She did send me an email later that day but her opening line was “Thanks for taking the time to speak with me yesterday!” Plus, the email simply reiterated everything she told me in our telephone conversation.
Lesson: Make sure your follow-up emails include more information or a reason NOT to delete it and make the information is accurate.
I help sales professionals master their sales conversations so they can win more deals. Contact me if I can help you or your company: 905-633-7750 Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com
