Your Ego Or Your Wallet
One of the biggest weaknesses ineffective salespeople have is their desire to “look good” in front of their customer. If only this desire to feed the ego was as great as the desire to feed their wallet, life would be very different for these “happy losers.”
A Happy Loser?
I use this term because it perfectly describes the salesperson who is happy to look good even if it means no sale. The need to look smart and sharp to a prospect is more important than getting the result they want. Their success and their income suffer greatly because of it.
So make your choice right here and now. Do you want Read more…
The Problem of Turnover
One of the first questions I always ask new clients who are struggling to get control of their salespeople and increase their results is a very easy one to answer. Here is the question…
“Of the last 10 salespeople to leave, how many of them quit and how many were dismissed or as I like to say “de-hired?”
When I listen to sales managers answer that question, I don’t only listen for the words they tell me but also watch how hard it is for them to access this information. If a sales manager takes a long time to answer because they can’t remember the last time a sales person left the company, I know they have a turn-over problem. Not enough, turn-over that is.
Accountability For Results
That problem in this case is that when there is not enough turn-over, a company struggles to maintain a successful selling culture or mindset. This means Read more…
Your Sales “Boss”
I remember the not so distant “good old days” when I made sure that I was home every Sunday night to watch one of my favorite shows.
You would have to be from Mars to not know of or remember the HBO hit show The Sopranos which featured an inside look at some of the “alleged” New Jersey mob figures.
I know it seems like this is a product of the twisted mind of a sales consultant who has been on the road for a few weeks too long. But one evening while watching a re-run of the show, I began to think while I watched the plot unfold. Read more…
Is Your Eye On The Ball?
I can tell spring is about to arrive when I listen to my favorite sports radio show and I hear the ‘Hot Stove” league heating up. The show hosts go on seemingly forever about the same players and how they fit in to this years team. This week they started to play the pre-season games in earnest as all the players try to play themselves into mid-season shape by the first week in April.
In the selling world try to think about how you can use this time of year to do the same thing. What i mean is that we have all endured a challenging economy over the recent past. Just remember that when a person who is good at selling their services goes to work that the economy is always a lot better. At least it is for those who are in great mid-season selling “shape.” Read more…
Do You Make This Olympic Sized Mistake?
As the 2010 Winter Olympic games came to a close I am haunted by a certain story which involves snowboarder Lindsay Jacobellis and her failed attempt at redemption. Jacobellis suffered a disastrous crash four years ago at the Turin, Italy winter Olympic games when she celebrated too soon just moments from the finish line. She basically had the race won but could not resist the temptation at showing a little flash at the wrong moment and instead lost the race.
The reason this failure stuck with me far more than all the Olympic victories i witnessed is probably because as a sales coach I see this phenomena far more than I would like when trying to help sales people attain better results. The pain of losing is vivid to me whenever I hear the sales person tell me that they have a sale that is “pretty much already sold” and then they start talking about it like they actually have closed it. But here is the twist. After I question further I find that they aren’t even close to getting the sale.
Do You Over-Celebrate?
So many sales people are guilty of the same Olympic sized mistake that Lindsay Jacobellis made four year ago that it boggles the mind. Here are a few statements from the lips of sales people who celebrate before actually getting the job. Read more…
Super Bowl Sales Lessons
If you watched the Super Bowl a couple of weeks ago you saw a play that will probably go down in history as one of the boldest and gutsiest plays ever called. The play I’m taking about happened at the very start of the second half. It’s called the “onside kick.”
Most teams, especially in such a big game would decide to do the “normal” thing and kick off to their opponent. This gives the opponent a chance to possibly score first before they get the ball back. The play is usually reserved for moments of desperation at the end of a game.
There was no sign of despair when New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton did the opposite of the routine way, not this time, not this day. He boldly made the decision to not wait to get the ball back to start the half. Essentially he sent a message, “We will not wait for our success to happen. We are going to make it happen.” Read more…
Feel Like Groundhog’s Day Is Everyday?
The one holiday that seems to always catch me by surprise is Groundhog’s Day. Each year I am reminded by warmly dressed television reporters in early February about this whimsical, annual event. As I was watching the news this past week, I saw that once again, somewhere in Pennsylvania, a small furry mammal will decide whether we have an early spring or a late winter just by his ability to see his shadow or not. This always reminds me of the movie “Groundhog’s Day,” starring Bill Murray.
In case you forgot, the film is about a television reporter that is assigned to this event in rural Pennsylvania. Essentially he keeps repeating the same day over and over again until he finally “gets” what life and love is all about. Unfortunately, many people and companies who sell their services are living this Groundhog’s Day scenario as well.
Failing The Same Way Over-and-Over
What I mean is that poor performers tend to get themselves into a rut and continue to normalize poor performance. Each day is essentially the same. Trotting out the same sales routine, or “dog and pony” show that never seems to resonate with their customers. Even the excuses sound the same. Day-in, day-out they blame the economy, or whatever political party is in office or even the weather for the lackluster performance. Read more…
Is Your Time Is Up?
You may have heard that most sales people who struggle just lack commitment. You may have wondered what that statement really means. Specifically, for me it means to be committed to bringing the transaction to a conclusion after you have made a presentation of your solutions.
This final step sounds easy but do sales people really commit to this?
Commit To a Conclusion To Close More Sales
By being the one who acts to conclude the interaction, you have the advantage. As does anyone who takes action as opposed to those who are in the habit of waiting to do anything. Read more…
Do You Have a Policy Too?
How many times have you heard your prospect tell you that they have a “rule” or “policy” when they purchase? You know something like, “We have a rule, we never make a purchase on the first visit from a sales person.” Sometimes the rules that buyers have are dysfunctional and make little sense for you or them.
Also, the rules are often broken when they meet the right sales person with the right solution. So then the rules are only often enforced when they either don’t like the sales person or their solution.
As a professional sales person, you must have rules and policies as well. This is particularly true when you sell face-to-face and have to travel to your buyer’s location or home. The amount of time spent with buyers and the time needed to travel to and from where they are makes having policies even more important. Read more…
The Speed Of Business
Are you ready to adopt the philosophy of “Do It Now?” You may already be performing a “Do It Now’ service in your company but just not charging for it. This program can make the difference between being profitable of not if you use the correct strategy in terms of communication, pricing and bonuses.
A “Do It Now” program is not just a money grab by the company that is supported by the efforts of workers who go un-rewarded.
“Do It Now” is a premium service option that is a higher investment for the customer. Read more…
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