Jonathan Farrington's Blog

Emerging salespeople typically believe that all business is good business and to an extent, I can understand this viewpoint. If you are trying to make a name for yourself, being put under pressure by your sales manager to get “runs on the board” and earn the respect of the more experienced and successful members of the team, it is difficult to walk away from any opportunity if you believe you have the remotest chance of winning it.

However, it is essential that more seasoned professionals fully understand both the value and importance of rigorous objective qualification, not just at the front end but right the way through the sales cycle. Qualification is a process not a single event and even internal and reactive salespeople should be fully skilled in asking a small number of basic questions regarding precise requirements, time scales, budget, competition etc before they are prepared to reveal their price and delivery.

As the value of the product, service or solution increases, the depth of the qualification should increase proportionally.

External salespeople have the opportunity to meet with prospective customers and it is far easier to extract information face to face than it is via the telephone, however, it is vital that some initial answers are elicited prior the that first exploratory meeting in order to ensure that the meeting will be worthwhile to both parties. With sales costs spiralling upwards and sales time becoming limited, considerable prudence is required on the part of the salesperson.

During that first meeting, a considerable amount of detail can and should be uncovered e.g. background and history of the company, the key individuals, the composition of the DMU (Decision Making Unit) if there is one, timescales, budget, competition, current suppliers, buying criteria etc. Only by rigorous questioning will the salesperson be able to answer the following questions when they get back to the office: Is there a requirement/need that my company can satisfy? Is it winnable? Do I want it?

The very best sales professionals will not pursue the opportunity, after proper objective analysis, if the answer to any of those questions is “No”. They will rather invest their precious selling time seeking out and closing opportunities that will provide a profitable return on that investment.

At the very highest selling levels i.e. strategic “big-ticket” selling and marketing, clearly the sales cycle is much more protracted, complex and typically moves through four stages i.e.

Rigorous opportunity assessment

Develop a strategy

Present the solution and re-assess the opportunity

Gain formal commitment, sign the order and develop the relationship

In Summary:

Having a tilt at every windmill that presents itself, is neither practical nor profitable. Qualification, is a core competency that every professional salesperson should take on board as quickly as possible. Working to the maxim that “All business is good business” is unrealistic and totally erroneous. It takes just as long to work an unprofitable opportunity through the pipeline only to lose it at the death, as it does a profitable one – the ability to determine which is which, can have a huge impact on your ultimate success in a front-line sales role.

Today’s News: My mother often told me that I became a leader when I was just eight years old. That is when I captained my first soccer team; then it was my first cricket team; then I became head boy at my junior school; then…..well, I just was always leading and I don’t ever remember it being difficult, until that is, I got my first management job at the tender age of twenty-two.

Then I realised that there was more to it than merely being inspirational and occasionally bossy: Unfortunately, at that time, there were very few good management training programmes, not that many good books and no internet – how things have changed over the last thirty years. Now there is a plethora of all of those but still very few really, really good ones, particularly for those people taking their first tentative step onto the management ladder.

So I was particularly pleased to discover an excellent new book from Bob Selden – “What To Do When You Become The Boss” and despite my challenging workload over the past few weeks, I managed to find the time to read it all the way through, which with my low-boredom threshold, says everything about Bob’s work.

It is an excellent step by step guide for any new manager and it covers virtually every aspect of professional management – allow me to quote Bob:

“Most new managers get very little initial training about how to manage. Generally new managers are promoted or selected for the role because of their excellent technical or professional expertise. It is assumed therefore that they will also be expert at people management.

This book fills the “people management” learning gap for new managers. Here is your complete “How to” for both managing and leading. Learn how to best manage your boss, your people and yourself in the all important first management role. The book covers hiring, motivating, delegating, influencing, managing time, firing – in fact everything you will need to know and learn about leading and managing.”

If you only have time to do just one thing, now that you are struggling with all the new challenges which have arrived with that recent promotion, buy this book and keep it in the top drawer of your desk – it will be one of the best investments you have ever made.

Where to buy it? Go here, as soon as you can or just click on the book. 

 Tomorrow: I am still on my travels, so I will be catching up with a mountain of e-mails and general correspondence, plus of course preparing next week’s posts for you – so wherever you are, have a great w/e – JF

The JF Guest Author Spot

What sales professionals understand that other business professionals just don’t seem to get about cold-calling decision-makers is this …

A cold call to a heavy-weight prospect, for the purpose of scheduling a face-to-face sales call, is in reality an extremely, sophisticated sale. In fact, it’s a sales presentation that’s so dog-gone good, that it’s stripped down to the bare essentials.

A cold call to top decision-makers … the guys (and gals) who have the ability to write unlimited checks to you for your products and services … has got to be so “tight” it can get you in the door, for multimillion dollar opportunities … in 90-seconds.

And if you can’t convince your prospect or the executive assistant to schedule you for a meeting in two minutes or less, you’re in the doghouse instead of roaming the halls where the “Top Dogs” live.

To be that good, there are a few things that a sell-ice-to-an-Eskimo, sell-sand-in-the-Sahara, sales-pro, like you, must know. Things that appear to “outsiders”, people who don’t know squat about selling, as being of no consequence.

But You Know Better!

There is the obvious, often overlooked, given little attention, script. You want a powerful script you can count on to give you the results you want. A script that gets you past the gatekeeper and onto the decision-maker’s calendar; that gets you calls back in the event you leave a voice mail message.

You want those precious few, spine tingling words that’ll compel the decision-maker to call and invite you in for a face-to-face meeting!

You want a script that makes the prospect glad to see you when you show up for your appointment; a script that’ll redirect your prospect’s objections with effective terminology that is non-threatening and non-selling.

To get in to see the upper echelon you want a script, a system really, that you can rely on to work for you, even on the days when you don’t feel like cold calling. (Yes, Virginia, we all have days like that!)

Then, before you touch your oh-so-eager-fingers to the keys of your phone, you gotta make sure to have several quick options available to you that’ll deliver meaningful information when your prospect asks the question you already know is going come your way, “Can you send me something in writing?”

This is the exact spot where many an experienced sales pro trips up and stops cold in front of a firmly, closed-door.

The Good News Is … You Don’t Have To Be One That Trips.

You can respond to your prospects’ requests, in a format that’ll open the doors to the executive suites! With information you can count on to answer your prospect’s unspoken question, “What’s in this deal for me?” Written words that’ll get you in the door, fast.

For sure you don’t want to mail or fax, follow up with a call and hear, something like, “We received your packet. I’ll call you if he’s interested.”

No, no, no! Don’t send materials like your company’s annual report, that’ll close the door of opportunity forever. Send the good stuff. The materials with “killer copy” …

So Meaningful To Your Prospect, So Enticing, That Your Prospect Picks Up The  Phone And Calls You!

And finally, you must have a person you can count on to make the cold calls. You may be that person. Or someone else may make appointment setting phone calls for you. Whatever you decide, the one “dialing for dollars” must have “sales savvy” AND the ability to “level the playing field”

You want to be the one who doesn’t go “all wobbly” when the prospect or administrative assistant bluntly asks, “Who are you?” “What do you want?” Or says, “He doesn’t handle that sort of thing … ”

You must be or must have access to the kind of person who has “staying power”. Who knows how to continue conversations at the top and not get booted down the organizational ladder.

Build your cold calling strategy with these three components. Make them rock solid and they’ll move you forward, faster than you thought possible, and position you for big, big sales.

Forward this article to friends—they’ll thank you for it!

For your mini-course “Jealously Guarded Secrets to Cold Calling Company Presidents” visit www.ColdCallingExecutives.com ! Or call Cold Calling Expert, Lead New Business Development Coach, Leslie Buterin (like butterin’ bread) at (816) 554-3674 9-3 CST (that’s Kansas City/Chicago Time)

Leslie is also an important member of the Top Sales Experts team, and you can read more about her here

Today’s News: Good interview on Salesopedia today: Daniel Sitter, who I happen to like very much, in conversation with Clayton Shold – listen in here

Tomorrow: To finish the week strongly, I emphasise that not all business is good business.

One can often see two ways of managing major accounts that are certain to fail. The first is management by chance. There is no control. There is no plan. No one can explain why we are winning the business or forecast how long our success will last. We do not learn from our mistakes or from our successes. This is at one extreme.

At the other extreme is management by formula. Here everything is documented, controlled and decided. I have seen one account planning process which demands that for every account the team must hold a one day orientation meeting, then gather information for twenty-one working days and then hold a two day planning session. The timescale cannot be changed. The people who must be present never change. The documents that must be prepared are described in detail. The process is a good one but it leaves no room for flexibility, common sense or the differences that exist both between accounts and departments. We need a way of managing major accounts that is effective, consistent and flexible. We need a way of working that is simple but strong. We need discipline and we need creativity.

So, how is Major Account Management like an art?

Discipline:

Artists need discipline. Think of the discipline of a dancer or a singer, they know that they work best if they create inside disciplines of their art. A poet follows certain rules of rhyme and structure and a painter knows the disciplines of colour and line.

Practice:

Every artist expects to practice. The painter sketches, trying different compositions, actors rehearse until the words are coming perfectly; the dancer works at the bar to keep fit and to perfect every movement and musicians play the piece over and over again. The performance often looks easy but we know that it took a great amount of work.

Creativity:

Discipline and practice alone will not make an outstanding artist. There needs to be a spark – something special that allows the artist to see what many others miss and to communicate their understanding powerfully and clearly. The artist allows us to see and hear things differently.

Managing a major account needs all three parts. Discipline helps us follow the plan, to be self-controlled. Practice means that we do not expect to be perfect overnight, we think and plan and prepare for every important “performance”. Creativity allows us to change the past, to find new ways to solve problems and to win opportunities. If we think of Major Account Management as an art then we will avoid the two dangers of working randomly and working rigidly.

Today’s News: The JF UK Hotel Tour kicks off in June – a series of half-day lectures  at some of the UK’s best venues and full details will be available in the next three weeks – if you would like advance notification and the ability to book early, please e-mail me at jfhoteltour2008@jonathanfarrington.com  Numbers will be strictly limited, because I have chosen smaller venues that understand the importance of customer care and who will look after my delegates appropriately. It is going to be great fun and I really look forward to meeting you. 

Tomorrow:On the JF Guest Author Spot, Leslie Buterin (My good friend BB) makes a very welcome return, with some expert advice on how to reach key decision makers.

The JF Guest Author Spot

Dear Seller,

I only have a few minutes, but I understand you’re interested in what you can do to capture my attention and entice me to want to set up a meeting with you.

Let me say this loud and clear right now – you have no idea what my day is like. You may think you do, but you’re missing the boat. Until you understand this, my advice to you makes no sense.

I got into the office early this morning so I could have some uninterrupted time to work on a major project – something I can’t seem to squeeze into the normal business day, which is filled with back-to-back meetings.

But, by 9 a.m. all my good intentions were dashed. My boss asked me to drop everything to get her some up-to-date information on a major reorganization initiative. Product development informed me that our new offering won’t be available for the upcoming tradeshow. Sales is already in an uproar because they have customers waiting for it. Then HR tells me that one of my key employees has been accused of cyber-stalking.

Starting to get the picture? Welcome to my world of everyday chaos where, hard as I try to make progress, I keep slipping behind. Right now, I have at least 59 hours of work piled on my desk, needing my attention. I have no idea when I’ll get it all done.

Did I mention my how many emails I get daily? Over 100. Everyone copies me in on everything. It drives me crazy. Then, add to that at least 30 phone calls – many from vendors who want to set up a meeting with me. And the pile of junk mail I get each day is ridiculous.

In short, I have way too much to do, ever-increasing expectations, impossible deadlines and constant interruptions from people wanting my time or attention.

Time is my most precious commodity and I protect it at all costs. I live with the status quo as long as I can – even if I’m not happy. Why? Because change creates more work and eats up my time.

Which gets us back to you. In your well-intentioned but misguided attempts turn me into a “prospect,” you fail woefully to capture my attention. I’m going to be really blunt here: I could not care less about your product, service, solution or your company.

I’m not one bit interested in your unique methodologies, extraordinary differentiators or one-stop shopping. Your self-serving pablum, while designed to lure me into your clutches, has the exact opposite impact.

It’s trash talk! I quickly scan your emails or letters looking for those offensive words and phrases that glorify your offering or your firm.

The minute they jump out at me, you’re gone. Zapped from my inbox or tossed into the trashcan. When you talk like that in your voicemails, I delete you immediately. Delete, delete, delete.

That’s the most expeditious way to handle bothersome telemarketers. Use those same words on the phone with me and I’ll quickly raise an objection you can’t address.

I’m a master at sniffing out trash talk and deleting it. I have work to do and refuse to waste even one iota of my time on something that’s irrelevant or self-promotional.

You need to know though that I’m not always like this. Occasionally a savvy marketer or seller captures my attention, gets me to raise my hand asking for more information and even entices me to request a meeting.

What are they doing? They’re completely focused on my business and the impact they can have on it. That’s what’s relevant to me – not their offering.

I’m always interested in ways to shorten time to market, speed up our sales cycles and reduce our supply chain costs.

Notice that this is business talk, not marketing speak!

When you get even more specific and tell me how much impact, now you’re really talking my language. I guarantee that if you mention you’ve helped organizations similar to mine increase sales conversion rates by 39% in just 3 months, I’ll be on the phone to you in no time flat.

Do you have any good information or fresh insights about the challenges my company is facing? How about how other companies are addressing these issues? If so, I’m interested in that too.

That’s the good stuff. It stems from a focus on the difference you can make for my company, instead of how you’re different from every one else. When you emphasize that, I’m interested.

But you can’t rope me in with the good stuff, then slip back into that trash talk. If so, you’re gonzo as fast as I can hit the delete button.

I pay attention in about 5 second increments, too. I don’t have time for fluff. If it’s relevant info, you’ve got me; start meandering and I hit delete.

Get the picture? I hope so, because I’m late for a meeting and while I’ve been writing this, the phone’s been ringing off the hook.

Hope this helps!

Your Prospective Customer
****

Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies and founder of the Sales Shebang, is a frequent speaker at national sales meetings and industry events. For more articles like this, visit http://www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com. Sign up for the newsletter and get a BONUS Sales Call Planning Guide.

Jill was also one of the founding members of the Top Sales Experts team and you can read more about her here 

Today’s News: Over on Salesopedia today, the topic is “Sales Advice” and they are showcasing some excellent articles by amongst others; Paul McCord and Daniel Sitter. You can check it out here

Tomorrow: Why managing your most important accounts is an art, not a formula.

One of the first exercises I carry out before commencing a new assignment, is a rigorous audit and profiling session to identify the current strengths and limitations of the team – sales, management, or whatever.

You know the thing that I find, more often than not? It is the considerable length of time since the individuals received any formal training, coaching or counselling – is it any wonder that around 80% of all front-line sales professionals are not working at optimum performance levels? 

During the seventies, eighties and nineties, it was common for large corporations such as Hewlett Packard, IBM, and Compaq etc to put their new sales recruits through a twelve to eighteen-month training programme. Today, salespeople consider themselves extremely fortunate if they receive an initial two weeks of induction training or product familiarisation workshops.

So what has changed? Have companies discovered that training is not necessary? On the contrary, training appears to be even more important today than it was thirty years ago and it is becoming more critical all the time.

Lower Training Budgets But Higher Expectations:

The dichotomy facing Sales Directors is how they reconcile the fact that most corporations today provide less upfront training for their sales staff than in years past, yet attach increasing importance to staff development?

This should not come as a surprise, because current stock market thinking provides a powerful disincentive for firms to invest in their people on an ongoing basis. An organisation’s investment in their human capital, in the form of training and other forms of education, is not separable from general expenditure. It therefore appears as a cost on the corporate balance sheet.

Tough Choices:

Unfortunately, as a consequence, many Sales Directors have concluded that their only realistic option is to cut back on training and instead look to recruit sales professionals who, in theory anyway, already possess the necessary skills needed to do the job. They then send them out to win business armed with what they know. However, most of those same Sales Directors are discovering just how difficult it is to find skilled salespeople, who have all of the essential skills and personal traits. And anyway it is not possible to equate experience or seniority with success.

In skills development, there are many similarities to sport i.e. does an athletic champion stop training as soon as they win their first medal? In music, does a concert pianist stop rehearsing as soon as they have given their first recital? In art, does the artist stop improving after they have enjoyed the first exhibition of their work? The answer in all cases is obvious and we should apply the same common sense principals to the ongoing development of our sales teams.

The reality is that selling in today’s climate is both an art and a science. Selling is a profession that demands a far wider range of skills than ever before, skills that require continual fine-tuning and constant practice.

In Summary – Ongoing Reinforcement and Development Is Essential:

The operative word here is “ongoing”. Even if salespeople have undergone progressive sales training, there’s no guarantee that they will be successful. It is common knowledge that skills grow rusty over time and salespeople are prone to pick-up bad habits along the way or to simply skip steps and take shortcuts that can lead to long-term trouble. Perhaps even more important these days, is the fact that markets, competition, technologies, and customer preferences are all in a constant and accelerating state of change. This fact requires that sales people are able and willing to rethink their sales strategy and approach frequently and receive a regular top-up of skills and motivational coaching.

Today’s News: When I first set out on the road with the primary objective of establishing the JF brand, I was advised that writing articles was definitely something I should consider doing – that was long before the same visionary advisor suggested that I should write a Blog Here we are, almost two hundred articles later and I always remember one particular article community CEO, who helped me enormously during those early days (and still offers advice and support freely) His name is David Bain, the site was (and still is) buildyourownbusiness.biz It’s very much a niche site and successful because of it.

However, since our first meeting way back in May 2006, like many of us, David has been forging ahead with a number of successful initiatives and has quickly established himself as one of the leading internet marketing experts in the world with his company Purple Internet Marketing 

His “Thirteen Pillars Of Internet Marketing” tour was a sell-out in virtually every major city in the UK last year and now he has produced something even better – if that were possible.

It’s a twenty- six week internet marketing programme and it launches next week: My elves have been all the way through it last week and they could not praise it enough, here are some of the comments I got back from them:

Hi JF, here is a first analysis

“Extremely comprehensive”
“Very well constructed”
“So easy to follow”
“Excellent value for money”
“Covers everything you are ever likely to need to know – and so much more!”
“Even get a free t-shirt!!”
“Bonus cd’s included – and there’s an interview with you ” 

I will share my personal findings over the next couple of weeks, but if you or your company do not realise the importance of getting your internet strategy right, then you are missing out! You can register your pre-launch interest here

Tomorrow: Most of us who regularly write articles (although it is confession time; I have been very much distracted lately and as a consequence, haven’t written much) – agree that some of our work passes the “Mmm, yep, I like that and I am proud of it, test” whilst not unaturally, we are less proud of some other pieces, because we are perfectionists (Isn’t it strange that some of the work we produce and are not satisfied with gets read the most?)

I digress; tomorrow my guest is Jill Konrath, my “Crazy Buddy” currently on vacation and climbing things in Utah – she has yet to write something I didn’t enjoy and tomorrow’s post is superb – trust me.

Throughout a person’s lifetime, beliefs change continually. Beliefs that they once thought to be immutable cease to be true.

Take the example of Roger Bannister who, in 1957, became the first athlete to break the four-minute barrier for running a mile. Prior to Bannister’s achievement, on that evening in May at the unassuming Iffley Road track in Oxford, most athletes considered a sub-four-minute mile impossible. But that same year, sixteen other athletes also ran a mile in less than four minutes. Did they become super-human overnight? Or, more simply, did their beliefs change? That is the way it works – if one person can do it, we can all do it, we just have to believe we can.

Our Colleagues Can Exert Positive Pressure:

Like those milers, salespeople have their own unique sets of beliefs, some of which limit their potential in sales. For instance, during a recession, the members of a sales force may all believe that strong sales are impossible. But if just one person increases their sales, what seemed an inevitable fact will suddenly appear more like a thin excuse for poor performance.

We Must Challenge Negative Beliefs:

Sales Captains who challenge negative beliefs with good questions can help create shifts in mindset. Take a look at these examples of negative beliefs and examples of questions that challenge them.

Statement:

“Our solutions are too expensive.”

Response:

“Compared with whom?”

“Compared to what?”

“How do you know?”

Statement:

“I’m hopeless at cold calling”

Response:

“According to whom?”

“What prevents you from being good at cold calling?”

“What would happen if you were good?”

Statement:

“My sales target is too high this month, I’ll never achieve it”

Response:

“What do you need to do so that you can?”

While challenging questions may not instantly create a belief change, over time, they can enable salespeople to shift their perceptions of their beliefs, recognising that there are other possibilities and options available to them.

Developing Self Worth:

Organisations that recognise the importance of helping their salespeople develop a strong sense of self worth are many times more likely to produce high performers. Self worth is vital to everyone but especially to salespeople who hear “no” more often than they hear “yes, I’ll buy”. A salesperson’s self-esteem can sometimes take a hammering, but organisations that find ways to build their salespeople’s self-esteem reap an invaluable dividend. Self–worth translates into attitude, that small thing that makes such a big difference.

In Summary – The most successful salespeople take care of their attitude and they understand that:

Great Attitude = Great Results,

Average Attitude = Average Results,

Poor Attitude = Poor Results.

The second commonality with successful salespeople is that they expect to be successful and they want it badly enough that they bring about its happening i.e. fulfilled expectation.

Today’s News: It was my intention to introduce you to a superb new book today called “What To Do When You Become The Boss” by Bob Seldon, but I still have a couple of chapters to read and I am not going to skimp, because if I am going to recommend something to you, I need to be confident about that recommendation. My thoughts so far? Excellent, and if you really cannot wait for my critique, then you can go here and learn more for yourselves: My review will appear here next week.  

Tomorrow: I am on my travels, but I will be back here on Monday – do join me. Have a great w/e, wherever you are and stay positive. – JF

The JF Guest Author Spot 

I recently wrote an article called, “Feeble Questions Can Kill Your Business“. In the article, I stated that too many sales people get caught in the trap of asking low-quality questions instead of more powerful ones. Many people contacted me and requested more information on what constitutes a great question. This article will address that issue.

First, the reason it is important to ask questions is to gain a thorough understanding of each customer’s situation including their needs, wants, desired results, decision-making process as well as potential concerns and roadblocks. Most salespeople understand this-at least at a fundamental level. In virtually every sales training workshop I conduct, participants nod when we discuss the importance of asking questions early in the sales process. However, in real life, they often skip through this stage in order to present their product, or discuss a solution. It’s only when the customer raises an objection, that many sales people backtrack and ask questions. Unfortunately, they have the process backward.

Powerful questions can help you demonstrate your expertise. Powerful questions demonstrate that you are not an average person selling a product, service or solution. And powerful questions help you determine the best way to present your solution. So what constitutes a powerful question?

Powerful questions are designed to make your customer think. The majority of salespeople I encounter are hesitant about asking deep, thought- provoking questions because they are afraid that their prospect will find them invasive. However, the higher up in an organization you sell, the more important it is to ask these types of questions simply because executives are used to asking-and answering- tough questions. In fact, if you sell to senior level executives, it is essential to ask high-level questions. Here are a few examples;

- What goals are you striving to achieve this quarter?
- How do those targets compare to last year’s results?
- What, if anything, is preventing you from achieving these goals?

However, do NOT start your conversation with questions like this because you have to earn the right to ask them, especially if you do not have an established relationship. It is much better to begin by demonstrating your expertise, industry knowledge, and understanding of your prospect’s business and/or company.

- We’ve noticed several trends occurring in the industry lately. The two that stand out the most are.. How are these affecting you and your business?
- When I was doing some research, I noticed on your website that your company is.. What progress are you making on that initiative?

These questions are powerful because it shows that you have done some preliminary research or homework and executives appreciate that. In fact, many of them would like their own sales team to take this approach before calling on a new prospect. Questions like this also demonstrate that you know what is happening in business as well as your customer’s industry.

It is critical to note that I am NOT suggesting that you spend fifteen minutes lecturing to your prospect trying to show them how smart you are. The goal is to be prepared and to demonstrate this preparation by asking key questions.

Assuming you have captured your prospect’s attention you can move the sales process forward by asking other powerful questions that focus on an outcome. It is critical to understand that most people, especially business people, do not make buying decisions based on your ability to spew out product specifications and information. Instead, they want to know what result they can expect. In other words, your prospect wants to know how your solution will affect their top line (sales) or bottom line (profits).

Will they make more money? Will they gain more market share? Will they increase brand recognition? Will they be able to compete more effectively? Will they save money? Improve morale? Increase productivity? Reduce costs in a specific area(s)?

That means you need to be prepared to ask questions that focus on the future. When I talk to new prospects about sales training, I usually ask what their current conversion ratio is. In other words, what percentage of sales do they close compared to the qualified leads they generate? Then I ask what ratio they would like to reach after the training. Depending on my prospect’s goals and objectives, we may also talk about the size and scope of each sale and what increase they would like to experience. This information then helps me position my solution and the positive financial impact training will have on their business. Consider these questions.

- What is the ideal outcome you would like to see or experience?
- How does this compare with your current results?
- You mentioned that you want to improve employee morale with this initiative. Can you tell me what that looks like?
- You have stated that increasing market awareness is one of your primary objectives. How will you know that you have succeeded?

Lastly, other powerful questions will help you determine the priority of this decision, how the decision will be made, and what potential roadblocks may prevent you from moving forward. Here are few examples.

- How does this project rank in priority compared to the others you are working on?
- Walk me through the process you follow when you consider decisions of this nature?
- Who else do you normally consult with on decisions like this?
- What potential roadblocks might prevent you from moving ahead with this?
- What concerns, if any, do you have about moving forward?

These may sound like difficult questions. But I have learned from experience that most people are willing to answer them if you have the courage to ask.

© 2008 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals and businesses pinpoint what they need to do differently to improve their sales. Receive a FREE copy of “100 Ways to Increase Your Sales” by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.kelleyrobertson.com

Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com. 

Kelley is also a member of the Top Sales Experts team and you can read more about him here

Today’s News: It has been suggested that up to 25% of front-line sales professionals are looking to change jobs at any one time – if that is you right now, you should really check out the vacancies at Sales Gravy and Salesopedia - or even just post your resume.

I have a very wide network of “business acquaintances” as you can imagine, but I do have a  small circle of very special people, who I respect immensely and enjoy working with – my “inner sanctum”- and one of those people is Paul McCord. Why? Because he constantly challenges the status quo and he is a visionary in our world – the world of creating sales excellence. Paul is part of  a very select team that I am currently working with and we are about to launch some incredibly innovative solutions – watch this space.

Want to hear his pearls of wisdom? Go here and listen very carefully, it will be worth it.

Tomorrow: Everyone is talking up the anticipated recession and unfortunately, many will be using it, if it does come, to disguise poor performance and an excuse for not hitting numbers – my view, having survived and succeeded in at least two major recessions, is that we have to challenge beliefs head-on.  

For companies to remain competitive now, their sales organisation must be able to respond positively to changing economic tides. As businesses strive to establish customer orientation, sales partnerships and a strategic approach to selling, they are demanding more and more from their salespeople but ensuring that these new methods are widely practised and smoothly implemented falls to sales management

Building Productivity:

Sales productivity is a strategic issue. That’s why problems in this area stem from salespeople being unclear about their company’s priorities i.e. what their message should be and what they should be selling.

The trend in industry of removing layers of management between the sale force and the general manager presents a challenge to those sales managers who remain. To begin with, the sales manager becomes an essential link between company strategy and what takes place in the customer’s office. He or she must not only grasp the corporate vision but be able to communicate it to the sales force in terms of the real effects on sales practices

Creating Direction:

Sales managers with an intimate feel for the selling process succeed because their staff regard them as part of the sales team but coaching the team is as important as playing in it. In other words, sales managers must be prepared to provide training, feedback and support to every individual within the team.

Once committed to the training process, they must routinely reinforce new ways of behaving in real sales situations. They must provide a clear sense of direction on a daily basis, not just at the monthly sales meeting / quarterly review / annual appraisal

The very best sales managers engage in frequent coaching and feedback, even when their sales people work in remote locations. While encouraging salespeople to air their problems openly and discuss their concerns, sales managers must be able to offer clear and specific feedback for improving sales performance

Rewarding Change:

The sales manager is charged with translating the company’s reward system into specific improvements in sales performance. Both salespeople and corporate managers count on the sales manager to recognise and reward outstanding achievement, formally and informally.

The process of promoting new attitudes about the customer and the role of the salesperson can be frustrating and slow. Reverting back to recent research there is compelling evidence to suggest that companies will see results sooner if they recognise and reward salespeople – “you get more of the behaviour and results that you reward”.

The trend in sales compensation appears to be away from commission to guaranteed salary, from compensation based on orders to compensation based on delivery and sign-off. Interestingly some organisations we know, base their ‘salesperson of the year’ award on the basis of customer satisfaction or customer retention rather than sheer volume of orders or activity

Summary – And Now the Good News:

It is now a given fact in any sales-related seminar or conference you may attend that traditional sales methods are being relegated to the annals of history. The new, more discerning customers of today have seen to that. They now wield greater bargaining power, demand more value for money and have become more knowledgeable and professional when it comes to decision-making. Suppliers are now faced with rising customer expectations and the need to become more flexible to the requirements of each individual client.

Yet the key to differentiation lies within these expectations, since more complex buying decisions lead customers to value closer links with their suppliers.

Today’s News: Millions, if not tens of millions of dollars are wasted every year on unnecessary, irrelevant or ineffective sales training – but it doesn’t have to be that way. One of the unique services being offered by The JF Consultancy is an independent assessment of sales team development requirements – DNA – and for around $1000, companies can receive an extremely comprehensive report which accurately outlines the current and future development requirements of their entire sales team – thus saving vast amounts of money. Read more about this innovative service here

Tomorrow: My guest on The JF Guest Author Spot is Kelley Robertson – “Powerful Questions That Will Increase Your Sales”

The JF Guest Author Spot 

At some point, I hear from practically every person I’ve ever worked with about the competition in their market. Companies spend so much time trying to outsell, outwit and out price their competition without realizing who their greatest competitor truly is. As such, they focus all of their energy on trying to beat out the wrong competitor.

Consider this. You have no external competition. No, I haven’t fully lost my mind as of yet, so just try this on for a moment. I’m certainly not disputing the fact that there are other companies selling similar products that you are.

What I am suggesting is that the only competition you truly have is you; in other words, your current beliefs or outlook, your mindset and your current way of doing things.

While some of you may already embrace this notion, let’s explore it on a deeper level.
There are several words synonymous with competition. They are, “Struggle, resistance, disagreement” and “conflict.” “Competition” implies one side working against the other.
The two competing sides that I’m referring to as it relates to each of us are as follows. That which you are comfortable doing and that which you haven’t done or tried consistently as of yet.

In truth, you are really competing against what you did yesterday. You’re competing against status quo; you’re competing against feeling comfortable and doing what’s predictable with feeling uncomfortable and doing what hasn’t been proven yet.

To illustrate this point, let me share a story about Dave. Dave was the owner of a mid sized company. He had a hard time managing and motivating his team. Like many owners, he was also responsible for selling. He didn’t really have a specific management or sales process laid out. He wasn’t organized and didn’t adhere to any type of daily routine. “Sales were tough,” as he said. Dave felt his product was a commodity. As such, his typical approach was to try to sell on price, making it even more challenging to produce the results he wanted, especially since he wasn’t the least expensive option.

Dave and I spent the first few weeks working together crafting a selling strategy and approach he was comfortable with. We developed his MVP (Most Valuable Proposition). He upgraded his mindset and removed some mental barriers that were preventing him from engaging in the activities that yield the greatest return. We crafted questions that enabled him to uncover new selling opportunities. Dave put together a routine that outlined the measurable activities he needed to engage in on a daily basis. He made one to one time with each member of his team non negotiable and put a process in place to track productivity and their goals. He even interviewed his team, investing the time in asking them how he can improve and how he can best manage each of his salespeople.
The result? Dave doubled his personal sales volume by the third month of our work together. By the 5th month, his salespeople increased their volume by 40%.

So the question is, did his external competition change during this period of time or disappear from his market? Did the economy dramatically turn around? Did his product’s demand suddenly skyrocket or become more effective and unique? It did not.
Dave accelerated to a higher level of productivity because of the work he did and the things that he can control, which is the path he chose to take as it relates to his development and daily activities.

Dave embraced his biggest competitor which was himself! He turned this adversary into his greatest ally. For example, if you are responsible for bringing in new business, instead of thinking that every prospect you meet with is a potential sale for you to win, consider that every sale is already yours for the taking. Therefore, each sale is yours for you to lose; not to your competition but to yourself based on how well you develop and manage your selling process.

The next time you run up against some resistance when managing or selling, remember Dave. Remember who your competition really is and embrace this as an opportunity to refine how you approach managing, selling and your prospects. Compare your progress today against what you did yesterday, not against what others are doing. This is the only accurate measurement of your growth and evolution. After all, once you get yourself out of your own way, that’s when extraordinary things happen.

Keith Rosen is the preferred, authentic coach that top executives and sales professionals in many of the world’s leading companies call first. As a prominent, engaging speaker, Master Coach and well-known author of many books and articles, Keith is one of the foremost authorities on assisting people in achieving positive, measurable change in their attitude, in their behavior and in their results. Keith’s articles can be found in Selling Power Magazine and has appeared in feature stories in The New York Times, The Washington Times, Inc. Magazine, Sales and Marketing Management’s Ultimate Motivation Guide with Stephen Covey and The Wall Street Journal. For his work as a pioneer in the coaching profession, Inc. magazine and Fast Company named Keith one of the five most respected and influential executive coaches in the country.

To speak with Keith about personalized, one to one or team coaching or training or to receive his free ezine, call 1-888- 262-2450, e-mail info(at)ProfitBuilders.com or visit www.ProfitBuilders.com.

Today’s News: Over at Salesopedia this week, the hot topic is “Marketing In Sales” and there are some excellent articles being showcased – you can check them out here

Tomorrow: Some very sound advice for sales leaders or anyone contemplating taking the step up.

Using the funnel questioning technique will uncover needs, if they are there to be uncovered. However, it is one thing to uncover the need, it is another thing to prove that there is adequate pay back and value in fulfilling the needs.

Having uncovered the needs we must probe and find out as much as we can about those needs and the implications to the customer if they are not met or fulfilled. We do this by asking past, present and future questions i.e. “How did you use to do this?” (Past), “How do you do this now?” (Present) and “How do you plan to do it?” (Future).

What we are trying to establish is the difference between what the customer used to do and how he does it now. If we can establish this then the comparison between what they are presently doing and what they may be able to do based on our solution, will be easier to grasp. This is important, because the difference between them doing something and not doing it is the “value gap”. We need to find value gaps that we can attach a price to, so that we can justify the benefit in terms of added value.

Let’s take an example:-

Your support customer used to have a manual stock and inventory system. Using your database for an automated system has enabled them to increase shipments by 20% per day. With the shipments of goods totalling £10,000 per day, the value gap i.e. system or no system, is £2000 per day. If the system is down it would cost £200 to £400 in lost or delayed shipments per hour. Staying as they are or going for a support agreement that would reduce down time is the value gap opportunity. That gap is worth £200 to £400 per hour.

Value Added Arguments:

You should always be looking for opportunities to offer more features that will be of benefit by asking the customer to tell you areas in which they would like to see greater support or additional services. If you say “Mr Smith we would like you to upgrade to our gold support agreement, you will receive earlier notification of software upgrades” the usual response will be, we don’t need them. Far better, using reasoning and questions to manoeuvre the customer into a position where they ask or enquire about additional services, explain to you what the possible outcome would be if they did not have those additional services and then you present a value added argument, to fill the gap.

Summary:

The best product, at the best price does not always win the order; we have all been outsold by a competitive salesperson probably offering less of a solution and sometimes even at a higher price. By selling benefits, not telling about features, the prospect will understand the pay off that your solution will deliver. Do not leave them to work it out for themselves, they might not bother!

If you can identify the need for more services and explain, using benefits, how you can meet those needs, it will be a lot easier to up sell and cross sell.

Today’s News: My good friend Keith Rosen has an excellent event coming up this week:

Permission Based Prospecting (TM) Attract More Qualified Prospects – Close More Sales.

Learn from best selling author and renowned executive sales coach Keith Rosen how to maximize your cold calling potential and boost your income by learning how to get in front of the right prospects in less time and create greater selling opportunities without the fear, pressure or anxiety associated with cold calling.

February 21, 2008
1:00 pm ET (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT) Book online here

Tomorrow: In fact Keith is my guest tomorrow on the JF Guest Author Spot and he identifies “The Only Real Competition Is………..”