Jonathan Farrington’s Blog

The JF Guest Author Spot

Stone Payton

Propose (prə-ˈpōz) : to set forth for acceptance or rejection, to put forward for consideration

If your child were running in the middle of a busy street to chase after a ball, would you propose he stop?

If your neighbor’s house were on fire, would you propose the Fire Department entertain the idea of driving by when they get a chance?

I realize that most of us don’t hold other people’s lives in the balance as part of our normal work day, but many of us in this arena really do provide services that substantially impact (improve) organizational performance and individual quality of life. What we do is important. What we know is important . . . too important to leave our solutions at the mercy of those often least equipped to determine their value – the client.

If your client has a problem you can solve, why would you propose (set forth for acceptance or rejection) your expert advice on the course of action to take? They either need you or they don’t. You’re either right or you’re not. (And you either believe these two things with all your heart, or you don’t.) If they need you – tell them . . . Tell them Why, tell them What, Where, Who, When and How much.

Yes, organizing all of this — and capturing it in a document you and the client can both reference as your conversation unfolds can be helpful. But please don’t consider it, don’t position it, and for the love of Mike . . . Whatever you do, don’t label it or call it a “proposal.”

(The term I use most often is “Recommendation Summary.” I’ve been doing this work for over 20 years. I’m not proposing anything – I’m an expert. I know what I’m doing, and I want to help you. I’m telling you exactly what your problem is, and exactly what you need to do to solve it.)

If you cannot or will not follow my recommendations, I’ll still try to help you – at least to the extent that I’ll try to get you connected with a (perhaps lesser, but nonetheless, competent) resource to help you take the actions you are prepared to take right now. (In fact, I do this all the time with people trying to solve their Sales Problem with Training, or their Marketing Problem with a Website.)

We can still be friends, let’s definitely stay connected — and we can even go fishing after Church, if you like – but I’m not about to propose you take a course of action, then sit in my office waiting on that phantom phone call . . . hoping you find it in your heart to please baby, please accept my humble submission . . . and then circle back at some undetermined date to tell me all the things in my proposal that you are and are not going to do. “Just Shoot Me Now!”

If you’re currently living this “propose & pray” existence, let me offer a little soul saving, money making relief:

Take a brief stroll with me into the “No Bull Zone” for a moment: If the client had the knowledge and skills to actually treat your submission as a proposal – meaning, he’s better equipped than you are to accept or reject a specific course of action as the best path to take . . . then what does he need you for in the first place? Are you, or are you not the expert here?

Let’s be honest, a great many of our clients don’t even know what questions to ask.

How can we (Why Would We) expect them to have the answers?

(If they do have the answers without you – or even just think they do, Great . . . go help someone who needs and wants the help. Again, you can do this – fire the prospect – in a very nice and professional manner by connecting her with someone else who won’t hurt them. And when you “fire” prospects in this manner, you’ll find that many come back soon enough – with a mindset that will allow you to truly serve them this time around.)

So What?, Now What?

This soul-sucking, heart-wrenching, money-losing pattern of submitting proposals can be largely corrected by exercising just a few key disciplines:

1. Stop calling it a proposal. Many clients will still keep calling it a proposal, of course. You don’t have to correct them (though I often do), just never, ever use the term yourself. Simply making this modest shift in semantics will serve both you and your client well . . . help you stay positioned as the expert resource that you are, and help the client avoid shooting themselves in the backside.

I suspect that my Discussion Guides, Engagement Outlines, and Recommendation Summaries look a lot like key pieces of what you currently call a Proposal – especially if your documents are just a few pages or less. I can’t think of a quicker way to cut my revenue in half (and my credibility by at least that much) than to take those exact documents and label them “Proposals.” The Good News For You: To whatever extent I’m right, the math works both ways. If you take no other suggestion I make on the issue, give this one an earnest try – simply re-label your current proposals, and determine for yourself if it really makes a difference.

2. Stop writing it yourself. Co-create your Recommendation Summaries with the client – and clearly label every version of this “working document” as a DRAFT.

Consider labeling later and final versions as co-authored by your Internal Champion(s). In my experience, this discipline of co-creating is particularly important — and remarkably effective — when working with multiple buying influences and complex sales processes. Sure, a piece of this is just good Sales Psychology 101 (capitalizing on the power of engagement, inclusion, pride of authorship, etc.) . . . but your recommendations will actually be better if co-written with the client. The Best Sales Tool on the planet is Doing Good Work. The proposal . . . uhhhh, that’s Recommendation Summary now . . . is a work product – often the first tangible expression of your work that the client sees.

3. Stop expecting the document to do the selling. Do your selling before – and if necessary, after – but the document itself is a horrible “stand-alone” Selling Tool.

Early in the process, this living, working document can establish credibility, frame up the conversation to keep the exchange properly focused, gather information, challenge thinking, check assumptions and educate.

Later — as more information is uncovered and the prospect begins to take equal ownership for both the document and its role in the decision making process, it can serve as a co-created Project Plan or Engagement Outline DRAFT – to be further refined with the client’s active participation . . . including the business case for change, desired outcomes, budget parameters, etc.

The “selling” takes place in the creating (and co-creating) of these DRAFT-level documents, and firmly securing commitment (to the need, desired outcomes, and existing plans) from your Internal Champion(s) at every step along the way. The final document (what I usually refer to as a Recommendation Summary) is just that . . . a Summary – capturing the highlights from all of this previous work – and ideally submitted after the “sale” has really already been made.

Two Important Notes On This:

a) I’m not advocating mounds of paperwork here. I (and most of those from whom I’ve learned these valuable disciplines), write plenty of six and seven figure business with as little as one piece of paper from beginning to end. But if your sales process does require several rounds of discussion and this level of in-depth documentation, DO NOT do it in isolation, do it in partnership with the client.

b) Keep the final document (again, called anything but a proposal) completely separate – and positioned solely to facilitate the final steps in the buying process, in a sale already (at least intellectually and emotionally) made . . . NOT as something for the client to evaluate as an appropriate solution to their problem.

Of course it’s appropriate: The expert (you) — after giving the situation the careful consideration and thorough evaluation you are uniquely qualified to provide — says so.

4. When asked to submit a proposal . . .

• Clarify what they’re asking for – and answer as much of what they want to know in a proposal as you can — right there on the spot.

• If they still want a written proposal, tell them you’ll be delighted to craft a brief one or two page Recommendation Summary reflecting your findings and outlining what you just said – or if they prefer . . .

They can write it up themselves to make sure it includes exactly everything they need and want . . . then you’ll review and sign it.

• If the client (or the nature of your sales environment) requires something beyond what I’ve just described (and securing this piece of business is important enough to you), then by all means do it – but do follow the first three disciplines I outlined above.

You now have a set of expert recommendations on the topic. They really will Solve a Costly Sales Problem for many who read this. I am an expert in the field, and believe with all my heart that you should follow my advice. If you don’t, I think you will suffer (financially and emotionally).

By the same token, I’m delighted to help co-create your success, and recognize that I don’t have all the answers. So, if you disagree with any of the above . . . What Do You Propose?

Stone Payton is a Sales & Marketing Troubleshooter specializing in helping Training & Consulting firms Solve Their Sales Problem. “The Most Candid Consultant On The Planet,” and the man who literally wrote the book on SPEED®, Stone plies his craft at: www.marketmate.org and http://stonesells.blogspot.com

Stone is also a Top Sales Expert and you can read more about him here

Today’s News: A new business acquaintance, Craig Klein, CEO of SalesNexus  - an excellent solution that I am going to be talking a lot about soon - is based in Dallas and also has a blog called Sell, Sell, Sell and last week, he posted an amazingly funny piece from an anonymous housewife in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike; Given the latest financial doom and gloom, I thought I would reproduce it in it’s entirety to cheer you up:

Things Ike taught me:

Coffee and frozen pizzas can be made on a BBQ grill.

Hot pockets taste pretty good deep fried on the outdoor cooker!

My car gets 23.21675 miles per gallon, EXACTLY (you can ask the people in line who helped me push it).

He who has the biggest generator wins.

A new method of non-lethal torture- showers without hot water.

There are a lot more stars in the sky than most people thought.

TV is an addiction and the withdrawal symptoms are painful.

A 7 lb bag of ice will chill 6-12 oz Budweiser’s to a drinkable temperature in 11 minutes, and still keep a 14 lb. turkey frozen for 8 more hours.

There are a lot of dang trees around here.

Flood plain drawings on some mortgage documents were seriously wrong..

People will get into a line that has already formed without having any idea what the line is for.

Cell phones work when land lines are down, but only as long as the battery remains charged.

If my store sold only ice, chainsaws, gas and generators… I’d be rich.

Waterfront property can quickly become someone else’s fishing hole.

Tree service companies are underappreciated.

I can walk a lot farther than I thought.

A skateboard and a sheet make a great “sailboat” before the rain starts.

You can never have too many gas cans!

If you fill the bathtubs with water, the water will not go off.

Neighbors are much more sociable when they are sharing a generator.

Two-year-old canned beets taste better than you’d think.

Just because it is dark and you are in the privacy of your bedroom doesn’t mean we can’t hear what you are doing in there because our windows are open too.

What looks acceptable by candlelight in your bathroom will scare you when you look at yourself in the mirror at the office.

Coffee is possible without Starbucks.

Rather than campfires, you find families huddled about tiny battery-operated televisions to watch The Simpsons.

Peanut butter and jelly is a perfectly acceptable meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the same day.

That neighbor who knows how to use a chainsaw is your new best friend.

You run out of things to barbecue after Day 2.

Hair can dry without a blow dryer, but it may not look the way you planned.

The storm treasures your kids are finding really belong to your neighbors.

Baseball caps go with any post-hurricane ensemble.

Grapes taste better in the dark.

You can’t train yourself not to flip on light switches when entering a room.

Lukewarm is the new cold.

You have neighbors.

A new opening phrase when seeing someone: “Got lights yet?”

Anon
Tomorrow: Some really good advice about referral selling for you.

A Sales Leader’s level of success or failure may be determined by their ability to influence people within their own organisation, as well as those operating in other companies.

Sales Leaders who use their influencing skills well are exciting to be around and they exude a positive energy that attracts people towards them. Your ability to influence others can empower people development, accelerate results and ultimately ensures an easier working environment. Influencing is about understanding yourself and the effect or impact you have on others. Though, it can on occasion be one way, the primary relationship is two way, and it is about changing how others perceive you.

Truly excellent influencing skills require a healthy combination of interpersonal, communication, presentation and assertiveness techniques. It is about adapting and modifying your personal style when you become aware of the affect you are having on other people, while still being true to yourself.

Behaviour and attitude change are what’s important, not changing who you are or how you feel and think. You may try to exert your influence through coercion and manipulation. You might even succeed in getting things done, but that isn’t really influencing. That’s forcing people to do what you want, often against their will. You won’t have succeeded in winning support. Pushing, bullying, bludgeoning or haranguing DO NOT WORK! Like elephants, people will remember the experience. Indeed, if you force someone to do something you want without taking their point of view into consideration, then the impression that person is left with is how they will see you forever. You’re stuck with it, unless you deliberately change what you do in order to be seen differently. People are far more willing to come halfway (or more) if they feel acknowledged, understood and appreciated. They may even end up doing or agreeing to something they wouldn’t previously have done, because they feel good about making the choice.

What Makes An Effective Influencer?

Winning influencers share a common set of attitudes and behaviours that ensure consistent success. Studies have shown that they:

• Indicate the benefits of their ideas and are able to put a context around these benefits so it creates greater impact on the individual.

• Neutralise resistance, usually in advance. They anticipate, respond and are able to plant a positive association to potential areas of resistance before the other person has even had a chance to voice them.

• Find alternative ways to influence others and demonstrate high levels of flexibility. This means that if the approach they are taking doesn’t get them their desired results they try a different approach. If this doesn’t work they try another approach. Ultimately, the person with the greatest flexibility will always have control over the situation.

• Listen attentively to what others say because this improves mutual understanding and conveys respect for the opinions of others. Giving good attention to people makes them more intelligent. Poor attention makes them stumble over their words and seem stupid.

• Uncover needs and wants because they appreciate that every individual is unique. They have their needs, their own set of problems and their own motives for doing what they do.

• Empathise continuously and are able to adopt different perceptual positions to connect with the feelings of others in different situations. Not only do effective influencers manage to put themselves in their customers’ shoes, they are also able to wear the shoes of individuals in their sales team.

• Have developed high levels of sensory awareness. This means that their senses are fine-tuned to pick-up on the smallest details include non-verbal signals that are sometimes different to what a person is saying.

• Create and maintain rapport throughout their communication that enables them to deepen relationships, build higher amounts of trust and minimise resistance.

• Eliminate weak statements from their language and are able to create multiple positive associations by avoiding negative words and using negations in a positive way. For example; “I’m not going to say that this strategy will be totally successful.” The unconscious mind has to think about the strategy being totally successful, irrespective if the word ‘not’ is contained within the statement.

• Base the success of their communication on the response it produces in others. If other people don’t respond in the way that the influencer was wanting, they accept responsibility and change their communication until they do achieve their desired outcome.

Influencing really is that important!

You may also enjoy reading: “Recognising The Different Influencing Styles”

Today’s News: I posted  over the w/e about the excellent upcoming “Critical Strategies For Winning Big Company Clients” gig in New York (see banner below) - I have to repeat that there are only forty places - simply click here for full details.

Over on Top 10 Sales Articles, we have nominated a top class set of articles this week - you really do not want to miss them - simply go here

Tomorrow: A treat for you on The JF Guest Author Spot - Stone Payton, with an absolutely brilliant piece, all about proposals and proposal writing - you will thoroughly enjoy it, I promise.  

It takes something special to divert me from my w/e schedule, but with only forty - yes, 40 places available, this announcement would not wait until Monday.

Here are the details:

Selling to large corporations today is tough, tough, tough.

As more and more companies are selling to fewer and fewer large, corporate accounts, sales teams at companies of all sizes struggle to consistently hit ever-increasing targets quarter-after-quarter. It’s the question that keeps every sales leader up at night: How can you accelerate your deal flow? How can you close more revenue, faster?

In today’s hyper-competitive, ‘always on but never available’ selling environment, sales reps and sales managers face equally hard challenges.

Sales reps have to deal with prospects who don’t answer phones, all calls are routed to voice mail and no one ever calls back. Even when sales reps do manage to get prospects engaged, the likelihood that the deal would close is anybody’s guess.

Yet, both sales executives and their managers’ careers depend on forecasting and delivering results accurately.

There is light at the end of the tunnel!

Please join us for an evening with leading experts on the critical strategies and proven tools your teams can use right away to:

Crack into corporate accounts
Shorten sales cycles and
Differentiate themselves from competitors
These strategies may go against conventional wisdom, but that’s why they work.

Moderated by Nigel Edelshain, CEO Sales 2.0, the conversation participants include Jill Konrath, sales expert and renowned author of Selling to Big Companies, and Razi Imam, CEO of Landslide Technologies, an award-winning company recognized for offering an innovative sales management system that goes beyond just technology.

Together with Nigel, they will discuss the key elements of building effective sales teams - from the new selling skills to the new Sales 2.0 technologies that help salespeople win corporate accounts consistently.

Register now for this timely session - seats are limited.

AGENDA
6.00PM - 6:45PM   Networking and Hors d’oeuvres
6:45PM - 7:45PM   Presentation and Interactive Discussion
7:45PM - 8:00PM   Wrap-up & Networking
 

It’s only $20 for members and $35 for non-members, PLUS the first twenty registrants will receive a signed copy of Jill Konrath’s “Selling To Big Companies” - yep, the book that was last week named by Fortune magazine as one of the top eight sales books ever written!

Why don’t they hold these great events in Paris?

JF

In my role as a leadership coach, a question I am often asked is: “What is the most important leadership trait I should consider developing first?”

Very interesting question, because there are several essential traits that need to be developed as early as possible, but choosing just one - the most important, is a “no-brainer” for me.

Nothing puts you in the “poor leader” category more swiftly than inadequate communication skills.

Staff view an inadequate communicator as someone who is unclear, ambiguous, says too little, speaks up too late, or not at all (keeps secrets unnecessarily) and most importantly, someone who doesn’t relate to their viewpoint.

Leaders should resolve to communicate:
• Using appropriate methods (memo or meeting, e-mail or notice-board)
• From the right perspective (talk about we not I and put things personally – “You will find” rather than “This is the case”)
• Using good communication principles (keep it simple, make it clear, and be precise and succinct)
• Explaining both the what and the why of things.

Because communication is the most important aspect of a leader’s role, if you feel you need to bone up on it, do so. Ignoring failings or uncertainties, risks disaster.

Your early communications will be looked at or listened to carefully. Lines will be read between and inferences about you and the way you do things will be drawn – for good or ill. Take care!

While thinking about communication, make one firm rule for yourself: Always be courteous to your staff.

The old adage that politeness costs nothing is true. Any temptation that staff may provide to descend into insults or even to be offhand may cause problems and will certainly not engender respect. This applies whatever the provocation – and, believe me, sooner or later if you lead people, there will be some!

So keep cool, count to ten if necessary, and moderate your language and your manner.

A final point about communication is that you need to be constantly well informed about what is going on around the organisation and in any other area that is important to you.

Never forget that informal communications are as important here as formal ones.

You need to develop a good network of contacts and here I must flag the importance of the grapevine. This exists in every organisation.
• Discover how it works and who is key to its operation
• Get yourself “plugged in”
• Remember that communication is two-way (you must contribute to receive)

Use it constructively: ignore and do not start rumours, use it for firm information, early warning, and dissemination and keep your eyes and ears open.

Keep In Touch:
Take away communication from an organisation and not much is left. Yet, the subject is often neglected. It is the foundation of a good relationship between leader and staff and thus the basis for success.

Make sure you take action to create good – two-way – communication by, for example:
• Practising LBWA: that is Leadership by Walking About. Talk to people informally, ask, listen, take notes, and ensure feedback.
• Regularly informing people of your thinking: by memo, e-mail, at meetings, etc. Tell them what your vision is, what you plan, hope and intend, what’s happening – and how it will affect them.
• Systematise the processes involved: make aspects of what you do formal and regular (e.g. regular departmental meetings and updates on operational issues).

Fundamental to good leadership is being seen as open and honest, concerned that people should know what is going on and concerned also to encourage and receive their inputs.

I think you will also enjoy reading this: “What Is Successful Leadership Really About”

Today’s News: In the most recent issue of Fortune magazine, Jill Konrath’s “Selling to Big Companies” was selected as a “must read” book that belongs in everyone’s briefcase.

Jiill said: “I’m honored that it was chosen as one of only eight books recommended - especially since the competitors were all the other good sales books ever written!”

If you want to check out Selling to Big Companies, here’s the Amazon link. Make sure you read the 46+ Five Star reviews. Or start by downloading two chapters on her website.

Also, here’s a link to the entire Fortune article:Download Fortune-SelllingtoBigCompanies-9-08.pdf

Way to go, Crazy Sister !

Final blogpost recommendation of the week for you: “How Acting Skills Helps Selling” from Drew Stevens.

Tomorrow: We are working on the next Top Sales Experts ebook, so I will be fully extended this weekend, plus we are also preparing for the launch of TSE 2.0 -exciting times! As ever, wherever you are, have a great w/e yourself, and be sure to make it back here next week - JF

The JF Guest Author Spot

Joan Paul  

This morning when I opened my calendar, everything looked different. Surely someone’s been playing with my computer. I could swear I had appointments booked and paying clients taking every available spot for the next two months. I must be having a bad dream. Pinch myself. Nope. It’s true – I’ve hit the dreaded dry spell!

Entrepreneurs talk about it all the time as part of the game, but being in it is an entirely different thing. If you are like most business owners, you haven’t yet managed to balance the feast and famine phenomenon. The question is, “What do you do when the famine hits?”

First of all, BREATH!!! Preferably without hyperventilating. Don’t panic. Don’t throw in the towel. Don’t check the employment ads. Do remind yourself why you started your business. Do remind yourself of all the successes you’ve enjoyed and will once again enjoy. Do remind yourself if you are just starting up, that it takes time to build an active business. Do park your negative self-talk and replace it with positive affirmations, like “Today I am one step closer to experiencing the wild success that I’ve dreamed about!”

When things are looking a bit slow, do the following:

-Go to your database and call all the people you’ve been meaning to stay in touch with. Arrange to meet and exchange ideas or just have a coffee and find out how you can help them with their objectives.

-Apply a referral selling process. In No More Cold Calling™, The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust, Joanne Black puts forward a practical approach to building your business through referrals. This simple system can propel your business through the roof without wasting business development time.

-Attend to the business planning that you may have been procrastinating about. Revisit your business and marketing plans. It will likely re-energize you.

-Find a coach. Whether hired or a business buddy, it’s very helpful to have a thinking partner, someone to share with and encourage you to keep your eye on preparing for the next delectable feast.

-Learn something new. Take the opportunity to read the last business book you bought and put on your nightstand or attend a training program that’s been on your to do list.

Most of all, remember dry spells are temporary and keeping perspective is critical to your success. The objective is clearly to have fewer dry spells and more feasts. However, dry spells are inevitable for most entrepreneurs. If you find you are stuck in dry spell, do get some guidance from someone who can provide insight for you and be prepared to explore difficult possibilities. As Jim Collins says in “Good to Great,” Confront the brutal facts, yet never lose faith.”

 Joan Paul is a Certified Executive Coach and Sales Strategist. Her company, J. Paul Training Inc., provides customized training, strategy development and is the distributor of No More Cold Calling, TM, The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust, and The Sales Activator®, an international sales management system. Joan can be reached at (403) 607-1979 or through her website http://www.jpaultraining.com

Today’s News: Over at Salesopedia, Clayton Shold is in conversation with “Mr Inside Sales” the very genial, Mike Brooks - “Throw Away Your Funnel” - “Suppose someone told you to throw away your sales funnel. Would you think they are contrarian or just crazy? Mike Brooks suggests the top 20% of sales producers don’t use a funnel, they use a sales cylinder. He explains how to dramatically improve your closing ratio by using a cylinder and disqualifying prospects early. Mike has a special message for the sales leaders in the audience who have grown up with, and continue to promote sales funnels.”  As usual, just click on the banner below.

In “Wall Street And Broken Social Trust” Charles Green articulates very well what most of us are thinking right now - you might enjoy the read.

My own view is that there is only one thing uglier than a fat cat, and that’s a dead fat cat. Once upon a time in the UK, if someone introduced themselves as an estate agent, you would count your fingers after shaking hands - the banking industry has now been passed that baton and is viewed with considerable disdain by anyone with an I.Q. of more than 30.

Tomorrow: In response to the question: “What is THE most important leadership trait?” I provide the answer - for me, it is a “no-brainer” 

For a long time the only objectives I used for major accounts were very specific business objectives. “We will increase turnover by X%”. “We will introduce two new programmes and increase our profitability by Y%”.

However, I began to understand that these business objectives were not enough and for my companies, multi-level objectives have proved very powerful in winning and keeping business.

There are four levels of objectives and together they create objectives that excite and motivate the team and which are also very practical.

First we set visionary objectives. We picture what the result could be if everything went well. We discipline ourselves not to be limited by history or today’s issues. The outcome is a very strong vision of what the account could be like in two or five or even ten years.

Secondly we set relationship objectives. Everyone in the account team needs to know what we want the relationship to feel like. Imagine you could hear your customer talking about you in two years time. What would you want to hear them saying? It might be statements like “We trust them completely”, “They always give us new ideas”, and “Things do not go wrong often. But when they do they always make things right quickly.”

We have found that these relationship objectives help us do everything in the way we should and in the way the customer wants. In the past it was more difficult to be consistent and customer-centred.

So far, we have talked about quite “soft” objectives - how we want things to feel. The first two objectives are about emotion and imagination but we need some “hard” objectives as well.

The third level is the level of business objectives. These objectives are specific - very clear. “By the end of this year we will have increased sales of product A by 25% on the last year’s volumes and maintained our profit margins.” They are also measurable (if we cannot measure them, how will we know how we are progressing?). They must be agreed within the account team and maybe even agreed with the customer!

They must be realistic - other people will be depending on our forecasts. Finally they must have a time-scale. Those business objectives provide the strong disciplines that we need to know in order to understand whether or not we are succeeding.

The final level of objectives is the level of stage goals. We may say that we will achieve a result of X by the end of year two within the account. If this is to happen we need to be planning where we should be at important dates.

If the objective is to be selling five products to the customer by the end of next year and we’re selling two today, we probably need to plan to have three in place by this October, four in place by next March and five by next September. The stage goals make sure we are on target and allow us to solve problems before they become impossible to solve.

We have found that using these multi-level objectives helps to motivate each major account team member but can also help us significantly increase the amount and quality of business being transacted with our major accounts.

I think you will also enjoy:”How To Create A Major Account Strategy”

Today’s News: One of the key objectives for the Top Sales Experts team in the next few months, is to broaden our horizens and take a more global view - despite what many Americans may think, the world is not flat and in fact there are hungry markets beyond their boundaries. This blog post illustrates my point: “Leverage Your Brand Internationally Or Someone Else Will”

I always enjoy reading Dave Stein’s blog and here is another interesting post from him: “What If Your CEO Gets Hit By A Bus”

Tomorrow: On The JF Guest Author Spot is the highly engaging Joan Paul - you will not want to miss her.

The JF Guest Author Spot

Tim Wackel

The experts have started to whisper recession and you can almost hear the collapse of sales funnels everywhere. Account managers are complaining about how difficult it is to close business in this slowing economy. This doesn’t come as a big surprise.

Less than half of today’s business-to-business sales professionals have ever weathered a true economic downturn. These folks learned how to sell in the nifty ‘90s which was one of the longest business expansions in U.S. history. Hey, it’s not that hard to hit quota with double digit market returns and huge growth in the number of new jobs. But what should you do when the economy starts to tap the brakes?

Rule one—don’t blame the economy. Companies still have to buy goods and services no matter what the economy is doing. They may buy different, they may buy less, but they still have to buy. If you can’t convince prospects that what you’re offering is a solid investment with meaningful return, then maybe the problem lies closer to home.

Let’s look at this a different way. The major objection most reps face during slow times is, “I have no money.” How is that possible? If your customer has no money then they’re out of business. What they are really saying to you is, “Your ideas stink.”

What can you do to close more business in a slowing economy? Start by answering these three questions that will put you back on the path to success. I can’t guarantee that they will work for you, but I can guarantee that they work.

How much energy are you wasting on insignificant activities?
You’ve probably been told that business will improve if you just make more appointments, increase the number of demos, give more presentations and ramp up your number of cold calls. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing incorrect with increasing these selling activities; especially if you sell low-value products to one time customers.

Experience tells me that chasing everything that looks like an opportunity keeps you busy but makes you very ineffective. You’ll be working hard, but you won’t be working smart. Eventually you’ll burn out your prospects and yourself – toast for two!

Start today by re-qualifying every prospect and work on cleaning out your funnel. Focus on your best selling opportunities and put your energy there. You’ll create more success by investing the right resources into ten solid opportunities than you will by chasing twenty five half baked leads.

Are you making every conversation count?
Clients and prospects should be impressed with your preparation for every sales call. When you demonstrate that you’ve done your homework it becomes easier to have an open and honest dialogue with you. When the economy slows down, people get nervous. They don’t want to waste time meeting with sales reps unless they see some potential value.

The “smile-n-dial” mentality of simply pounding on more doors with the same pitch may produce extra appointments. But it also creates the fear that you’re going to sell them something that they don’t need.

Open your next client conversation with this simple phrase, “In preparing for this meeting I took some time to…” Then simply highlight the two or three critical things that you did to prepare and watch what happens to the atmosphere of the call. You will blow away the last rep that opened their meeting by announcing that they were just “checking in” to see if anything new was going on.

The goal is to stop “educating” your customers. They don’t care unless they are engaged. Talking about your company, your products and your reputation will not engage customers. Talk about them, ask about them, provide ideas for them and communicate in terms of them.

Who are you talking about—you or them?

Do you have any questions?
Knowledge is a key ingredient to sales success, especially in a slowing economy. The more you demonstrate knowledge, the more prospects will take time to listen. And the best way to establish expertise is not by pitching features; it’s by asking questions. Questions that can differentiate the value you bring to every call.

Many reps fall into the common trap of asking questions that are self serving. “What does your purchasing process look like?,” is a mind numbing, self serving question that doesn’t create new insights. Your customer hears these types of questions every day and they bring zero value to the dialogue.

Instead ask questions that get customers to stop and think. Ask questions they haven’t been asked before. Ask questions that get the customer to pause and say, “That’s a really good question.”

Creating high impact questions takes extra time. But it’s worth every minute. Start investing sixty percent of your time doing research, forty percent of your time making calls. I know this contradicts traditional wisdom, but this isn’t a traditional selling environment.

Don’t pick up the phone or walk into the lobby until you’re absolutely ready to engage in a meaningful dialogue. You’re not going to get a second chance in a slowing economy, so make sure every one counts!

Tim Wackel is founder and president of a training and consulting firm based in University Park, Texas and is an active member of the American Society for Training and Development. He holds a professional membership in the National Speakers Association.
More about Tim Wackel…

Today’s News: Here is a very interesting post from my friend Christian Maurer that you might enjoy: “Surprising Numbers”

Another good friend, Leslie Buterin is presenting a webinar direct from the SheBang Conference tomorrow - just click on the banner below:

Finally, over on my Sales Gravy blog, I am discussing time robbers and monkeys, plus giving you an opportunity to identify your own time robbers, simply follow this link

Tomorrow: I discuss an incredibly efficient way of extracting more from your most important accounts.

There are four personality types or social styles – Analyticals, Drivers, Expressives and Amiables – and all four have their own unique approach to business, their own language and thought processes etc. As a consequence, the very best sales professionals have become adept at recognising which personality they are dealing with and adapt their approach and communication style accordingly.

In every boardroom, you will always find three of the four personality types, occasionally, all four: I have discovered over the years which personality is likely to fill which position on the board, but more on that later.

The Driver:
Let’s begin by looking at the characteristics of the Driver. Drivers are action and goal oriented, need to see results and have a quick reaction time. They are decisive, independent, disciplined, practical, and efficient. They typically use facts and data, speak and act quickly, lean forward, point and make direct eye contact. Their body posture is often rigid and they have controlled facial expressions.

They rarely want to waste time on personal talk or preliminaries and can be perceived by other styles as dominating or harsh and severe in pursuit of a goal. They are comfortable in positions of power and control and they have businesslike offices with certificates and commendations on the wall. In times of stress, drivers may become autocratic.

The Analytical:
Analyticals are concerned with being organised, having all the facts, and being careful before taking action. Their need is to be accurate, to be right. precise, orderly, methodical and conform to standard operating procedures, organisational rules and historical ways of doing things. They typically have a slow reaction time and work more slowly and carefully than Drivers. They are perceived as serious, industrious, persistent, and exacting.

Usually, they are task oriented, use facts and data, and tend to speak slowly. lean back and use their hands frequently. They do not make direct eye contact and control their facial expressions. Others may see them as stuffy, indecisive, critical, picky, and moralistic. They are comfortable in positions in which they can check facts and figures and be sure they are right. They have neat, well organised offices and in times of stress, Analyticals tend to avoid conflict.

The Expressive:
Expressives enjoy involvement, excitement, and interpersonal action. They are sociable, stimulating, and enthusiastic and are good at involving and motivating others. They are also ideas oriented. have little concern for routine, are future oriented and usually they have a quick reaction time. They need to be accepted by others, tend to be spontaneous, outgoing, energetic, and friendly and focused on people rather than on tasks. Typically, they use opinions and stories rather than facts and data. They speak and act quickly; vary vocal inflection, lean forward, and point and make direct eye contact.

They use their hands when talking; have a relaxed body posture and an animated expression. Their feelings often show in their faces and they are perceived by others as excitable, impulsive, undisciplined, dramatic, manipulative, ambitious, overly reactive, and egotistical. They usually have disorganised offices and may have leisure equipment like golf clubs or tennis racquets. Under stressful conditions, Expressives tend to resort to personal attack.

And Finally - The Amiable:
Amiables need co-operation, personal security, and acceptance. They are uncomfortable with and will avoid conflict at all costs. They value personal relationships, helping others and being liked. Some Amiables will sacrifice their own desires to win approval from others. They prefer to work with other people in a team effort, rather than individually and they have an unhurried reaction time and little concern with effecting change. Typically, they are friendly, supportive, respectful, willing, dependable, and agreeable. They are also people-oriented.

They use opinions rather than facts and data, speak slowly, and softly, use more vocal inflection than Drivers or Analyticals. They lean back while talking and do not make direct eye contact; they also have a casual posture and an animated expression. They are perceived by other styles as conforming, unsure, pliable, dependent, and awkward. They have homely offices - family photographs, plants etc. An Amiable’s reaction to stress is to comply with others.

Most people’s first reaction after reading the four profiles is to believe that they fit into more than one category and this is absolutely right. However, everyone has a dominant style and no-one should believe that they fit into more than two because they don’t.

So, which Social Style do the various residents of the boardroom typically have?

Managing Directors/CEOs are typically Drivers, as you might expect.
Finance Directors are usually Analyticals
Sales Directors are nearly always Expressives
Marketing Directors are also Expressives
Technical Directors are almost always Analyticals

And Finally: In Sales
Level 3, Top 5% Achievers, are normally Drivers
Level 2, Sales Professionals, are typically Expressives
Level 1, Emerging salesmen and women are almost always Amiables

It is of course dangerous to generalise and there will always be exceptions, however based on my experience, I have very rarely been mistaken using this concept of personality identification, which makes communication so much easier and indeed relevant.

If you want to learn more about the four social styles and how to influence them, you will enjoy this: “How To Relate To And Influence The Four Personality Types”

Today’s News: After much anticipation, the Sales SheBang 2008 Conference  kicks-off tomorrow, and we couldn’t resist creating a “Good Luck” card for the seven Top Sales Experts who will be presenting; To Jill Konrath, Leslie Buterin, Kim Duke, Lori Richardson, Colleen Francis, Anne Miller and Kendra Lee, we send our very best wishes.

Tomorrow: Another Top Sales Expert, Tim Wackel is my guest on The JF Guest Author Spot, and he has some timely tips for selling in a sluggish market.

As the recession begins to bite hard, now is the time to make the very most of our most important customers.

A vitally important sales activity is that of managing existing customer accounts to consolidate and grow the relationship. Yet unfortunately, when compared over time, the customers’ interest levels increase while salespeople’s interest levels tend to decrease. This creates a “relationship gap” and is due entirely to complacency.

Another major issue is that too often the salesperson fails to expand his “contact base” as this next survey proves which results in vulnerability and exposure to competitive activity

Periodically, the Financial Times conducts a survey of British industry to establish how companies go about their purchasing. The survey is very comprehensive, broken down into many kinds of products and services.

From a Sales Director’s perspective, these are very worrying statistics.

Customer size (Number of employees): Less than 200

Average number of buying influencers: 3.43

Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.72
Customer size (Number of employees): 200 – 400

Average number of buying influencers: 4.85

Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.75
Customer size (Number of employees): 401 – 1000

Average number of buying influencers: 5.81

Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.90
Customer size (Number of employees): 1001 +

Average number of buying influencers: 6.50

Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.65

In essence, without a sustained approach to ongoing servicing and support activities, customers that took months to win are ultimately lost because there was a lack of interest from their supplier.

To-days clients/customers are looking for vendors who can be business-partners, who are willing and able to share risks and who are able to properly manage the entire sales process.

Fact: It costs seven times as much to locate and sell to a new customer
as it does to an existing one.

Are you making the most of your customer base? Answer the questions below honestly and find out.

1. How many regular clients do you have?

2. Has that number increased in the last twelve months?

3. How many of them have bought in the last three months?

4. Of those ‘regular clients’, how many have you contacted in the last month?

5. Of those, in how many have you progressed upwards from the user/recommender?

6. With how many of them do you enjoy exclusivity i.e. preferred supplier status?

7. How many of your clients have bought more the ‘second’ time around than when they originally bought from you?

8. With how many of your regular clients have you conducted an account review within the last six months?

Study your answers - are you still confident you are making the most of your most important accounts?

You may also enjoy: “How to Conduct A Formal Account Review”

Today’s News: I promised to share with you the second interview I recently did with Eyes On Sales, which focuses on achieving what I call “Top 5% Status” - you can listen in by simply clicking on the banner below.

I can now update you on the tremendous strides we have made towards the re-launch of TSE 2.0, which will be taking place in about four weeks time – it might be four and a half, you know what a perfectionist I am!

We will be adding ten new sections to be housed in a brand new “TSE Resource Area,” which will be available to subscribers.
 
1) TSE Article Vault

2) “How To” Guides

3) Podcasts

4) Webinars

5) TSE Radio

6) Ask The Experts

7) TSE Newsletter

8) TSE Blog

9) The Expert Interviews

10)  TSE Round Table

In Addition:

Of course, we will continue to release the quarterly e-books – next one is due for release early October, BUT, here is the exciting bit, Jeb Blount of Sales Gravy Press has agreed to publish us in hardback twice a year and rather than just compile a collection of our articles, we are going to make the books topic related – for example: “The Top Sales Experts on Business Development”

We will also have a Jobs Section, re-routing visitors to Sales Gravy and Salesopedia and naturally, we will continue to add new facilities as demand requires.

Ambitious? Of course, but we do not plan to put this all in place in one go. Rather, we will stagger the section launches and it should all be there by the end of November.

This really is shaping up to be the most innovative and ultimately, we believe, the most successful venture of its type.

Tomorrow: Paris is enjoying some warm Autumn sunshine right now, such a contrast to the drab grey summer we had to endure, so I will be out and about. Wherever you are, have a great w/e, and do make it back next week. - JF

The JF Guest Author Spot

Lee Salz

One of the biggest mirages in sales is the proverbial rubber stamp. Sales people believe that they have won the business, but have left a deal-killer in play.

It’s September, also known as back to school time. My neighbors and I escort our children to the bus stop for the first day of the new school year. However, we’re puzzled about the location of the bus stop. It isn’t in the same place that it was in prior years. Instead of the children walking down the street, just a few houses, they now had to cross two, very active streets to get to the bus stop.

Vigilant, we parents made calls to get the stop moved back to where it was before. It seemed to be a fairly easy process. We called the administrator who coordinates the bus stops and he easily acquiesced. The supervisor of the bus drivers visited the bus stop and agreed with us about the safety concern. The administrator told us that the paperwork just needed to get signed by his boss, but to let the driver know the decision was made to move the bus stop back to the old location. Victory was ours. Or was it? We left someone out of the process and what occurred next will sound painfully familiar to any sales person who works in a complex, multi-buyer, sale.

After the conversation with the supervisor and administrator, we went to what we thought was the new, old bus stop. The bus turned down our street, we gave our kids a farewell kiss, and awaited their boarding of the bus. Here comes the bus. There goes the bus. The bus driver drove past us as if we weren’t even there. Needless to say, we were furious and got on the horn. All roads led to Jack (name changed) who is the ultimate decision-maker on bus stops. He had not been consulted on any of these discussions or decisions and was blind-sided by this situation. “I see no reason to change the stop from where I assigned it, he barked.” We immediately knew this was going to be problematic. With the urging of the school and the parents, he agreed to “re-assess” the bus stop.

Following his re-assessment, he called each of the parents to inform them of his decision. “Well, I don’t think the bus stop is unsafe, but I’m going to move it.” Don’t think for one second that he used this opportunity to say that the parents’ solution was better than his. Instead, he didn’t move the stop to the requested location. He moved it across the street from where we asked him to assign it. He even changed the entire bus route to accommodate for his solution, a tremendous amount of work for a small issue. However, assigning bus stops is Jack’s domain. He owns it. He’s responsible for it. He is in control. No one is going to tell Jack how to run his business. He is a thirty-year expert in bus safety. However, this wasn’t a decision on expertise, it was old-fashioned bravado, ego. And, it is not limited to bus stops. It impacts every sales person who needs to engage multiple people in the buying process to get the account awarded to them.

As I hung up the phone with Jack, it dawned on me. I coach sales people on how to work strategically in an account and we failed miserably in this circumstance. One of the perils I share with sales people is leaving the ultimate decision-maker out of the solution development process. Think about a sale that you lost, that you thought you were going to win. And, you thought you were going to win because you had a great relationship with the administrator. You and the administrator had crafted the entire solution in such a way that he could march into his boss’s office for the proverbial rubber stamp.

Many years ago, I learned, painfully, that there is no such thing as a rubber stamp. Many sales people hear “rubber stamp” and feel confident that they are working with the right person. “The sale is mine!” If anything, the rubber stamp is simply the fuse on a stick of dynamite. Better get under your desk, your deal is about to implode!

Here is what happens behind the scenes as your administrator visits with his boss. “Mr Jones, I’ve found a new supplier for our widgets. The sales rep is terrific. We’ve worked together and developed an ideal solution that makes everyone’s life easier and we’ll save 10% on our spending.” “Put it in my inbox,” says, Mr. Jones. Days become weeks as the administrator pings Mr. Jones about his rubber stamp, but no signature is forthcoming.

Finally, Mr. Jones develops an interest in his widget purchasing and surfs the web for potential suppliers. He meets with three of them and finds one to his liking. “This supplier is going to save the company 10.25%”. Guess who got the deal? However, the sales person never knows about this because the administrator is too embarrassed to call him. After all, the administrator said this was just a rubber stamp, you had been awarded the business. Communication with the administrator goes dark; he just stops responding to your emails and voicemails.

What sales people often forget is that as you go up the corporate ladder, business leaders maintain accountability for the lower rungs of their responsibility. Thus, they want to feel as if they are involved in the solution development phase, or at least be offered the opportunity to participate. When administrators fly into their office with what they feel is a great decision, they are rebuffed. And, for one core reason, EGO! While the administrator’s plan may very well be a great one, it is met with resistance for the simple reason that his manager was not invited to participate in the process. When he finally becomes interested enough to look at this issue, his goal becomes proving that there is a better deal to be had. In essence, this approach creates a saboteur of your deal.

If you are the sales person dealing with the administrator, how do you have the conversation where you share the concern of their manager not being involved in the process without offending? It takes a tremendous amount of finesse and strategic planning. However, if you truly have your client’s best interests at heart, it is easy. This is the ultimate key. If you are committed to ensuring that your clients achieve their goals, you can have this conversation. After all, you know that they won’t get what they want if you continue down this path. Need help with a strategy to have this discussion with your clients, send me an email: lsalz@salesarchitecture.com.

Lee B. Salz is a sales management guru who helps companies hire the right sales people, on-board them, and focus their sales activity using his sales architecture® methodology. He is the President of Sales Architects, the C.E.O. of Business Expert Webinars and author of “Soar Despite Your Dodo Sales Manager.” Lee is an online columnist for Sales and Marketing Management Magazine, a print columnist for SalesforceXP Magazine, and the host of the Internet radio show, “Secrets of Business Gurus.” Look for Lee’s new book in February 2009 titled, “The Sales Marriage” where he shares the secrets to hiring the right sales people. He is a passionate, dynamic speaker and a business consultant. Lee can be reached at lsalz@SalesArchitecture.com or 763.416.4321.

Today’s News: In fact this is the message I received last week with news of Lee’s re-incarnation:

Good afternoon,
 
As you know, I am very passionate about business professionals constantly looking at what they are doing and making changes to adapt with the times. Those that adapt, thrive. Those that don’t, become extinct. I practice what I preach and so it is time for a change for me. Sales Dodo has done me well, but it is time that I return to my initial vision.
 
My 20 year passion has been in architecting sales organizations, so much so that I trademarked the term sales architecture® many years ago. Before my first book came out, my firm was called Sales Architects and I am returning to those roots. It is much more descript of what I do which includes:
 
·      Formulate sales talent screening programs so companies hire the right sales people
 
·      On-board sales people through the Revenue Accelerator Program (RAP™) to provide structure and   measurement for new hires

·      Develop compensation programs using the Sales Behavior Objective (SBO™) methodology providing focus for sales activity
 
·      Construct a company’s sales architecture® framework for replicable, scalable results
 
My new website is SalesArchitecture.com and my new email address is lsalz@SalesArchitecture.com. At the moment, this site forwards to SalesDodo.com, but that will change in the next few days. Soon, it will be the other way around. The Sales Dodo info will forward to the Sales Architecture address.
 
The full transition will be complete within a week. I thank you for your continued support.
 
Adapt & Thrive!
~Lee

Exciting times for young Mr Salz and we wish him well.

Meanwhile over at Salesopedia Clayton Shold is interviewing another good guy, Dr. Drew Stevens, so you know that the interview is well worth listening to, and you you can do just that by clicking this banner:

And finally…….two great blogposts from two great friends: Paul McCord with - “Hearing and Seeing Is Believing? Hardly” and Jill Konrath with “Cogitus Interruptus: The Case For Focus”

Tomorrow: As the recession really begins to bite, I ask: “What are you doing to build brick-walls around your most important accounts?”