Jonathan Farrington's Blog

Despite what many inexperienced sales professionals may think, the first sale isn’t the end of the sales process but rather the beginning of the next sales cycle. What we do after we’ve made the first sale determines whether we get the next one or any referrals.

New customers have a tendency to evolve through three phases once they decide to buy from us. Initially they feel very excited about their decision before going through a learning curve where they may struggle with blending in our products/services. Finally, they begin to experience the value that we provide and the relationship settles down and finds its own balance.

During Phase 2 this can be a potentially vulnerable time for a sales person, because without the benefit of an established track record, in the face of possible problems, no matter how minor, this is the time when most newly acquired customers are apt to change their mind.

The process of buying has four main components that all customers will evolve through.

They:

1. Have to be motivated to want to buy from us
2. Make a decision to buy from us
3. Want to feel convinced that they have made the right decision
4. Look for reassurance that they are doing the right thing

Once the customer has placed their order they are at the second stage in the buying process. If a sales person doesn’t provide the relevant reassurance that validates the benefits of their decision, then the likelihood of the customer cancelling their order increases dramatically.

This is often referred to as ‘Buyers Remorse.’ Therefore, it’s important to provide tangible demonstrations that the customer has made the right decision. These can include, the use of testimonials, higher initial servicing levels, regular contact and if appropriate training sessions on the areas effected by the introduction of our product or service. There are a number of additional ways that can improve the post sale part of the sales process:

• Set a service agenda for the first thirty days after the sale so that our customer knows exactly what they can expect from us. This may include visits and phone calls at the point when they receive our product or our service begins. This enables us to have established contact frequency at important times when teething problems could occur.

• Ask each customer for their preferences in the way we manage their account and ensure that they have all the contact information for every eventuality.

• After the call send a hand-written note thanking them for their business. This is a personal touch that only takes a moment to do, yet leaves the customer feeling valued and special.

• Identify what areas in particular the customer feels is vital to the way we manage their account so that we can pay close attention to these areas.

• Agree up-front how future problems will be handled.

• Document all successes and evidence of our value in writing. For example: “I noticed that your delivery was received on time last Thursday and am delighted that you now have our products in stock.”

• Actively ask questions to check their satisfaction. For example, “Was everything as you had expected?” “Is there anything we need to change?”  This helps to flush out problems and manages the customer’s expectations so they feel they are genuinely being looked after. If there is a problem, the earlier we know about it the sooner we can remedy it

• Finally, we absolutely must resolve any complaints quickly and to the customer’s satisfaction.

Following this process, will give us the best possible chance of repeat opportunities.

The trend during the last few years has been toward technology-based Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRMs).

Research conducted by the Garner Group (see diagram below) has shown that the benefits a company can realize from any such innovation are dramatically higher when four vital components are in place together:

* Technology (CRMs for example),
* A clearly defined sales process,
* Training and Personnel Development
* Performance-related compensation.

Often companies will invest thousands of pounds in CRM technology, sales training, and performance-related compensation packages for their salespeople, yet forget about defining the sales process. As a consequence the investment made in other areas cannot be maximized unless there is a process in place to underpin these three factors.

An Organizational Culture That Supports a Consultative Sales Process:

It is now a widely accepted fact that you cannot divorce the competence and performance of the sales force from the competence and performance of the organization as a whole.

In a customer-focused organization, everyone is part of the sales process. Which is why an organization’s culture should breed collaboration and sharing of knowledge so that every department works openly and efficiently together to support the overall sales process.

Building a Solid Sales Foundation:

When a consultative sales process has been defined, sold to the sales force, and supported by other departments within an organization, the stage is set for transformational performance improvements. Just like you need to put in a solid foundation when building a house, the sales process is the foundation for future sales success, but do remember - a sales process requires constant monitoring to ensure it is being properly implemented.

According to Merrill and Reid 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. Let me explain why:
 
The Social Styles Model:

 
 Note where each style is placed, because this is important. The people, with whom you probably find it most difficult to relate to naturally, are your diagonal opposites on the matrix. So you do need to study the characteristics of your diagonally opposite Social Style.

Now, what I can share with you is that the majority of professional salespeople are Expressives; so clearly, they are going to find it most difficult to relate to and communicate with Analyticals. That is a challenge in itself, because there will always be at least one Analytical within the formal DMU!

What is even more interesting is that Top 5% achievers (yes, a favourite term I know) are Drivers! So you see, they have no difficulty getting onto the same wavelength as Analyticals, because they are side by side and of course they have total synergy with other Drivers, plus, they relate well to Expressives. But, they have little in common with Amiables. Why is that so significant? Well quite simply, the Social Style that you are least likely to find in a boardroom is…….. yes, it’s an Amiable.
 
So, which Social Style do the various residents of the boardroom typically have?

Managing Directors/CEO’s 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
Collaborative Sales Professionals: Top 5% Achievers, are normally Driver/Expressives
Consultative Sales Professionals: Are typically Expressive/Amiables
Traditional Sales Professionals: Are almost always Amiable/Expressives

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.

I think my first recollection of anyone discussing Cambridge University with me, was at an interview with the Headmaster of my new school, who on learning that my long-held ambition was to become a professional sportsman, retorted somewhat indignantly, “Wouldn’t you rather be a Cambridge Blue boy?”

That conversation had a profound effect on my thinking, even at that tender age: I often recalled it and occasionally discussed it with my parents, whenever I went home during the holidays. My mother always made it clear to me that I could have anything I wanted in life, I just had to decide what it was I really wanted, and then be prepared to work hard for it.

The reality is that going “up” to Cambridge doesn’t just require outstanding academic or sporting prowess – I was pretty OK in both departments – more than anything, it demands total application; dedication even, and I wasn’t prepared to make the necessary sacrifices.

It is the most significant of only three regrets that I have in my life.

Bearing all of that in mind, should enable you to appreciate my considerable pride when my son went “up” four years ago. During that time, I have “lived” the Cambridge experience through his eyes – not quite the real thing, but as close as I was ever going to get. What a marvellous experience it has been.

Last Thursday, it all came to an end – Joe Farrington “got graduated”

Cambridge is the second oldest university in Britain, and the fourth oldest in the world. It is also recognised as the most prestigious in Europe, and amongst the top five anywhere on the planet.

It is steeped in history, and Cambridge’s alumni, reads like a “Who’s Who”  – sixty one Nobel Prizes amongst them, just for starters!

So, back to last week: It was, unfortunately, the hottest day of the year so far here in the UK. I say unfortunately, because inevitably at ceremonies such as these, there is always considerable queuing and waiting to endure, but it was all organised with the precision you might expect – after all, they have had 802 years to get it right! We should also not forget that each of the thirty one colleges have their own ceremonies, so it is more like “Graduation Week”

Before the actual event, the “graduands” meet up at their own college for a comprehensive briefing - which I understand lasted a full sixty minutes - before lining up to march to the Senate House, much to the delight of the hundreds of tourists.

They then wait in line outside the Senate House …..

Before finally being led in …..

Followed by the parents etc. – just a slight look of impatience on father’s face?

The Senate House is a marvellously atmospheric place to be: History swamps the visitor, and it is impossible not be moved by the occasion. The entire ceremony is of course conducted in Latin, but I was able to guess most of it!

And then it is all over: It’s time for endless photographs within a sea of happy, smiling, but most of all, proud graduates and their families.

It is the “Cambridge Experience” and I have relished every minute of it. No doubt, even more proud days to come – my daughter, Alice, will see to that, and of course, Joe will continue his studies. A “First” from Cambridge is an excellent start!

Tomorrow: It’s business as usual.

It’s the weekend, so that means it is JF Uncut. Thought you might enjoy this ……

God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, “Look Michael, look what I’ve made.”

Archangel Michael looked puzzled and said, “What is it?”

“It’s a planet,” replied God, “and I’ve put LIFE on it. I’m going to call it Earth and it’s going to be a great place of balance.

“Balance?” inquired Michael, still confused.

God explained, pointing to different parts of Earth; “For example, North America will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while South America is going to be poor; the Middle East over there will be a hot spot. Over there I’ve placed a continent of white people and over there, is a continent of black people.”

God continued, pointing to different countries. “This one will be extremely hot and arid, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice.”

The Archangel, impressed by God’s work, then pointed to a small land mass and said, “What’s that one?”

“Ah,” said God. “That’s Britain, the most glorious place on Earth. There are beautiful lakes, rivers, streams, and hills. The people from Britain are going to be modest, intelligent and humorous and they’re going to be found travelling the world. They’ll be extremely sociable, hard-working and high-achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of peace.”

Archangel Michael gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed,”What about the balance, God? You said there would be balance!”

God replied wisely: “Wait until you see the b******s I’m putting next to them in France.”

Anon

Today’s Comment: The rest of Europe think that the French are arrogant, but I don’t subscribe to that view.

Parisiens are certainly self-centred, thoughtless, rude and inconsiderate – but then the rest of France would agree with that assertion too.

There can be no doubt that the French economy is heading for serious trouble, but not for the same reasons that caused Britain’s economic demise. For once, France’s financial prudence – which can sometimes feel like administrative constipation and beaurocratic nonsense gone mad, has actually protected them.

You would never catch a French bank lending anyone 125% of a properties’ value, or advancing finance at the rate of eight times salary, knowing full well that the borrower had little chance of making the repayments; absolutely no chance of them introducing self-certification schemes, where self-employed individuals could borrow as much as they like without any proof of income; zero chance of the French property sector crashing, because it has never been over-inflated.

No, France’s imminent decline is going to be brought about by the irresponsibility of successive Socialist administrations, who, in order to stay in power, introduced unsustainable measures which have to now be reversed if the nation is to survive. But of course, it is not that simple.

For example, how do you tell workers that have become used to a thirty five hour working week, that they must now follow the rest of Europe and revert to forty two hours – with no extra pay?

Who is going to break the news to train drivers that in countries such as Britain, retirement, currently set at sixty five and due to rise to seventy within ten years, so why should they stop work at fifty five?

Sarkozy has an uphill struggle ahead of him, convincing a country that has become lazy, inefficient and myopic, that there is another way - I wish him well, because he is fundementally a good man and a breath of fresh air.

JF

Tomorrow: “Joe Farrington Got Graduated” - a post about my wonderful day in Cambridge this week.

There used to be a popular misconception that successful sales people are born, not created, which presumably referred to the belief that to be successful in selling one needed to possess the “gift of the gab.”

That may have been true in the old days when the travelling rep believed he could sell “Ice-cream to Eskimos,” but of course this has changed and selling is no longer a dirty word. Selling is a reputable profession.

Business people in the UK have devalued selling for far too long (and I have no reason to believe that the same perception exists on a global scale) and some managers have convinced themselves that they would do better if they did not employ salespeople – after all good products sell themselves, don’t they?

As a consequence, until very recently, salespeople have done everything possible to avoid calling themselves “A Salesman or a Saleswoman.” They have developed a series of euphemisms such as: “Sales Engineer,” “Account Executive”, “Technical Sales Consultant” etc. But nowadays we accept that we all sell everyday – doctors, lawyers, estate agents, architects, and politicians.

The fact remains that anyone who is in business has to sell themselves and their products – and the so called “Captains of Industry” – Branson, Roddick, Marshall, Hanson, Gates, Dell and Co. are thought the best salespeople in the world.

It therefore follows that the quality and success of our salespeople will ultimately determine the success of our companies. Certainly the world has become more competitive and in order to survive and stay in business we need to continually expand and develop the skill sets of our sales team.

Sir John Harvey-Jones said “Most companies fail not in their attempts to be innovative or creative. In this country most of them fail because they undervalue the importance of professional selling”

Unfortunately, the task of selling never becomes any easier and as competition continues to intensify, sales people will face issues that can be extremely difficult to deal with e.g. decreased product uniqueness, increased competition within ‘safe’ markets, longer sales cycles, and shorter product life spans.

Every organisation that intends to survive in the re-engineered environment, which arrived after the recent catastrophic financial meltdown must, in my view, respond to those realities and recognise that there is not one critical sales related challenge, which must be addressed but five and I will discuss these in a follow up post.

In Summary:

Our commercial functions, particularly the sales team, represent our forward line, if they are not scoring regularly we cannot possibly achieve our overall commercial objectives – i.e. nothing happens until somebody sells something and all of that investment in costly accounting software, new office equipment, expensive IT systems etc. will count for nothing. We can therefore say with complete confidence, that selling really is the key factor in the total marketing process.

Tomorrow: Join me on JF Uncut – “And God Made Britain” – a light-hearted look at how we came to be neighbours with France.

Sunday: “Joe Farrington Got Graduated”

The foremost function of the mind is problem solving; we solve problems with our imagination and imagination is a function of our creative ability. A creative salesperson is a problem-solver.

The basics of the selling process:

• Determine desire

• Present the product to satisfy desire

• Help the prospect find the right reasons for a favourable decision

Selling is nothing more than an exercise in problem solving.

By constantly keeping your imagination and creativity at work, you will develop the best attitude for problem solving. You will build an unending source of ideas. You will become an idea producer and this will be your source of “value add” that will differentiate you from your competitor.

Differentiate Between Activity and Accomplishment:

Activity relates to being busy, but accomplishment equates to getting meaningful things done. It takes energy to fail. The successful salesperson channels their energy into creative, productive channels leading to pre-defined goals.

Accomplishment is measured by the amount of creativity involved.

And Finally - Value Added Asks:

“What service or benefit can I add to what I give my customer, other than my product?”

Not just service in the sense of speedy delivery, prompt follow-up and personal attention, which are normal adjuncts of any real sale…but a real plus idea, something extra of value to him/her beyond the immediate transaction…that goes beyond the nine dots of your job…

Value Add, through idea giving, is the ingredient that earns you the right to ask for the order, and to expect it!

The fruit of thinking is knowledge; and knowledge is the medium from which skills are built.

In skills learning, there are four steps:

Step One:

The “Unconscious Incompetent”: They don’t know that they don’t know. The salesperson that is making mistakes, but is not aware of them.

Step Two:

The “Conscious Incompetent”: They know that they don’t know. This is the beginning of wisdom. The salesperson that is aware they are not cashing in on their full potential and wants to learn how to improve.

Step Three:

The “Conscious Competent: They have learned and are aware of what they have learned – and they use it! They know why! The salesperson who knows how to make a successful approach call and can programme and execute their presentation to achieve their objectives.

Step Four:

The “Unconscious Competent” They have learned so well that they use their knowledge with a semi-automatic skill. Their skills have reached a level where they are no longer self-centred. They are free to devote their efforts to the needs of others. The professional salesperson who does the right things to get results, but functions without conscious attention to what they are dong or why.

Note that I say semi-automatic. Even the “Unconscious Competent” should have the ability and the sharpness to call forth self-awareness.

Purposeful self-awareness, plus a knowing application of skill, generates maximum personal horsepower.

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I first began to recognize the need to be able to benchmark sales performance more objectively and more rigorously almost thirty years ago: The motivation to do this was strong because I knew I was wasting thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of pounds on sales skills training programs which were not providing me with a proper return on my considerable investment. But I needed to prove my theory because without an accurate analysis of my requirements, I would continue to abdicate that responsibility to the training providers, most of whom had only their own interests at heart.

So with this quote from Drucker, “The most effective way to manage change is to create it” firmly in my mind, I set about my task, a task that became a journey, which began in 1981 and is still ongoing.

By taking an analytical approach, I arrived at the following equation, which regular visitors here will instantly recognize
 
Attitude + Skills + Process + Knowledge = Success.
 
My initial reasoning was this: Attitude is fundamental to any achievement because individuals with the right attitude are far more likely to embrace the essential Skills, recognize the control that Process brings, and have the desire to continually expand their Knowledge.

Skills are the ‘tools of the trade’ and have to be developed on an ongoing basis. They also need to be specific, because too much time can be wasted over-burdening employees with inappropriate and irrelevant skills without any identifiable plan for their future requirements.

Process brings organisation, efficiency, and control, both for the individual and for management. Effective process provides objective analysis and indicators which can be benchmarked and accurately measured.

Then there is of course a need to build in knowledge and that must include knowledge of products, industry, market sectors, competitors, business, own company and last but not least, self!

Here then is a FREE gift for you. My re-worked EBook – “Reconstructing the Pieces of the Sales Puzzle”

You do not need to register in order to download it, and it does NOT promote any products or solutions – it is exactly what it is.

The role of a Sales Leader is to translate the organization’s vision, mission and values into a meaningful context that sales teams can relate to and feel excited by.

If this is achieved then the Sales Leader will have created a sales team with a shared mental model. This transforms an ordinary sales team into a high performing one.

For clarity, here is a brief description of the following terms:

An organization’s vision is a guiding image of success formed in terms of a huge goal. It is a description in words that conjures up a picture of the organization’s destination. A compelling vision will stretch expectations, aspirations, and performance. Without that powerful, attractive, valuable vision, why bother?

A mission statement communicates the essence of an organization to its stakeholders and customers, and failure to clearly state and communicate an organization’s mission can have harmful consequences around its purpose.

As Lewis Caroll, through the words of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland says, “If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

Guiding principles are the consequence of a mission statement that are intended to inform or shape all subsequent decision-making, which also provides normative criteria allowing policy-makers to accept, reject or modify policy interventions and activities. They are a guiding set of ideas that are articulated, understood and supported by the organization’s workforce.

Values are beliefs which the organization’s workforce hold in common and endeavor to put into practice. The values guide their performance and the decisions that are taken. Ideally, an individual’s personal values will align with the spoken and unspoken values of the organization.

By developing a written statement of the values of the organization, individuals have a chance to contribute to the articulation of these values, as well as to evaluate how well their personal values and motivation match those of the organization.