Puppy Training for Salespeople? By Clayton Shold

Friends of mine recently had a new addition to their family which they are very excited about. She is a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle and it is exactly what they were hoping for.

As we spoke I could sense the excitement of being proud parents one more time after having two legged and four legged “kids” for many years. Jim commented how training methods have changed so much over the years.

He is taking his counsel from the breeder and a book entitled Dog Training for Dummies. Gone are the rolled up newspapers to spank the dog and other punishment techniques, everything today focuses on positive motivation.

Jim and I have known each other for many years, having worked together in the sales arena as sales leaders. Our conversations typically gravitate to sales. He commented that for all the many ‘improvements’ in developing sales people it was sad that so much remains the same.

Some quick background. Jim came up through the ranks, proving his considerable selling talent, and then moved into sales management. In fact I recall very clearly the day he came into my office to apply for a Regional Sales Director opening. My first thought was he might be best to remain in his sales role given his exceptional performance and income level. My second reaction was he should follow our ‘normal’ progression route, taking a Sales Manager role before seeking a Director level. Did I mention Jim was a good sales person?

He gave a compelling list of reasons why this role was the right one for him. I challenged him on every point, adding my concern the position was in a new town where he didn’t know anyone, have any established network, nor would he get the luxury of any ramp-up time as results were needed immediately.

After some deep soul searching I gave him the job. Turned out this decision ranks up there with the best ones I have ever made.

Jim adopted many of the industry old methods for developing people. He focused on product knowledge, basic selling and relationship skills, with a heavy focus on activity management and ‘the numbers’. He was a firm believer “activity leads to results.”

So how did Jim do? His regional office became number one in the country. He achieved this by incorporating a heavy emphasis on coaching, coupled with his attraction power which allowed him to bring new talent to the sales game.

As we spoke he commented he wished he could start over as a sales leader. When I asked why, he said he believes there is a lot to learn from the training of dogs. He went on to explain, while he was a strong believer in his team and loved being a coach, he felt there was too much emphasis on the negative and not enough on the positive.

I replied that I never saw him with a rolled up newspaper, he laughed and he said he didn’t need one. Instead he would make public the activity levels of every rep and their sales results. He remained firm in deploying the corporate sales curriculum, which while solid, could have used some changes in focus.

I asked Jim, “How has your thinking changed?” He responded he was always a champion for his people, tried to recognize their achievements often, and kept a positive perspective. He went on to say he perhaps should have looked at each one as a new puppy. A new puppy needs lots of love and attention at first until they understand the boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

Acceptable behavior is rewarded with immediate and frequent recognition and treats. Unacceptable behavior responses include a retraction of attention and a stern verbal admonishment. People he points out are no different than canines in that they seek acceptance and want to please.

Jim went on to say doing it all over again he would put far more emphasis on relationship building and questioning skills. He said he would consciously focus less on presentation skills and more on listening skills.

He observed most consumers today are looking for an advisor, not a salesperson. They want to deal with someone they can trust and who truly is an expert at understanding their needs and wants, then helping them connect the dots to determine if the product or service they are representing does or does not, do what they are hoping it will.

I challenged him on activity management asking how he would address that. He confirmed it is important for the new sales rep to know they can get in front of people so there needs to be attention here in the early days. We talked about a transition over time where referrals began to take on greater weight and countered the need for other forms of prospecting.

Jim mentioned if he could influence a person to have the right sales mindset, everything else looks after itself. If you see yourself being successful, others will too. If you see everyone you meet as a potential opportunity, they may indeed be receptive to your desire to help them.

Jim summarized by asking, “Wouldn’t it be incredible if your sales team had the same loyalty and dedication to their customer, you and your firm, as your dog does to you?” At the very least, the notion does give ‘paws’ for thought!
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Clayton Shold has 25 years of sales and marketing experience in Canada and the United States. His experience includes executive sales leadership, major change initiatives, program design and delivery, customer service and business process improvements. He has worked with small to large organizations and coaches individual sales professionals. Clayton's mission is to help sales people become more successful. He is co-founder of Salesopedia.com "The World of Sales from A to Z".

* Read more sales training advice from Clayton Shold ...
- How Are Sales Like Jump-Starting Your Car?
- Sales Training and the Way You Think
- If You're in Sales Stop Selling

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com

The Fine Art of the Handshake By Michael D. Johnson

Your handshake says a lot about you. It can convey confidence, warmth, and honesty, or it can signal weakness, uncertainty, and disinterest.

Either way, it sends a subtle yet powerful message about who you are, that is not lost on prospective buyers.

Use these pointers to make sure your handshake sends the right signals, and creates a good impression with prospects and customers.

• Avoid the power grip. A handshake should be firm, but not overly forceful. Beware of the unconscious tendency to pull the other person toward you as you shake. This can be interpreted as aggressive, and the prospect’s resistance to you will go up a notch or two.

• Nothing wimpy. It may seem painfully obvious, but it’s amazing how many salespeople offer weak, perfunctory handshakes. This is a major turnoff to many customers. Firm and friendly always wins the day.

• Look ‘em in the eye. As you extend your hand, establish eye contact and smile. Show some teeth! A warm and sincere greeting can make you an instant friend -- and all things being equal, people prefer to buy from friends.

• Get a grip. Never grasp the other person’s fingers. Take their entire hand completely in yours, and gently pump it two or three times.

• Turn on the charm. You’ve been talking with a customer on the phone for several months, and meet them in person for the first time at a trade show.

To express your pleasure at finally meeting face to face, you may want to cover his extended hand with your left hand briefly during the handshake. This increases the familiarity and warmth of the handshake. Do not attempt this with someone you don’t know.

However, it is often a pleasant gesture when you are shaking hands with someone you’ve met previously. It simply says, “I’m very glad to see you again.”

• What to say? No handshake is complete without a spoken greeting. You can’t go wrong with, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” When meeting someone of high rank, such as the chairman of the board or founder of a company, you may want to up the ante with, “It’s a great pleasure to meet you.”

After the initial greeting, your conversation should begin while you are still shaking hands, for example, “John tells me you’ve made some significant additions to your product line.” Your hand should be slowly and somewhat reluctantly withdrawn as the person begins to speak. This slow withdrawal indicates your keen interest in the person and what he is saying.

• What’s your body language saying? Posture is important, so stand erect, about three feet (one pace) away from the client, with your hands out of your pockets. Face the client squarely; never approach from an angle, or when the subject is engaged in conversation or otherwise distracted. Wait until you have his full attention before extending your hand.

• Saying goodbye. When the meeting is over, it’s time to shake hands again. You now have the opportunity to leave a lasting impression. If you’ve established rapport with the buyer, it’s a good idea to gently grasp his right forearm with your left hand during the handshake, and restate any promises you may have made during the meeting, for example, “I’ll put the technical report you requested in the mail to you today, and give you a call next Wednesday. I enjoyed meeting you.” This two-handed shake signals your interest and commitment to your customer.

• Practice makes perfect. Much like dancing, the fine art of the handshake takes practice. Stand before a mirror and extend your hand. Check to see if you’re projecting an image of confidence, warmth, and enthusiasm. Keep in mind that your handshake reflects your personality, and should be a spontaneous gesture of friendly greeting that comes naturally from within.

With a little rehearsal, you will develop the ability to tailor your handshake to every situation you face, and each individual you meet.

Your handshake is a powerful business asset that can help you close more sales, and build lasting and profitable relationships. The time you spend working on it will be time well spent.
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Michael Dalton Johnson is the Editor & Publisher of "Top Dog Sales Secrets", the best-selling sales book featuring advice from 50 renowned sales experts. He is the Founder and Publisher of SalesDog.com, an education resource for sales professionals. Johnson is a successful entrepreneur with over 30 years of business leadership. For a free subscription to his weekly sales tips newsletter, visit his website at www.SalesDog.com.

* Read more sales training tips from Michael Dalton Johnson ...
- Power Tips
- It’s a Jungle Out There
- If You’re Not Selling

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com

Power Tips By Michael Dalton Johnson

Everybody likes to buy, because buying is fun. If you don’t believe this, try to find a parking space at a shopping mall, or a seat at an auction, this weekend.

However, while buying is fun and exciting, nobody likes to be sold. The truth is: the best salespeople don’t “sell” their customers; they help them buy.

• Get emotional. When presenting your product or service, do not attempt to appeal strictly to the buyer’s rational mind with a list of perfectly logical reasons to buy. Instead, fire their imaginations, and appeal to their emotions. Stress the benefits and rewards of owning your product or using your services.

If possible, have them hold your product in their hands. Use colorful verbal illustrations that stress benefits. Sprinkle in some brief case histories. Be likeable. Have some fun.

Above all, let the customer do most of the talking. Take the pressure to buy out of the experience, and the successful close will come naturally.

• What buyers want. In most business-to-business sales situations, the central question on buyers’ minds is, “What’s in it for me?” Take note: the question is, “What’s in it for me?” not, “What’s in it for my company?” Let prospects know how your product or service will help them to:

Make their jobs easier
Look good to management
Gain respect and prestige
Advance their careers
Be appreciated
Save time
Have some fun and excitement
Stay ahead of the competition
Minimize their personal risk

Remember, the central question you must answer for the prospect is, “What’s in it for me?”

• Respect your buyer’s intelligence. Speak to your potential customer as if you were talking with an intelligent, yet uninformed friend. Do not insult your prospect’s intelligence with inane leading questions such as, “We all want to save time and money, right?” Instead, simply state, “Our product will save you both time and money,” and immediately follow this statement with a brief example or two.

Allow the prospect to respond to your time and money-savings premise. A high-pressure “What’s there to think about?” approach doesn’t work in today’s business environment. Your buyers are smart, and deserve your respect.

• What’s in a name? There is no sweeter music than the sound of one’s own name. Try to use your prospect’s name a couple of times during your sales presentation. However, don’t overdo it, or you’ll sound insincere and patronizing.

If your buyer’s name is difficult to pronounce, get the correct pronunciation from the receptionist or secretary. Write it out phonetically, and say it aloud a few times before your meeting.

• The nose knows! Do not overwhelm your client’s olfactory sense. It is a major turnoff for buyers when a salesperson reeks of perfume, cologne, or aftershave. Prospects will often cut the meeting short just to escape the smell. Rule of thumb: use only enough fragrance that if a loved one were nuzzling your neck, the scent could barely be detected.

• Be on time, but don’t come early. While this seems painfully obvious, you might be surprised to learn how many sales folk show up late, with some lame excuse.

Arriving too early for a meeting is nearly as bad. Never arrive more than ten minutes before your scheduled appointment. Being punctual shows respect and good business form, and will get your meeting off to a good start.

• Create powerful imagery. Instead of saying to a business owner, “Your employees will really appreciate this program,” consider saying with a smile, “Your employees will stand up and applaud you for giving them this program.” Don’t worry; the buyer will allow this bit of poetic license. Even though he knows his employees won’t really stand up and applaud, the mental image of them doing so is powerful.

• Beware the time bandits. Everyone needs a break from the action. However, 20 minutes a day wasted on office small talk, surfing the Net, or personal phone calls adds up to two full weeks a year in lost production. How many sales could you make in two weeks? Eliminate these time bandits, and watch your productivity climb.

• Don’t interrogate buyers. A recent article in a leading sales publication advised “intense questioning” of prospects to determine their needs. The writer included a laundry list of questions that were both intrusive and transparent. Sophisticated buyers perceive too many probing questions, especially in the first stages of a meeting, as a pitch-tailoring sales tactic -- which, of course, is exactly what it is.

If you get prospects talking and follow the 80/20 Rule -- you listen 80% of the time and talk only 20% of the time -- many of your questions will be answered before you even ask them. Sure, you still have to ask questions and seek clarification. But your fact-finding process should flow naturally in response to buyers’ comments and conversational pauses. Do not put them on the hot seat.

• Breaking the ice. Some telephone cold-call gurus will tell you to offer a pleasantry or two after introducing yourself. They are wrong. Avoid the opening, “How are you?” When spoken over the phone to a stranger, the phrase reeks of insincerity. You might as well scream, “I am a salesperson!” Instead, employ a more businesslike opening, such as, “The reason I’m calling you this morning is to learn about your company’s personnel needs, and to see if we can be of help.”

In other words, after introducing yourself, state the reason for your call. Prospects will appreciate your honesty and respect for their time and intelligence. Only ask, “How are you?” after you’ve progressed beyond the initial contact, and a relationship has been established.

• Don’t answer a question with a question. Again, contrary to conventional sales training wisdom, never answer a question with a question. This tactic is usually perceived by the prospect as evasive. For example, if your buyer asks, “When can you ship?” do not respond, “When do you need it?” This strategy diminishes your credibility. Simply tell him your average shipping time, and ask if that works for him. If not, go to bat for him, and if possible, get it for him when he wants it.

• Look sharp. The old cliché about dressing for success especially holds true in sales. Your clothes and personal grooming speak volumes about you to buyers, co-workers, and management. If you are looking good, you are undoubtedly feeling good, and you will close more sales.

Take a critical look at your appearance, keeping in mind that shoes are one of the first things noticed. Your working wardrobe should be made up entirely of the following materials: cotton, wool, silk, linen and leather. That’s it. For men, facial hair is generally a negative. (Name the last politician elected to the presidency who had a moustache or beard.) There are several good books on sharp dressing and good grooming. John T. Molloy’s New Dress for Success is an update of the classic.

• Never thank anyone for taking your call. This seemingly polite gesture immediately puts you in a subordinate role—and subordinates are easily dismissed. For the same reason, when you finally make contact with a difficult-to-reach prospect, never open with, “You’re a hard person to get hold of!”

• Mood follows form. When you feel in winning form, you smile, stand up straight, and walk with confidence. On some gloomy, depressing day, try this: smile, stretch, and strut. You will feel your mood begin to lighten as your physical actions mimic those of a winner.

The same thing goes for your phone personality. If you sit up straight and smile, you will begin to feel self-confident and purposeful. Your voice will reflect those qualities, and you will enjoy more successful contacts with prospects and clients.

• Let the buyer lead. While you always want to maintain subtle control of your conversations with prospective buyers or clients, modify your pace and style to match theirs -- sort of like dancing. If your customer likes to chat, by all means indulge in a little small talk. Conversely, do not ask Mr. Down-To-Business about his weekend plans.

If a client has a breezy, big-picture personality, do not bog him down with details. This personality type loves to hear, “I’ll take care of everything for you.”

However, if a prospect has questions about every detail, take the time to carefully review the nuts and bolts with him. Reading your buyer’s personality and conversational style will pay big dividends in increased sales.

• Buyers are like cats (and you’re probably a dog!) Just like our feline friends, buyers can be a difficult lot: suspicious, wary, finicky, independent, aloof. If you chase after one, it always runs.

If you attempt to coax it, it invariably ignores you. However, if you sit quietly, letting the cat take its time and make up its own mind, before you know it, it’s purring on your lap.
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Michael Dalton Johnson is the Editor & Publisher of "Top Dog Sales Secrets", the best-selling sales book featuring advice from 50 renowned sales experts. He is the Founder and Publisher of SalesDog.com, an education resource for sales professionals. Johnson is a successful entrepreneur with over 30 years of business leadership. For a free subscription to his weekly sales tips newsletter, visit his website at www.SalesDog.com.

* Other sales training articles from Michael Dalton Johnson ...
- It’s a Jungle Out There
- If You’re Not Selling
- The Fine Art of the Handshake

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com

It’s a Jungle Out There By Michael Dalton Johnson

Whoever coined the phrase, “It’s a jungle out there!” must have been a sales rep. Why? Because some days you’ll encounter more difficult customers than there are animals in the jungle.

When hacking your way through the dense underbrush to get to the sale, the trick is to stay cool, calm and in control.

See if you recognize here some of the creatures you must deal with from time to time. Then follow my simple instructions for a successful sales safari.

• The Monkey. This quarrelsome and inconsiderate buyer goes out of his way to make trouble. The Monkey likes to fume, argue and misrepresent facts, and particularly enjoys trying to derail your presentation.

This type must be treated politely, patiently, and without direct counterargument. Ignore his antics, keep your presentation on track, and, above all, be firm! When Monkey sees he is not getting to you, Monkey will calm down.

• The Sloth. This ultra-deliberate client is painfully slow-moving, slow-thinking, and indecisive. Speak to the Sloth slowly and clearly, taking up just one point at a time.

Do not confuse him with superfluous details or complex concepts. The upside is that once the Sloth truly gets it, he is usually sold!

• The Magpie. A most talkative customer, the Magpie chatters without stopping, often forgets what he started to say, and without prompting, cheerfully launches into his family history, holiday plans, or stories from his college days.

Treat this type with tolerance and self-control. Be watchful for opportunities to bring him back. Lead the conversation, be businesslike, and keep him focused on your sales message.

• The Crab. This crabby prospect may be tired, ill, unhappy, nervous, or just chronically irritable. Ever moving sideways, the Crab is contradictory, jumpy, and must be met with patience and a calm, soothing voice. A warm smile coupled with agreement, understanding, and respect, will usually win him over.

• The Peacock. A self-important and snobbish decision-maker, the Peacock fans his tail feathers and looks down his regal beak at you and the goods or services you offer.

The Peacock often makes haughty or derisive remarks, which requires rigid politeness and good temper from you. Your best bet is to ignore his preening, posturing, and snooty behavior, and pleasantly move on with your presentation.

• The Cat. The Cat is your most suspicious contact. This animal doubts the sincerity or accuracy of your representations, is cynical about your claims, and demands clear, detailed proof of benefits backed up by hard, documented facts.

Your deference and unruffled temper will pay off. Do not be intimidated or insulted by his sometimes rude remarks, which question your product’s worth, or your honesty and sincerity.

• The Rooster. This decisive, smart-aleck customer is cocksure, impatient, and intolerant. Since the Rooster rules the roost, this type wishes to make his own decision without appearing to yield to a mere salesperson. Rooster should be permitted to strut his way to a decision while you practice good humor, respect, and patience.

• The Dodo. With a room-temperature IQ and the attention span of a three-year-old, the Dodo is the airhead of the sales animal menagerie. Don’t be surprised if, at the end of your presentation, this poor soul is still unclear on exactly what you’re selling, and what he’s supposed to do.

Don’t bother starting over, because the Dodo probably doesn’t have the buying authority anyway. Instead, diplomatically locate someone who does.

• The Mouse. We all have met the indecisive or timid prospect who does not know his own mind, and is vague and uncertain. This type needs to have the facts presented confidently and clearly, and his mind literally made up for him. With tact and understanding, give the Mouse what he wants, which is to be led gently by hand to the buying decision.

• The Crow. Here is the stingy, close-to-the-chest buyer, who is interested not so much in benefits and features as in picking your price apart. The loud and repeated cry of this bird is “too high, too high!” Dealing with him calls for concentration on price justification, backed up with solid, documented proof. Stick to your guns to win the Crow’s respect, and his order.

• The Beaver. This super-busy type hardly has time to hear you out. Given to taking -- even making -- phone calls and conducting other business during your presentation while continually looking at his watch, this type needs a highly visual and entertaining presentation to grab his interest.

Be quick to get to the bottom-line benefits of your product or service. Once sold, show Mr. Busy Beaver where to sign on the dotted line, so you can be on your way and he can get back to being busy.

As you can see, the sales world has its share of wild and wooly creatures. Put on your pith helmet, study the habits of these sometimes cantankerous creatures, and learn how to respond to their individual idiosyncrasies. You’ll have more fun while preserving your sanity and closing more sales.
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Michael Dalton Johnson is the Editor & Publisher of "Top Dog Sales Secrets", the best-selling sales book featuring advice from 50 renowned sales experts. He is the Founder and Publisher of SalesDog.com, an education resource for sales professionals. Johnson is a successful entrepreneur with over 30 years of business leadership. For a free subscription to his weekly sales tips newsletter, visit his website at www.SalesDog.com.

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com

If You’re Not Selling ... By Michael Dalton Johnson

Are you working hard, but not getting the results you want? If you’re a professional salesperson and you’re not selling, it could be because:

• You are boring. Do customers cut you off in mid-sentence, or jump in when you pause for breath? Chances are, you’re boring them. Paint a vivid picture and put them in it; use an example or interesting case history to illustrate your point. Whip out some visuals to show them how much they will save.

• You insult their intelligence. “Mr. Jones, would you like to save money on your long distance phone bill?” Polling prospects with lame questions in an attempt to get them to say yes is manipulative and insulting. Instead, ask open-ended questions to elicit their needs. Treat them with respect by tailoring your questions to their company, industry and circumstances.

• You are uninformed. Take time to visit the website of your prospect’s company. Check out their competition, industry association and trade journals. Remember: the more you learn, the more you earn. If you do not understand what your prospects do, and what issues they face, how can you expect to determine how your product or service can best help them?

• You are talking to the wrong person. Oops! Once again, you have not done your homework, and end up pitching someone who has no decision-making authority. This hurts, because it’s usually hard to get a second bite of the apple.

• You do not listen. Pay attention to what your customers are saying and how they are saying it, including their non-verbal communication. Effective listening will provide you with most of the answers to your qualifying questions without even asking them. You will learn about your customers’ needs, what their hot buttons are, and how to convince them. Simply put: when your customer talks, you sell; when you talk, you lose.

• You talk about features, not benefits. You are crazy about all those neat bells and whistles your product offers, but you do not let the buyer know how they will directly benefit him.

• You do not understand their needs. In the world of sales, one size rarely fits all. Find out your prospect’s special needs and concerns, and show how your product or service can help. Again: listen and he will tell you.

• Buyers do not like you. You have heard it a million times: people buy from people they like. If your prospect doesn’t like you, he’s not going to spend time getting to know your product or service. Investing some time in your rapport-building skills will pay big dividends.

• They do not know you, and have never heard of your company. All things being equal, who do you think your prospect is going to buy from: the company he has known for years, or you, the new kid on the block? Allay his fears by providing him with current customer lists (including contact names and numbers for some of your accounts), testimonial letters on your customers’ letterhead, documented case histories, and press coverage. A referral from someone he knows and respects will swing doors wide open.

• Make your buyers heroes. Even in a business-to-business sale, you need to show your prospects what’s in it for them personally. How do they personally gain? Will they look good to their boss? Will they save time and effort? Will they make their customers or employees happy? There’s an important difference between, “Your company will save over $50,000 a year with our product” and “You will save your company over $50,000 a year with our product.” People want to be heroes. Make it so.

It’s the little things that make a difference in the sale. Pay attention to these ten factors, and make more sales.
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Michael Dalton Johnson is the Editor & Publisher of "Top Dog Sales Secrets", the best-selling sales book featuring advice from 50 renowned sales experts. He is the Founder and Publisher of SalesDog.com, an education resource for sales professionals. Johnson is a successful entrepreneur with over 30 years of business leadership. For a free subscription to his weekly sales tips newsletter, visit his website at www.SalesDog.com.

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com

Your Telephone: Compare It to an Investment Plan By Bill Lampton, Ph.D.

There it sits on your desk -- the telephone. You hold ambivalent feelings about using this device. On the one hand, you hear high-income professionals testify that they “dialed for dollars” -- almost fanatically -- on their way to the top. On your more successful days, you agree with them.

Yet at other times, when you struggle with gatekeepers, voice mail connections instead of live respondents, unreturned calls, refusals, and occasional rudeness, you decide, “I can spend my time doing something else that’s more likely to generate business.”

So, what is the productive approach for you? You'll have far greater success with your telephone marketing if you compare your phone activities to an investment fund. Consider these six similarities:

One: Your returns will depend upon how much you invest. "Telephone marketing doesn't work for me," an entrepreneur complains--then says he places about five to ten calls a week. Low investments limit your returns. Every reputable study of sales success shows a correlation between the number of contacts you attempt and complete, and your ultimate dollar return. Notice: Your phone will "ring off the hook" when you stimulate return calls.

Two: Your telephone marketing will bring long-range results, not instant success. The first-year small business owner threatens to quit when fifteen or twenty phone calls don't generate income for next month. Yet veterans know that two or three years from now, some of those calls can pay off, assuming you cultivate your prospects other ways as well, with newsletters, visits, cards on special occasions, and similar activities.

Three: Some days you will lose, some days you will win. Just as an investor accepts down days, yet stays with a reputable fund, the caller anticipates rejections, and continues her pattern of phoning prospects and clients daily.

Some of your losses and wins will shock you. You hear, “You’ve got a fine offer, but just not right for us” from a “sure thing” prospect. On the same day, a prospect you rate “unlikely” offers you the best contract you have signed this year.

Four: You will want to diversify your phone calls. Imagine that up until September 2001, you had sought contracts with the airline industry, or with “dot com” startups, and no one else. The old adage “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” makes plenty of sense now. Yesterday’s boom business might become today’s foreclosure.

Keep several options open. My work has taken me into banking, athletics, education, resort hotels, cruise ships, government agencies, health care, state bar associations, utilities, the fast food industry, accounting firms, and newspapers. Chances are strong that not all of these industries will decline at once.

Five: Know when it’s time to pull away from an unpromising prospect. “Cut your losses,” your investment counselor would say. Those who stayed with Enron and WorldCom stock all the way to the bottom would have been wiser to separate themselves from those losers when the ratings were dropping precipitously. You have a finite supply of energy, money, and time. So when a prospect shows little interest over a long period, you’ll be wise to eliminate that company from your list, and instead devote your attention to organizations that show signs of becoming buyers.

Six: Get expert advice. Fortunately, you don’t have to pay for all of it. Rather than just calling potential clients randomly without a plan, join--or even form--what Napoleon Hill called a Master Mind Group, comprised of energetic men and women who will exchange leads. Also, build your calling list by reading the newspaper and business publications, and by searching the Internet.
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Bill Lampton, Ph.D., helps organizations improve their communication, motivation, customer service and sales. His speeches, seminars, coaching and consulting share the practical advice included in his book, The Complete Communicator: Change Your Communication, Change Your Life! Visit his Web site to sign up for his complimentary monthly e-mail newsletter and order his book at ChampionshipCommunication.com - Call him: 770-534-3425.

Read more sales training articles from Bill Lampton ...
- Attract Clients With Your Business Card

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Rejection: A Chosen Response By Alvin Day

What is your natural reaction to rejection? Think of children, for many the answer is automatically negative, sulking, screaming, and crying. As adults, we temper ourselves enough to stop this kind of outward reaction but in many cases our inner reaction is not always much better.

Think back to your last particularly disappointing rejection to a sales presentation. Though you probably shook your prospect's hand and paved the field for possible future opportunities, did any whining, complaining or even screaming go on inside your head? Most of us would answer yes.

Rejection can be a debilitating force that drains the precious energy sales professionals need to go from one sales call to the next. It can be a terrible thing to hear the word no after weeks of preparation and effort but what can be even worse is our chosen reaction to it. If you allow a rejection to fester on your mind, to invade your thoughts and lessen your spirit, you experience low productivity, poor results and limited rewards. You must control the reaction you have to rejection in order to succeed in the sales field.

Take the following example: Mona has just started her own small business, a catering company specializing in gourmet catering for corporate events. She chose this market because she felt she could actively seek business among the many corporations who hold events locally throughout the year. She has found the process of cold calling to be a difficult one.

After finally getting on the phone to a decision maker, Mona pitches her services going through the menu and low prices. After what she believes is a great presentation, she gets a very abrupt "not interested" followed by the click of a dial tone.

Mona's inner dialogue sounds like this: How dare he slam the phone down on me? That is so rude. I would never do that, at least not to anyone I had any respect for. I guess to this guy, I was just another telemarketer calling and wasting his time. He doesn't see me as a business person at all. I am the CEO of my company just like he is the CEO of his, but I wonder how many CEOs he hangs up on every day. I guess I just didn't seem that important to him. How awful this is spending all day being treated like nothing on the phones. I don't know if this business idea is even going to work out.

In the few minutes after receiving that harsh rejection from a complete stranger, Mona has gone from being a confident new business owner to doubting the importance or possibility of success for her company at all. She now wonders if she should even consider herself in the ranks of CEO.

She has taken the rejection from being just about her company to being something more personal. Seeing the rejection as a personal insult makes Mona wonder if she can go on for much longer with this business that she was previously so excited about.

Action step: write out on a 3x5 index card the question "who am I?" Answer this question with a list of positive attributes of which you are very proud. The next time you are in a difficult situation, read the list out loud to remind yourself of your greatest and most notable qualities.

I call this strategy Logical Separation. It is a powerful way to make a distinction between the rejection you must experience on a regular basis and your worth as a human being. We are bound to react when we hear the word no but we must learn to control that reaction.

To succeed in this field you must be able to approach each new sales situation with confidence, determination and great energy. When you learn to control the way you react to rejection, you will diminish its ability to wreak havoc on your sales career.
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Alvin Day is a Sales Training and Personal Empowerment coach who has helped many sales professionals reach and exceed their goals. You can learn more about Alvin Day's "Ultimate Sales Manual of Persuasion, Influence & Rewards" at TheUltimateSalesManual.com.

* Read more sales training advice from Alvin Day ...
- Know What You Are Selling


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Questions Are Worthless Without This By Art Sobczak

At a party I was talking to a woman who asked five questions in a row. I began answering the first one, and could very well have said, "I believe you look and smell like a sweathog," because she didn't listen to the first, or any of my answers, since she replied, "Interesting," and then began talking about herself. I watched and listened as she did that with several other people she met.

Sure, we all know we should ask questions. But the effort is wasted if they're not asked in the right way, or if you don't listen to the answers.

Key Sales Point:

When a listener hears a question, their mind immediately is conditioned to begin searching for answers. However, when several questions are posed in rapid-fire sequence, you leave the person confused as to which one they should answer first. And, some questions are not answered at all if you don't give them an opportunity.

For example, read this scenario without stopping to think about each question, as if you were the person hearing the questions:

Caller: "And what do you feel your company needs most regarding boosting morale and enthusiasm? Do you think it would be compensation related... or maybe training? And how does that affect performance in all of the departments?"

Did you feel like a spinning top, rotating around trying to focus on the questions coming from all directions? Same thing happens with prospects and customers.

Effective Questioning Guidelines:

1. Ask one question at a time. If it's not important enough to stand on its own, don't ask it.

2. After you ask it, be quiet. If they don't answer immediately, resist the urge to answer it for them or follow up with another one. They're likely thinking about what they're going to say.

3. After they apparently have finished, remain quiet for 1-2 more seconds. You might get additional information, and ensures you don't interrupt.

4. Follow-up their answer with a related question. Don't ping-pong around from subject to subject. For example, if they answered with, "I believe the main problem we have right now is a lack of motivation," a logical next query would be, "Oh, what are some specific situations where you've seen a lack of motivation?"

5. Be confident in your questioning. One reason people ask multiple questions is that they aren't comfortable asking questions. The only way you're going to truly help someone is by finding out about them. You're not intruding. You're assisting.

Fielding multiple questions is confusing for the listener, and counterproductive for you. Ask one at a time, and listen!

Go and have your best week ever!

Art
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Art Sobczak helps sales pros use the phone to prospect, service and sell more effectively, while eliminating morale-killing "rejection." He presents public seminars and customizes programs for companies. Art has a number of books, CD's to help sales reps. See free articles and back issues of his weekly emailed sales tips at www.BusinessByPhone.com. Also ask for a free copy of his monthly Telephone Prospecting and Selling Report newsletter by emailing ArtS@BusinessByPhone.com, or calling (402)895-9399

* Other Sales Training Articles from Art Sobczak ...
- Unbreakable Rules of Sales Calls
- Communicate On Their Level, Not Yours

What’s The Plan? By Lee B. Salz

If you don’t have a destination, how can you develop a map to get there? This may sound like a question for a driver, but it is also a question for sales people.

The other day I was working out in the gym when a guy asked me to spot him on the bench press. For those of you not familiar with the term “spot,” it means to watch and assist the lifter if they need help.

Of course, I agreed to do this. As is customary when spotting, I asked him how many reps (number of times lifting the weight) he planned to do. He looked at me very puzzled and said he didn’t know.

Humorously, I followed that with asking if he expected to do it once or a hundred times. He laughed and said it would be more than one, but not sure how many he would do beyond that.

He began the lift and performed three reps. I asked him if he felt it was a good set. Was he happy with his performance? Did he achieve what he set out to do? He said, “Yeah, I guess so.” I went back to my workout wondering how he could determine if he had met his goal. If you don’t have a goal, how can you determine if you achieved it?

This experience reminded me of a time when I went to Chicago on a call with one of my sales reps. Prior to the meeting, the sales rep, his manager and I met at a coffee shop. Over coffee, I asked the sales rep to imagine that it was now an hour and a half later.

The meeting was over and we were back sitting at the same coffee shop debriefing on the meeting. I asked what I thought was a fair question of the rep. I asked him, “This was a great meeting if what happened?” (By the way, this is one of my favorite questions to ask of sales reps.) I received a blank look and finally a request for help. Mind you, we were fifteen minutes away from being in front of a prospect and clearly there was no game plan.

We talked for a few minutes and developed our success metrics for this meeting. With those identified, we developed our game plan to achieve our success metrics.

Many of you are thinking that a successful meeting is defined as being awarded the business. You would be right if it was that type of meeting. However, this was a second call in a business environment where the buying process is typically twelve to eighteen months. In this environment, other success metrics are needed for each step of the process.

Defining success metrics allows you to formulate a game plan for your meeting. If you know what you need to accomplish, the roadmap becomes very clear for what you need to achieve.

If your success metric is defined as your having a comprehensive picture of their challenges with their current provider, you can prepare questions that will expose their challenges. If your success metric is to gather all of the data needed to put together a pricing proposal, the game plan is to ask all questions needed to craft a solution for this prospect.

From a prospect’s point of view, they have no time or tolerance for sales people who show up on their doorstep and ask pointless questions for an hour. They are busy and very sensitive about their time.

If they accept a meeting with a sales person, they expect that sales person to arrive having done their homework on their company and with a laser focus approach to the meeting. Remember, sales is a profession. They expect a professional experience.

Another common time when sales people lose their way is when they are notified that they are a finalist for an opportunity and are invited to come in to deliver a presentation. In essence, they are told that they are one of a handful of providers that are being considered for the business.

The typical response is to say “Great!” almost like Tony the Tiger. They hang up the phone, do the happy dance, and send an email to their manager telling them that they made the finalist list. There is nothing wrong about being excited to hear the news. You’ve probably worked hard to get to this point.

However, you can’t cash that commission check just yet. How can you develop a game plan for this meeting if you don’t know who will be in the room, what is important to them, or even why you made the finalist list?

Recently, a colleague shared with me a story about her experience as a finalist. The RFP questions that the prospect had provided lacked focus. It was not clear what they were hoping to accomplish by selecting a new provider. She called the Procurement Agent and began asking a series of questions about their objectives and goals.

The Procurement Agent told her she was the only sales person to contact them and ask these questions. The Agent agreed that the RFP lacked focus and could not fathom how the other selected finalists could prepare.

Needless to say, this sales person won the business. (Need help putting together a game plan when you are a finalist, send me an email and I’ll email you back a checklist that will lead you to victory.)

Ask any successful person how they became successful. They will tell you that they had a vision and developed a game plan to achieve that vision. Sales is no different. Know your success metrics and develop your game plan to achieve them.
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Lee B. Salz is President of Sales Dodo, LLC and author of “Soar Despite Your Dodo Sales Manager.” He specializes in helping companies and their sales organizations adapt and thrive in the ever-changing world of business. Lee is available for keynote speaking, business consulting, and sales training. He can be reached via email at lsalz@salesdodo.com, his website at www.SalesDodo.com or by phone at 763.416.4321.

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Listening Power By Brian Tracy

The art of good conversation centers very much on your ability to ask questions and to listen attentively to the answers.

You can lace the conversation with your insights, ideas, and opinions, but you perfect the art and skill of conversation by perfecting the art and skill of asking good, well-worded questions that direct the conversation and give other people an opportunity to express themselves.

Ask Open-Ended Questions ...
Ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." Open-ended questions encourage the speaker to expand on his thoughts and comments. And one question will lead to another. You can ask open-ended questions almost endlessly, drawing out of the other person everything that he or she has to say on a particular subject.

Be Content to Listen ...
In order to be an excellent conversationalist, you must resist the urge to dominate the discussion. The very best conversationalists seem to be low-key, easy-going, cheerful, and genuinely interested in the other person. They seem to be quite content to listen when other people are talking and they make their own contributions to the dialogue rather short and to the point.

Share the Opportunity to Talk ...
In fact, good conversation has an easy ebb and flow, like the tide coming in and going out. Whether it is between two people or among several, the conversation should shift back and forth, with each person getting an opportunity to talk. Conversation in this sense is like a ball that is tossed from person to person, with no one holding on to it for very long.

If you feel that you have been talking for too long, you should stop and ask a question of someone in the group. You will be tossing the conversational ball and giving that individual an opportunity to converse.

Learn to Listen Well ...
Listening is the most important of all skills for successful conversation. Many people are very poor listeners. Since everyone enjoys talking, it takes a real effort to practice the fundamentals of excellent listening and to make them a habit.

Action Exercises:

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, make a habit of asking good, open-ended questions of others in every conversation and in response to problems or difficulties. This shows interest and increases your understanding.

Second, take a deep breath, relax and let the other person talk more. Practice over and over until you become an excellent listener.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

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How Satisfied Are Your Customers? By Bill McCormick

“Your customers are only satisfied because their expectations are so low and because no one else is doing better."
-- Ken Blanchard (from Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service)

So why is customer service so important? Because outstanding customer service builds loyalty and customer retention, and will improve your bottom line.

The Three Zones of Customer Satisfaction

The backbone of your customer service strategy and culture consists of three zones, which are listed below. In this article we will focus on the Service Expectations Zone, with emphasis on ensuring that your customer’s expectations are being met and the importance of doing a better job than your competition.

1. The Service Surprise Zone (what we call the “Wow Zone”) is when you exceed your customer’s expectations. You should strive to “wow” your customers, especially your key accounts and prospects.

2. The Service Expectations Zone is when you meet your customer’s expectations. At a minimum, your organization needs to identify and then meet the critical needs and expectations of your customers. As such, the ability to ask questions and listen for the customer’s concerns and issues are critical skills.

3. The Service Recovery Zone is when you don’t meet your customer’s expectations. This zone is a moment of truth for you. Handle it well and you can actually strengthen the customer allegiance. But, if this is handled poorly, you will likely lose your customers to your competition.

What Do Customers Expect (the “Three R’s”)?

Let’s start with the obvious. Customers decide to buy from your organization because they have a need for your particular product or service, and they have assessed that your company provides them the best value for that particular product or service. This can mean many things, depending on the industry that you are in, such as: willingness to customize, reasonable price, highest quality, increased productivity, convenience, improved ROI, and so on.

Based on STAR’s experience with a wide range of clients from diverse industries, customers expect more than just the product or service by itself. To take an extreme example: Suppose that you provide a widget that contains all the technical features that the customer is looking for, but the customer is treated rudely during each interaction with your firm. Or, the customer calls post-sale with a problem or question about your widget, and is transferred several times without a resolution to his or her problem. Would you say that you have met your customer’s expectations in these two situations?

How you sell and service a customer is often more important than what you sell. All customers expect Responsiveness, Respect, and Reliability — we call this the “Three R’s”, for short:

* Responsiveness: answer the phone promptly and/or greet the customer immediately if in-person; don’t leave the customer on hold too long; take ownership of the problem and be solution-oriented.

* Respect: use the customer’s name instead of treating him or her as a number; be attentive; be personable.

* Reliability: if you cannot fix the situation immediately, give the customer a specific and realistic completion date and then be sure to follow through on the promise. It infuriates customers to be told that a problem will be fixed and then find out on that date that nothing has been done.

Ensuring Customer’s Expectations are Met

There are several skills and techniques to ensure that your customer’s expectations are being met. Here are a few suggestions from our Exceptional Customer Service and Support workshop:

1. Follow the “Three R’s” mentioned above. Managers should set clear expectations that every employee who interacts with customers should treat all customers with respect, and be responsive and reliable. Your performance appraisal, hiring and compensation systems should be designed to include these desired behaviors.

2. Ask questions and listen for the customer’s needs and critical expectations. If we were limited to teaching one set of skills in our Exceptional Customer Service and Support workshop, we would select questioning and listening skills. After all, you cannot meet or exceed the customer’s expectations if you don’t know what is most important to each customer.

3. Follow-up with the customer, especially if he or she doesn’t expect you to do so. The follow-up action can be a telephone call, an email, or sometimes a special activity such as a thank you note. Rather than waiting for the customer to call you if he or she has a question or problem, be pro-active and contact the customer yourself. This can be especially valuable with new customers, or when existing customers purchase a new product.

4. Use a team approach to customer service. This is the most recent trend that STAR has observed with many clients. Selling has become a team sport for many of our clients. Who else besides your sales and customer service team comes into contact with your customers? Every person who interacts with customers needs to adopt a customer service-oriented approach. A common mistake is to overlook the potential contribution of your technical service, back-office and production personnel to making the overall customer experience a positive one.
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Bill McCormick, President of Sales Training And Results, Inc. (STAR), a firm specializing in customized sales and management training, consulting and coaching services. Bill has 20 years of experience in consulting with senior managers and coaching sales executives and professionals. Bill and the STAR training staff specialize in the design and instruction of customized sales and management workshops. Prior to founding STAR, Bill's career included work in sales, sales management and marketing management positions for a Fortune 25 company. STAR sales training programs are available as instructor-led, online, or in a blended learning format. Visit www.SalesTrainingAndResults.com for more information.

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The Gaining vs Losing Close By Tom Hopkins

You will encounter clients who are more afraid of not having the benefits of your product than they are excited about having them. It's important that you learn to recognize the difference early in your presentation.

An example would be if you offer manufacturing equipment that will put the client on the leading edge of the industry and ahead of their next closest competitor. There's a certain amount of fear about the competition closing in and possibly taking over their position in the market. That fear may be the biggest motivator they have when considering the decision and it's something you should address.

You may also find this happening in families or with neighbors who always want to "keep up with the Joneses." If someone tells you their friend, co-worker, relative or neighbor just bought the latest in HD technology and that's where they gather for social occasions, the person you're speaking with might just want to be able to offer the same level of expectation at their own gatherings.

Once you discover whether it's the "gain" or "loss" that's motivating your potential client, close them accordingly.
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Tom Hopkins International
7531 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Tel: (480) 949-0786 or 800/528-0446 Fax: (480) 949-1590
Visit our website for a great "Tip of the Day".

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The Trust Factor By Kelley Robertson

Did you ever buy anything from someone you didn't trust? In all likelihood, probably not.

Trust is an important issue when it comes to selling. It doesn't matter what you sell or to whom. It makes no difference if you sell business-to-consumer, B2B, or in a retail setting. Trust is the foundation of virtually every sale.

Yet, it never ceases to amaze me how many sales people will stretch the truth, mislead the customer, misrepresent their company, product, or service, or even deliberately lie in order to capture a sale. While this will certainly work once or twice, most people will seldom fall for this approach again. In the long run, you might win the battle but you will lose the war. So how can you earn a person's trust? Here are three core concepts that will help you accomplish this.

1. Do WHAT you say you will do, WHEN you say you will do it. Many sales people forget this basic fundamental. If you make a promise to a client, keep it. If you say you will do something, make sure you follow through. This more than anything else will demonstrate that you are trustworthy and someone they can count on. And in business, that goes a long way.

2. Be on time for your appointments. Regardless of how long you have worked with a particular customer, make sure you show up on time for your meeting. If, for some unforeseen reason you are going to be late, call. Your clients are busy-show them that you respect their time.

3. Be yourself. How you behave and interact with your clients and customers should not be "an act." These may sound like pretty simple concepts. However, I can guarantee that many of your competitors are NOT executing them on a regular basis. That means you can gain a competitive edge just by following these three concepts. But there's more to it than that.

Ultimately, everything you do influences the level of trust you develop with your customers and prospects. Let's look at a few more examples:

* How you treat clients' employees, including receptionists and mail-room staff. Many sales people are rude and treat non-management employees with disdain because they are not involved in the decision- making process. However, behaviour like this seldom goes unnoticed. Regardless of whom you interact with, you should treat them with respect and dignity.

* The speed with which you respond to clients and prospects. If you delay in answering a prospect's request or question you lose the opportunity to gain their trust. I have experienced this in my own business countless times when I have contacted a company for information and they have been slow in responding. In my mind, if you don't respond quickly BEFORE I am a customer, what will happen once you get my business?

* Making outlandish claims about your product or service. Even when they know better, many sales people exaggerate the capabilities of their products. In most cases, their intent is completely harmless. However, if your product or service fails to meet your customer's expectations, anything you tell them in the future will be questioned and they may perceive you as someone who will say anything to capture a sale.

* Pushing unwanted services. While I'm a believer of capitalizing on every sales opportunity, I believe that it is unethical to try and sell a person something that he or she doesn't need or want. This approach shows your customer that you are concerned only with getting as many sales as possible. While you may end up selling more, in the long run you may harm your reputation.

* Listening carefully to your customer. Everyone wants to be heard and one of the easiest ways to earn your customer's trust is to demonstrate that you listened to them. You can do this through the use of verbal prompters, good eye contact, body language such as nodding, and summarizing what they tell you.

Trust is as important now as it was two or three decades ago. In fact, it may be even more critical given today's highly-competitive business world. I recall a sales coach once saying, "The only thing you have is your reputation." It doesn't matter what you sell or to whom, if you tarnish your reputation, you will not be as successful as you could be. I also remember hearing someone else say, "If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember what you said."

Lastly, it's not always what you say. Actions speak louder than words and people will often judge your trust worthiness by what you do and how you do it. What are you doing to create a high level of trust with your customers and prospects?

© 2007 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.
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Kelley Robertson is a professional speaker and trainer on sales, negotiating, customer service, and employee motivation. Receive a FREE copy of "100 Ways to Increase Your Sales" by subscribing to his free newsletter available at his website. Visit KelleyRobertson.com. He is also the author of "The Secrets of Power Selling" and "Stop, Ask & Listen-Proven Sales Techniques to Turn Browsers into Buyers." For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com.

The Most Underutilized Strategic Advantage By Lee B. Salz

Sales people are always looking for a way to differentiate themselves to win an account. Few use one of the most powerful tools in their bag, the right reference.

You have been chasing this account for six months and feeling optimistic as the buying process is coming to a conclusion. The sale is between you and two other firms. The competition is fierce, but you feel you are ahead. At 11am, the Procurement Agent asks for three references to be provided to her by the end of the day.

In a panic, you send a company-wide email in search of these referenceable clients. At 4:58pm, you get the three references from your colleagues and quickly send them out to the Procurement Agent. Whew! Mission accomplished! They wanted three references and you got it done. And so did everyone else. You see the finish line, forgetting that many a sales person has fallen one step short of winning.

This scenario plays out in companies every day across the country. It doesn’t matter if the company is big or small, nor does it matter the type of industry. The request for references is a standard part of any buying process. However, few sales people use the reference stage of the process to their strategic advantage. They simply desire to provide a quick response to the prospect with their requested references.

In the mind of the sales person, the speed of the response communicates supplier performance. While somewhat true, the discussions the prospect will have with the references carries more weight in the selection decision than the speed of the response from the potential supplier.

When I talk to sales people, one of their most common gripes is that they are selling a product that is viewed as a commodity in the marketplace. They cite “price” as their biggest bugaboo. Right behind that they lament about their inability to differentiate their product. (The truth is that price and differentiation are directly related, but that is a topic for another article.)

When I ask sales people if they would like to learn of an easy way to get a competitive edge, they are all ears. After I share with them that they have the ability to differentiate themselves through managing the reference selection process, they look at me in shock as they can’t believe they have been missing this opportunity. Then the stories start to come out. “Yeah, I lost a deal because they called the reference and we had just screwed up their order. I should have checked before I used them” The stories just continue from there.

But why do prospects ask for references? Webster’s defines “reference” as someone who can make a statement about a person’s qualifications, character, and dependability. Interestingly, there is a perception disconnect on references between sales people and prospects. When I talk to sales people, I usually hear that references are just a standard part of due diligence. Some use the term “rubber stamp” of an award. However, when I talk to buyers, I hear a very different message.

Many buyers look at the reference step of the buying process as their opportunity to validate the message that they have been hearing from the potential supplier. In essence, prospects are searching to ascertain whether a supplier can deliver on the promises made during the buying process. Can the supplier really handle this size account? Are they really that fast? Or that accurate? Is the service as good as they described?

In many cases, the change of provider carries with it the ownership of the supplier’s performance. If the new supplier does not perform to the expectations that have been represented, there is risk for those who selected it. Heads will roll! Sometimes, prospects ask the same questions of the reference that they asked of the sales person to see if there is a difference in response. Other times, they ask specific questions relative to their needs that may not have been shared with the sales person. For the prospect, this is their most critical evaluation step of a supplier’s expected performance.

It is the little things that winning sales people do that makes them winners. So, if all of the competing sales people are going to provide “good” references, can you provide the “best” references? You most certainly can! However, there is a process to do so as “best” is different for each prospect.”

The first step is a conversation with the Procurement Agent. “I received your request for references and I’m happy to provide them. So that I can provide you with the references that best support your initiative, what are you hoping to learn from our clients?” If you can gather that information from the Procurement Agent (don’t say it can’t be done until you try it), you have the roadmap to identifying references. Even if they can’t or won’t provide you with this information, you have at least shown that you care. And “care” can be the differentiator that pushes you across the finish line. All is not lost if you can’t get that information either.

Going forward by taking a step back, think about the account and what is important to them. Reflect on what was learned during the needs analysis discussions. Thinking about that, imagine a different approach to responding to the request for references. If they were concerned about implementation, you provide an account that your company recently implemented.

Perhaps, the decision is being made by a CFO, and you provide a reference of a CFO from one of your clients that can speak to your performance. For the third reference, you provide a client that is purchasing the same amount of the same product. From the prospect’s perspective, how great is the opportunity to speak to three clients who can relate to their needs. They are able to gather the information they desire from someone with whom they share something in common. They feel confident in their ability to perform due diligence on their potential supplier. They can make an informed decision.

To take it a step further, imagine rather than simply sending the contact names and phone numbers to that Procurement Agent, you provide a brief narrative explaining to what each client was serving as a reference. How many sales people are doing that?

Still raising the bar, imagine contacting each of the three references and informing them that a call was coming their way to discuss your performance as a supplier. During that call, you share that this prospect is calling to discuss particular areas of the business. Thus, when the prospect calls the reference, the reference is expecting the call and is prepared for the conversation. What a great experience for your prospect and your client.

Keep in mind, one great way to burn a relationship with a happy client is to surprise them with a reference phone call. No one likes to be blind-sided or unprepared. I’ve seen more than a few opportunities lost where the prospect cited the reference experience as the deciding factor. An unprepared reference reflects negatively on the supplier.

In a competitive marketplace, every opportunity that you have to demonstrate value to a prospect is critical. Leveraging the reference step of the process can give you just that little edge that pushes you over the top.
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Lee B. Salz is President of Sales Dodo, LLC and author of “Soar Despite Your Dodo Sales Manager.” He specializes in helping companies and their sales organizations adapt and thrive in the ever-changing world of business. Lee is available for keynote speaking, business consulting, and sales training. He can be reached via email at lsalz@salesdodo.com, his website at www.SalesDodo.com or by phone at 763.416.4321.

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com

The Four Cornerstones of Effective Sales Compensation By Greg Blysniuk

Effective sales compensation is critical to the success of any go-to-market strategy. Yet the design and management of sales compensation is rarely easy. After all, determining how people are paid is a sensitive matter which can become increasingly complicated when reconciling the disparate needs of key stakeholders in Sales, Finance, HR, and Marketing.

To better manage this complexity and to keep the discussions constructive, consider the four cornerstones of effective sales compensation.

#1 -- Alignment with Corporate Objectives

Sales compensation is an output of the business planning process. It is defined within the context of business strategy, and directly supports the achievement of corporate objectives. However, in order to best align compensation with strategy, care must be taken to distinguish between simply being “directionally consistent” with corporate objectives, and being in “lockstep”.

To illustrate, consider a sales compensation plan that supports an aggressive growth strategy. One option in these circumstances is to use a flat commission rate, as salespeople earn more if they sell more. A second option is a plan which pays higher commission rates for new customers than for repeat business, and which offers attractive bonuses for exceeding quota. While one could argue that both plans are aligned with a growth strategy, the second demonstrates this alignment to a much higher degree.

Good alignment means that each component of the sales compensation plan maps directly to a corporate objective and significantly increases the probability that it will be achieved.

#2 -- Not a Substitute for Sales Management

A well-designed sales compensation plan articulates corporate priorities for salespeople. It defines the context within which all decisions should be made, as well as the rewards for contributing to the achievement of corporate objectives.

As a result, there is a temptation to let sales compensation play a larger role in the day-to-day management of salespeople. Usually, this is in the form of rewards for good sales behaviour, such as booking appointments or passing leads, in place of actual sales results like revenue or margin.

While the judicious use of behavioural measures may be appropriate in some selling environments, relying significantly or solely on sales compensation to manage salespeople is risky at best. Sales compensation is a very compelling tool when the challenge is to focus personnel on specific goals. However, it is just that—a tool. It should never be considered as a substitute for sales management.

#3 -- Execution

Even the best plan design will fail if poorly executed. Good execution is achieved by first setting clear expectations and then delivering on them.

In order to set and maintain expectations, rely on comprehensive documentation that is written in layman’s terms and easily accessed. It should describe payment calculations, all related administrative policies and practices, and most importantly, the process for resolving payment errors.

To consistently deliver on these expectations, all related processes should be automated. With an abundance of feature-rich, reasonably-priced software solutions on the market, it is becoming increasingly difficult to defend the use of error-prone manual calculations or spreadsheet farms. Automation improves the overall integrity of the program and provides opportunities to re-deploy staff in value-add activities such as reporting and analysis.

Effective execution is good for sales productivity. It gives salespeople the confidence to fully engage in the selling process instead of wasting valuable time wandering through administrative back alleys.

#4 -- Active Management

Active management refers to the regular, ongoing analysis of a sales compensation program.

The program’s objectives, such as acquiring new customers or increasing the sale of higher-margin products, will dictate what reporting and analysis is undertaken. The focus should be on whether the plan designs are delivering the specific results that were intended.

Other analyses may include topics such as the correlation between pay and performance, the number and type of payment errors, the performance of new hires, the effectiveness of draw/guarantee programs, or a search for unintended seasonal or regional trends.

Active management of sales compensation provides a statistical, factual basis for evaluating the effectiveness of the program and for considering possible changes. Knowing whether, when, and how to implement a change will minimize contention and keep salespeople focused on overachieving.

Conclusion:

These cornerstones provide the foundation needed to build and maintain an effective sales compensation program. Use all four to position your sales team for success.
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Greg Blysniuk, founder of TopLine Sales Compensation Solutions, is dedicated to helping clients improve sales performance by harnessing the full potential of their sales compensation plans. With experience dating back to 1991, he offers deep insight into the operational and strategic issues that are integral to effective sales compensation. He can be reached at 877.883.5395 or greg@toplinesalescomp.com.

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