Posts Tagged ‘Sales’
Wednesday, December 29th, 2010
2011 is fast approaching and many sales organizations have already strategized their sales goals and objectives for the New Year. Some organizations may be finalizing their 2011 projections as we speak. No matter where your company is in the forecasting process it is critical to have established and clearly defined sales goals. Sales is all about being focused on generating the right activity that will effectively fill your funnel, and therefore net the results your organization requires.
In addition to defined goals there are several other criteria that foster success in sales:
- Sell with questions not answers – Potential customers for your product or service really don’t care what you have to say. Your sales pitch or sales script is really the last thing they want to hear. What potential customers really want are their questions answered. Their questions are indicative of what is really important to them. When you understand what is important to them, you create or uncover their personal buying motive. Spend more time asking questions about what they want or need. Use your product or service knowledge to answer their questions concisely while moving directly into the next question. Remember that it is really about them … not about your knowledge. Help a potential customer make a buying decision through the questions you have asked rather than trying to sell by guessing at which features and benefits you think may be important to them.
- People buy based on emotions – Another powerful reason to sell with questions is because it helps you uncover personal buying motives. Buying motives are typically emotional as rarely do people make buying decisions based on logic. Someone could decide to buy a car but they purchase a Volvo specifically for the safety of their family. Safety is an emotional reason. Most men and women resist the need to go to a new barber or hair stylist. Getting your hair trimmed or styled is a very practical exercise. However for many people the resistance to change is based on the fact that, “no one can do my hair exactly the way Joanne does it.” That response represents a personal and emotional attachment.
- Build relationships not orders – Success in sales is about relationships. Orders are nice but the benefit is short term at best. Creating relationships built around a management philosophy of creating loyal customers means you get to take orders from that customer for life because they keep coming back. And, they keep coming back because of the relationship they have with you and your company. If you promote the sales philosophy of taking orders you are promoting the idea of shopping around, looking for the better price, or the biggest discount. Promoting loyalty mean your customer all ready knows the service or product is great and they truly appreciate the way they are treated and served as a customers. A strong relationship is critical to the long-term success of sales organization.
- Think – Sales is a profession that can never be mastered. There is always something to learn, a new technique to be mastered, and a more thorough way to understand the emotional buying motives of your potential client. Therefore you must always be thinking, learning, and honing your skills. If you truly believe that you have mastered your sales profession then I am here to tell you, you are your biggest obstacle to your sales success. Personal growth and development as a sales professional is key to generating the income you desire.
- Spend your time wisely – Time is money, so allocate your time as if your were actually allocating real dollar bills. Money truly is what you are throwing away every time you don’t manage your time wisely.
2011 is going to be a great year because it is time we take control of our success and economic destiny. Success in sales is exciting but requires dedication and work. How can you take some of the tips above and apply them to your success in sales? Start today—2011 is right around the corner.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses accelerate results through sales development and sales coaching. For information go to www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: 2011, Customer Loyalty, obstacle, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, Sales, sales goals, Success, Time
Posted in Goal Planning, Sales | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010
The very word “success” conjures up different images and different feelings for different people and rightfully so. It is a highly personal concept. Success for one person is very different than success for someone else. Any study examining successful salespeople will conclude that they come from different backgrounds, have various levels of education. However, those same studies show that there are some qualities that successful salespeople have in common. One of those qualities is their need to achieve excellence.
Successful salespeople have high expectations of themselves and they set high goals. Goals help you to identify what is important to you. They help establish priorities and balance. Goals provide you with a process to most effectively plan the realization of your life’s dreams. They enhance achievement, add meaning to life, and often provide much needed reminders about things you should be doing. Another success quality is positive self-image. Though you may be unaware of it, you possess a mental picture of yourself. Further, you think and perform exactly like the type of person you visualize yourself to be. A positive self-image, a positive picture of you, is a critical and necessary ingredient to success in sales.
If your image of yourself is positive, skilled, knowledgeable, and able to communicate in terms that make people want to do business with you, then chances are good that your behaviors will be consistent with success. If you doubt your ability or lack confidence, then chances are that your behavior will create doubt in the minds of potential customers. If you want to improve your level of success, begin by improving the way you think. Simply put: to have you must become. You cannot perform consistently when you have a conflict with your basic self-image.
Knowledge will also be an important cornerstone of your success. You will want to be able to position your product or service for maximum competitive advantage. You must be informed and knowledgeable in numerous areas: product knowledge, general knowledge, industry knowledge, competition, skills knowledge, and self-knowledge.
Another quality of successful salespeople is their exceptional ability to communicate. Effective sales interactions focus on the customer’s needs. Sales are made because the customer clearly understands how his or her needs are going to be met. Your ability to understand what the customer’s needs are and how and why they feel the way they do, will enable you to tailor your process to your customer. The ability to ask the right questions is also very important. Listening skills are critical. Knowing when and how to respond to the questions and needs of each customer will directly affect your success. Your ability to understand and apply the basic principles of effective communication will directly influence your sales performance.
Preparation and attention to detail can also help you to achieve higher levels of success in today’s competitive environment. Proper planning prevents poor performance. Be proactive rather than reactive. Most people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan. If you want to maximize your efforts, develop a strategy for every sales call. Thorough and precise planning makes prospects feel like they are dealing with a professional. Generally, successful salespeople have many more failures than unsuccessful salespeople. The difference is that successful salespeople refuse to give up. They keep trying. They know why they are good and they are committed to getting better!
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in business and management consulting, strategic planning, leadership development, executive coaching, and youth leadership. For more information visit http://www.resourceassociatescorp.com/ or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: communication, planning, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, Sales, self-image, Success
Posted in Sales | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
Change in recent years has created far-reaching implications for anyone in the sales field. Globalization, technology, universal access to information, and the recent economy have changed everything. If you want to succeed in this turbulent arena, you will have to be more knowledgeable, more responsive, and easier to do business with than ever before.
You will have to do some of the things you already do, but you’ll have to do them better. You’ll have to do some things differently. You may even have to learn some new skills and techniques. Whether you are selling a product or service; whether you represent a well-known, established company or a brand new start-up; one fact remains clear: it is unlikely that you will maintain a competitive advantage unless you continue to improve your ability to attract and keep customers. Chances are if you continue doing things the way you have always done them, you will lose market share instead of gaining it. You are the catalyst for improving your results. Your success and the success of your company depend upon your ability to reinvent yourself and your processes and apply them for improved results.
The key to everything is action. All the knowledge in the world is of little value unless it is put to use. Knowledge is not power, applied knowledge is power. Excelling in a sales profession means never accepting less than the best … from life and from you. Excellence is not a position. Excellence in sales means being the best you can be. It’s a continuous process of stretching yourself, your abilities and your skills. You are the critical factor in reaching higher levels of success. The road to success is always under construction. There are always improvements to be made.
In today’s competitive environment, sales represent the critical cog in the success of any operation: revenue generation. Sales is the lubricant for the wheels of all business. It is the link between the production of all products and services and the consumption of all products and services. All business is sales driven.
Whether you call customers “accounts, clients, patients or members,” in sales terms they are customers. Regardless of what your organizational term is, you need them to keep you in business. In the book, Thriving on Chaos, Tom Peters suggests that professional salespeople are at the heart of business and that for a business to survive and succeed, extensive development of salespeople is essential.
A top IBM sales executive once said it very simply, “If they don’t buy you, they sure aren’t going to buy whatever else you’re selling.” There is a great deal of wisdom expressed in that opinion. Truly successful salespeople are never satisfied. They are constantly striving to improve their prospecting skills, their presentation and their customer base. Success belongs to those who refuse to be satisfied with the status quo. “I am doing okay,” may well be the four most dangerous words in a salesperson’s vocabulary. Satisfaction with the status quo is one of the greatest deterrents to achieving success. Preparation for success begins with your commitment to learning what you need to learn and doing what you need to do.
You are the cornerstone of your success. Innovative ideas and finely developed skills are required to realize that success. You must continuously strive to develop skills that are effective in today’s complex environment. Focus on improvement and excellence. Satisfaction with the status quo has no place in the world of sales today. Remember, it is better to dare mighty deeds than to live a life of quiet desperation and wonder what might have been.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses accelerate results through sales development and sales coaching. For information go to www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: applied knowledge, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, Sales, status quo, Success, thriving on chaos, Tom Peters
Posted in Sales | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
By the time you read this post, the snowstorm of Feb 10, 2010 that dumped 18-24 inches over much of Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania will be old news. However, the circumstances surrounding that day make for a great case study in productive behavior and how often actions speak louder than words.
Case Study: A mid-sized manufacturing firm whose sales team is struggling to meet forecasted sales objectives.
The day before the pending storm there was quite the commotion in the sales department about what the next day would bring, how much snow were they really going to get, will the roads be okay to get to the office, will we have the most difficulty getting home, and what are we going to do? The sales manager took the bull by the horns and made an executive decision and told the team the following. “Because we seem to be in for a huge storm and driving to and from the office will be a safety issue here is what we are going to do. Everyone will have the choice to work remotely from home tomorrow. Please feel free to take everything with you in order to make your calls from home. The team was given a measurable outcome that needed to be accomplished to consider the day productive. If a member of the team choose not to take their work home or did not meet his/her productivity number, then he/she would have to use a personal day. Let’s not waste time worrying about what tomorrow will bring. We can’t control the weather and we now have a plan in place. Let’s make the rest of today productive.”
The storm hits and for 24 hours they were blasted with unyielding snow. Worst storm since January 1996 the endless news reported. By mid-afternoon the major area highways and turnpikes were closed down to all traffic. The digging process was long and arduous for most.
How did the sales team fare, and what do their behaviors tell you?
- One salesperson actually braved the elements and made it to the office. That individual had a very productive day and met all of the objectives needed prior to trudging back home.
- Three sales people properly prepared and took all of their appropriate work home in an effort to work remotely the day of the snowstorm. Two out of the three folks could not make it to the office the day after the storm because they were still snow bound. However, they continued to work from home and focused on what they needed to accomplish.
- Two sales people decided not to take their work home making the decision to use a personal day. One remained snow bound for a second day and the other made it to the office.
With lagging departmental results and a sales team that says they are motivated by financial gain you might imagine the sales manager is dealing with a high level of frustration. What do the choices, actions, and behaviors of this sales team tell you?
There has been a great deal of research on the process of communication. Communication is much more than just the exchange of information. I believe communication is more deeply about what we are “saying” when there are no words coming out of our mouth. Albert Mehrabian, a researcher of body language in the 1950’s, found that the total impact of a message is about 7 percent verbal, 38 percent vocal, and 55 percent nonverbal. According to Mehrabian, our behaviors and body language make up over one-half of the message we are communicating.
Anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell’s conducted an original study of nonverbal communication. Birdwhistell made some similar estimates of the amount of nonverbal communication that takes place between people. Like Mehrabian, he found that the verbal component of a face-to-face conversation is less than 35 percent and that over 65 percent of communication is done nonverbally. Barbara and Allan Pease of Pease International analyzed thousands of recorded sales interviews and negotiations during the 1970’s and 1980’s showed that in business encounters, body language accounts for between 60 and 80 percent of the impact made around a negotiating table and that people form 60 to 80 percent of their initial opinion about a new person in less than four minutes. Mehrabian’s, Birdwhistell’s, and Pease’s research goes a long way to confirm that our choices of body language, behaviors, and actions send the real message about what an individual values or finds to be important.
Here is a quick and easy test. The next time you are in a meeting of your peers, sit back and observe. You will begin to clearly see the physical messages people are communicating by watching facial expressions, posture, and other body language queues. This simple exercise will confirm that there is no doubt—actions speak and sometimes scream much louder than words. Similar to the sales team described above, actions are a key indicator of focus. Now let’s make it personal to you. Have you taken a good look at your nonverbal body language and messages you are sending? Are you communicating the message you want sent when you are not saying a word?
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in business and management consulting, strategic planning, leadership development, executive coaching, and youth leadership. For more information visit http://www.resourceassociatescorp.com/ or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: Actions, Birdwhistell, Body Language, communication, Manager, Mehrabian, Nonverbal, Pease, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, Sales, Verbal
Posted in Workforce | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
One of the best ways to increase your sales efforts is to develop centers of influence.
Typically centers of influence are individuals who have influence in the community or in a specific industry and have agreed to help you make referral connections. An effective center of influence, should have influence in your defined or targeted market. Centers of influence could be a satisfied customer, a community or business leader, a former business associate, or someone who really understands what you do and believes in you! It is our experience that centers of influence refer the best potential clients. Why? Because there is already an established connection or relationship between the center of influence and the referred client. That existing relationship is based on trust and past success.
There are many ways to cultivate a center of influence. Here are three ideas we have found to be effective.
- Clearly communicate the details. Help your center of influence clearly understand what you and your company does and the value you can bring to a client. Also let the center of influence know specifically how they can assist you—who you want to meet and why. Remember, they are putting their reputation on the line so be clear and specific.
- Always show your appreciation. Saying thank you and showing appreciation goes a long way toward additional opportunities coming your way. A hand written thank you note, giving a small gift such as a topic specific book, or buying your center of influence a meal are but a few of the simple ways you can show your appreciation. Everyone likes their efforts recognized and appreciated.
- Always provide feedback. Your center of influence is not just interested in providing you with referrals. He/she will also be interested in the outcome of the referred connection for two reasons. First, the center of influence will be interested to know if the connection provided value for both parties—was it a positive and productive interactions. Second, a good center of influence will be interested in the outcome so they can measure whether they understand enough about what you and your company does to make sure they are making the right referrals. Everyone wants to provide value, and your center of influence is no different.
Building and managing your sales funnel, no matter what industry, in an ongoing process. Whatever other marketing techniques you are currently implementing, Look at developing relationships with the right center of influence. This one relationship can be a powerful and productive source of business!
Tags: center of influence, referrals, relationships, Sales, trust, winning
Posted in Sales | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
Before a people consider buying anything, they must first have a want or need. Their desire can be at a conscious or subconscious level, but it needs to exist in order to motivate any buying decision.
People are motivated to buy in order to gain a benefit, to avoid a loss, or to solve a problem. People buy to gain money, save money, or avoid the loss of money. They will buy to prolong life or to improve the quality of life. The need for approval or the desire to be recognized are also strong motivators. Personal needs and wants fall into all kinds of categories with varying degrees of desire and urgency. We see buying decisions all around us every day.
You immediately replace your hot water heater because you need hot water. Even though a Saturn will accomplish similar results you always wanted that Mercedes E350. When you purchase a laptop you configure the new equipment based on the functionality of your needs and the functionality you want.
Understanding your buyer is one of the most important steps in successful sales. Why do your customers buy your product or service? What about your service or product does your customer need and want? Value is an issue in virtually every buying decision. Every potential customer will be considering the value or benefit relative to the price he/she will be paying. Remember, customers buy benefits and outcomes. Keep in mind that the most important key to answering this question is being able to get your potential customers to share their needs or wants. Only after those are identified can you begin to communicate and show value.
When mastered, the two skills that will help you uncover your customers’ needs or wants are listening and asking the next “right questions.” Listening is a skill most people believe they have mastered. However; if we are honest with ourselves, it is a skill that should be continually honed. Good listening skills mean that you are engaged with your customer, and they are your entire focus at that moment. Proper listening builds trust, and when trust is established your potential customers are much more likely to share their needs and wants in detail.
Asking the next “right” question is an art form. However, if you are listening properly and engaged you will know what the next “right” question should be for that customer in order to help him/her make a good buying decision with you. Listening and asking the next “right” question is like having a conversation with your best friend. The dialog is comfortable, your friend can sense on every level that you are interested, and you are present. And since you are present, you know exactly what to say or what to ask next. Make your potential customer your friend. Treat him/her like your best friend and watch your sales goals move to new heights.
Helping someone make the proper buying decision with you is not difficult. Focus on each customer’s individual needs and wants, link those needs and wants to the value of your product or service through listening and questioning. Before you know it, your sales will increase expontentially.
Tags: buying decision, communicate, listening, Mercedes, needs, Sales, Saturn, value, wants
Posted in Sales | 1 Comment »
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