Today sales trainer Kelley Robertson gives us a great reminder - never stop learning!
The business world is constantly changing but many sales people don't keep pace with these changes. Instead, they continue to use tired tactics, outdated scripts, and ineffective approaches.
Consider these questions...
--When was the last time you attended a sales training workshop?
--What was the last sales book you read?
--How often do you implement a new technique, strategy or approach?
--What changes have you made in your sales approach in the last three month? Six months? Twelve?
--Are other sales people in your company achieving better results than you are? If so, what are they doing differently? What could you learn from them?
Several years ago I attended a conference and one of the breakout sessions focused on negotiating skills. I struck up a conversation with the guy beside me and learned that he was the chief negotiator for a prominent gravel company. When he told me that he had held that position for more than 15 years, I asked why he was attending this particular program.
"I can always learn something and even if the session only reinforces what I know, it will be worth it."
What a great perspective!
He truly epitomized the concept of being a lifelong learner and reminded me of the importance of keeping an open mind.
To succeed in today's challenging business climate and increase your sales, it is essential to maintain a student's mindset and constantly look for ways to refine your skill and update your knowledge.
As President of The Robertson Training Group, Kelley has helped thousands of professionals improve their business results with his engaging approach to sales training and speaking. Learn more at www.robertsontraininggroup.com
Showing posts with label business strategy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business strategy. Show all posts
Friday, September 9, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
SalesDog Quick Tip
Think differently.
Not every group of prospects is going to be interested in the same things. Learn to differentiate between the companies and contacts on your list, so that you can grab their attention in your cold calls and lead generation activities.
Today's quick tip comes from Kendra Lee, a top IT Seller, Prospect Attraction Expert and author of the award winning book "Selling Against the Goal" and president of KLA Group. Ms. Lee is a frequent speaker at national sales meetings and association events. To find out more about the author, read her latest articles, or to subscribe to her newsletter visit www.klagroup.com or call +1 303.741.6636
Not every group of prospects is going to be interested in the same things. Learn to differentiate between the companies and contacts on your list, so that you can grab their attention in your cold calls and lead generation activities.
Today's quick tip comes from Kendra Lee, a top IT Seller, Prospect Attraction Expert and author of the award winning book "Selling Against the Goal" and president of KLA Group. Ms. Lee is a frequent speaker at national sales meetings and association events. To find out more about the author, read her latest articles, or to subscribe to her newsletter visit www.klagroup.com or call +1 303.741.6636
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Where Does the Time Go?
Today sales trainer Tom Reilly shares how a return to some old-fashioned selling may just be your best bet.
Salespeople spend most of their time on non-revenue producing activities. Really?
A recent study found that salespeople spend more than 70% of their time doing things other than selling. Our research found that salespeople spend, at most, 30% of their time in face-to-face selling. The rest of the time is spent handling administrative tasks, making collections calls, resolving logistics issues, attending meetings, and filling out reports.
How can we call these folks “salespeople” anymore when less than half of their time is spent selling? Maybe we should call them "support account administrators who occasionally sell." Who is at fault--salespeople or management? Finger pointing does not really accomplish much other than scapegoating the blame.
It confounds me when salespeople tell me that they cannot make more face-to-face calls. Why not? Do buyers perceive little value in the meeting? Do managers require salespeople to yield to administrative distractions? Is traffic that bad?
I grew up in a sales culture where we were required to make eight face-to-face sales calls per day. If we were in the office between 8 AM and 5 PM, our bosses assumed we were goofing off, and we probably were. Sales managers scrutinized our phone credit card statements to make sure we did not spend the day doing phone work versus face-to-face selling. We did paperwork at night or on Saturday morning. If it sounds a bit Draconian, it was not. We were salespeople after all, not office people. I learned a work ethic that helped me start and run two successful businesses, and I am eternally grateful for the lesson. Maybe it is time for some old-school selling rules again.
Tom Reilly is the president of Tom Reilly Training. He is an authority on value-added selling, and speaks to thousands of salespeople and managers annually on increasing their value to their company and customers.
Salespeople spend most of their time on non-revenue producing activities. Really?
A recent study found that salespeople spend more than 70% of their time doing things other than selling. Our research found that salespeople spend, at most, 30% of their time in face-to-face selling. The rest of the time is spent handling administrative tasks, making collections calls, resolving logistics issues, attending meetings, and filling out reports.
How can we call these folks “salespeople” anymore when less than half of their time is spent selling? Maybe we should call them "support account administrators who occasionally sell." Who is at fault--salespeople or management? Finger pointing does not really accomplish much other than scapegoating the blame.
It confounds me when salespeople tell me that they cannot make more face-to-face calls. Why not? Do buyers perceive little value in the meeting? Do managers require salespeople to yield to administrative distractions? Is traffic that bad?
I grew up in a sales culture where we were required to make eight face-to-face sales calls per day. If we were in the office between 8 AM and 5 PM, our bosses assumed we were goofing off, and we probably were. Sales managers scrutinized our phone credit card statements to make sure we did not spend the day doing phone work versus face-to-face selling. We did paperwork at night or on Saturday morning. If it sounds a bit Draconian, it was not. We were salespeople after all, not office people. I learned a work ethic that helped me start and run two successful businesses, and I am eternally grateful for the lesson. Maybe it is time for some old-school selling rules again.
Tom Reilly is the president of Tom Reilly Training. He is an authority on value-added selling, and speaks to thousands of salespeople and managers annually on increasing their value to their company and customers.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Quote of the Week
"Someone might have a germ of talent, but 90% of it is discipline and how you practice it, what you do with it. Instinct won't carry you through the entire journey. It's what you do in the moments between inspiration." -- Cate Blanchett, actress
Time in sales means money. Make the most of yours by practicing, practicing, practicing.
Time in sales means money. Make the most of yours by practicing, practicing, practicing.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Lost in Translation
Today's article comes from sales trainer Kelley Robertson. Enjoy!
Too often sales people use jargon, technical terms, acronyms, and other language that sounds foreign to their prospect or customer.
When I worked in consumer electronics, sales people constantly referred to product numbers when talking to customers. Because they worked with the products every day, they were familiar with the SKU numbers but their customers were not.
When you deliver a sales presentation (formal or informal) it is critical that you ensure that your presentation doesn't get lost in translation. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing the other person's attention, or worse, alienating them.
Before every sales call or meeting you need to consider the person(s) you're speaking with, their level of knowledge and expertise, and their position. Then you need to adapt your approach accordingly.
Unfortunately, most people don't think about the presentation from their prospect's perspective. They forget that the other person may not understand the terminology. They don't realize that their prospect may not be familiar with common acronyms or other jargon.
Take the time to simplify your approach before every sales call, appointment or meeting. Eliminate jargon, acronyms and other language that may sound foreign to the other person.
Make it easy for your customer or prospect to understand you and your presentation won't get lost in translation.
As President of The Robertson Training Group, Kelley has helped thousands of professionals improve their business results with his engaging approach to sales training and speaking. Learn more at www.robertsontraininggroup.com
Too often sales people use jargon, technical terms, acronyms, and other language that sounds foreign to their prospect or customer.
When I worked in consumer electronics, sales people constantly referred to product numbers when talking to customers. Because they worked with the products every day, they were familiar with the SKU numbers but their customers were not.
When you deliver a sales presentation (formal or informal) it is critical that you ensure that your presentation doesn't get lost in translation. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing the other person's attention, or worse, alienating them.
Before every sales call or meeting you need to consider the person(s) you're speaking with, their level of knowledge and expertise, and their position. Then you need to adapt your approach accordingly.
Unfortunately, most people don't think about the presentation from their prospect's perspective. They forget that the other person may not understand the terminology. They don't realize that their prospect may not be familiar with common acronyms or other jargon.
Take the time to simplify your approach before every sales call, appointment or meeting. Eliminate jargon, acronyms and other language that may sound foreign to the other person.
Make it easy for your customer or prospect to understand you and your presentation won't get lost in translation.
As President of The Robertson Training Group, Kelley has helped thousands of professionals improve their business results with his engaging approach to sales training and speaking. Learn more at www.robertsontraininggroup.com
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
SalesDog Quick Tip
Find the real value.
If your company offers a lot of different products, think carefully about where their real value lies. What end result are your customers really buying from you? That's the best place to begin your prospecting and lead generation messages.
Today's quick tip comes from Kendra Lee. Kendra Lee is a Prospect Attraction Specialist and president of KLA Group. Specializing in the IT industry, KLA Group helps companies rapidly penetrate new markets, break into new accounts and shorten time to revenue with new products in the SMB segment.
If your company offers a lot of different products, think carefully about where their real value lies. What end result are your customers really buying from you? That's the best place to begin your prospecting and lead generation messages.
Today's quick tip comes from Kendra Lee. Kendra Lee is a Prospect Attraction Specialist and president of KLA Group. Specializing in the IT industry, KLA Group helps companies rapidly penetrate new markets, break into new accounts and shorten time to revenue with new products in the SMB segment.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Irritating Listening Habits
Today's article from sales trainer Tom Reilly describes the kinds of listeners we don't like to be around - people who don't actually listen, but are constantly thinking about themselves. Read about these types, and then make sure you're not one of them!
Top-achieving salespeople spend 60% of their time listening on a sales call. Listening is a core competency for salespeople, yet too few companies and managers emphasize its importance to success. Schools rarely teach it. Training budgets generally ignore it because it is a soft skill. Most people assume that if you have two ears you know how to listen. Wrong. Here are some of the irritating listening habits I have noticed in training salespeople:
Competitor —this person is a master of one-upping the other person. The competitive listener typically says, “You think that’s something, let me tell you about something I did.”
Anticipator —this person spends most of his or her listening time thinking about what they will say next.
Rusher —this person is always giving the other person the bum’s rush. The attitude is, “Hurry up and finish, I have something to sell you.”
Distracted —this person is a walking billboard for attention deficit disorder. Every little distraction catches his or her attention. Their being distracted distracts the speaker.
Disinterested —this person cannot even feign being interested. They find the conversation dull and make no pretense to be interested.
Multi-tasker —this person thinks they can effectively communicate with others as they check text messages and emails. This is the phone conversation when you can hear the keyboard in the background. This is just plain rude.
Effective listening requires the listener to put his or her focus on the other person, not themselves. Too many people fail to subordinate their interests in an effort to understand the other person. You can only fully understand what someone is saying (and feeling) when the conversation is more about them than you. This is good listening. This is good selling.
Tom Reilly is the president of Tom Reilly Training. He is an authority on value-added selling, and speaks to thousands of salespeople and managers annually on increasing their value to their company and customers.
Top-achieving salespeople spend 60% of their time listening on a sales call. Listening is a core competency for salespeople, yet too few companies and managers emphasize its importance to success. Schools rarely teach it. Training budgets generally ignore it because it is a soft skill. Most people assume that if you have two ears you know how to listen. Wrong. Here are some of the irritating listening habits I have noticed in training salespeople:
Competitor —this person is a master of one-upping the other person. The competitive listener typically says, “You think that’s something, let me tell you about something I did.”
Anticipator —this person spends most of his or her listening time thinking about what they will say next.
Rusher —this person is always giving the other person the bum’s rush. The attitude is, “Hurry up and finish, I have something to sell you.”
Distracted —this person is a walking billboard for attention deficit disorder. Every little distraction catches his or her attention. Their being distracted distracts the speaker.
Disinterested —this person cannot even feign being interested. They find the conversation dull and make no pretense to be interested.
Multi-tasker —this person thinks they can effectively communicate with others as they check text messages and emails. This is the phone conversation when you can hear the keyboard in the background. This is just plain rude.
Effective listening requires the listener to put his or her focus on the other person, not themselves. Too many people fail to subordinate their interests in an effort to understand the other person. You can only fully understand what someone is saying (and feeling) when the conversation is more about them than you. This is good listening. This is good selling.
Tom Reilly is the president of Tom Reilly Training. He is an authority on value-added selling, and speaks to thousands of salespeople and managers annually on increasing their value to their company and customers.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Quote of the Week
"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." -- Will Rogers, humorist
It's really easy to dwell on the past. We've all done it - after a particularly difficult day, we all sit there thinking about what we should have said or should have done. Here's the thing - while you're thinking about that, you could be making sales today!
Each day is a clean start, so make the most of it! Put yesterday behind you and focus all your energy on what you can control today.
It's really easy to dwell on the past. We've all done it - after a particularly difficult day, we all sit there thinking about what we should have said or should have done. Here's the thing - while you're thinking about that, you could be making sales today!
Each day is a clean start, so make the most of it! Put yesterday behind you and focus all your energy on what you can control today.
Friday, August 26, 2011
"Free" Does Not Have Value
Happy Friday! Today we have a great post from sales trainer Mark Hunter. It will definitely give you something to think about over the weekend!
If something is free — or worse, available in unlimited quantities — how could it have any real value?
My problem with “free” is it’s what far too many salespeople and marketing teams are using as a way to try to create loyal customers. Ask yourself, “How loyal are you going to be to something that’s free?”
Yes, offering something for free can be part of a strategy to create awareness or to reward loyalty, etc. Unfortunately, “free” is being thrown around way too much, and as a result, it winds up becoming something people expect. Now we have a real problem — not only does “free” have little value, but it’s what people expect.
What makes free even worse is many times it’s used as part of a strategy to get somebody to buy something that would be considered high-price. This only winds up creating an even bigger problem, as the contrast between “free” and the high-priced item is too much for the customer to understand.
My other problem with “free” is it attracts customers and potential customers who can’t afford to stick with you when you attempt to move them to full-price. What results is a pattern of continued discounts all in the name of trying not to lose a customer. Ironic, isn’t it?
Yes, “free” has a place. You’re reading this blog for free. In fact, you might say my website www.TheSalesHunter.com is nothing but free stuff, and you’re right. Before you call me a hypocrite, let me explain.
I use “free” as a way to create awareness and to build traffic on my website. This is similar to the way another company may do direct mailings of a product sample or a salesperson might host a “lunch and learn” session with clients.
The goal of using “free” is to know how you’re going to use it in your overall sales strategy.
Before you offer anything for free, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
1. What is the goal of what I’m trying to offer?
2. How will I measure the results?
3. What is the process I’m going to use for moving prospects from “free” to “fee”?
4. How firm is my pricing plan to make sure I have a profitability plan that works?
5. Will I be offering “free” to everyone? If I don’t, how might it impact those who don’t get it for free?
Keep in mind as you develop your “free” strategy that your banker and your accountant don’t accept “free.” Offering something for free might make you feel good, but until you monetize the “free” you haven’t put any food on your table.
Finally, don’t think you can copy the strategy used by some software companies in becoming successful because of giving away millions of copies of something. For each software company that made that strategy successful there are at least a dozen or more that failed. I like to tell people if you want to try that strategy, then let me give you another one you can copy even faster.
Each month there’s at least one or two people who buy a lottery ticket somewhere that is worth a million dollars or more. Since that worked for them, then why not go do it yourself and let me know how that strategy turns out for you.
“Free” is over-rated and over-used!
Now, let’s all get back to work selling real value!
Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com
If something is free — or worse, available in unlimited quantities — how could it have any real value?
My problem with “free” is it’s what far too many salespeople and marketing teams are using as a way to try to create loyal customers. Ask yourself, “How loyal are you going to be to something that’s free?”
Yes, offering something for free can be part of a strategy to create awareness or to reward loyalty, etc. Unfortunately, “free” is being thrown around way too much, and as a result, it winds up becoming something people expect. Now we have a real problem — not only does “free” have little value, but it’s what people expect.
What makes free even worse is many times it’s used as part of a strategy to get somebody to buy something that would be considered high-price. This only winds up creating an even bigger problem, as the contrast between “free” and the high-priced item is too much for the customer to understand.
My other problem with “free” is it attracts customers and potential customers who can’t afford to stick with you when you attempt to move them to full-price. What results is a pattern of continued discounts all in the name of trying not to lose a customer. Ironic, isn’t it?
Yes, “free” has a place. You’re reading this blog for free. In fact, you might say my website www.TheSalesHunter.com is nothing but free stuff, and you’re right. Before you call me a hypocrite, let me explain.
I use “free” as a way to create awareness and to build traffic on my website. This is similar to the way another company may do direct mailings of a product sample or a salesperson might host a “lunch and learn” session with clients.
The goal of using “free” is to know how you’re going to use it in your overall sales strategy.
Before you offer anything for free, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
1. What is the goal of what I’m trying to offer?
2. How will I measure the results?
3. What is the process I’m going to use for moving prospects from “free” to “fee”?
4. How firm is my pricing plan to make sure I have a profitability plan that works?
5. Will I be offering “free” to everyone? If I don’t, how might it impact those who don’t get it for free?
Keep in mind as you develop your “free” strategy that your banker and your accountant don’t accept “free.” Offering something for free might make you feel good, but until you monetize the “free” you haven’t put any food on your table.
Finally, don’t think you can copy the strategy used by some software companies in becoming successful because of giving away millions of copies of something. For each software company that made that strategy successful there are at least a dozen or more that failed. I like to tell people if you want to try that strategy, then let me give you another one you can copy even faster.
Each month there’s at least one or two people who buy a lottery ticket somewhere that is worth a million dollars or more. Since that worked for them, then why not go do it yourself and let me know how that strategy turns out for you.
“Free” is over-rated and over-used!
Now, let’s all get back to work selling real value!
Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com
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