How Influential is Your Sales Team?

We worked recently with a large sales organization challenged with implementing across-the-board changes. And, as change is something we can all relate to, we got to thinking about the factors – and the people – that influence change. This week, we’d like to discuss the value in exploring (read: not underestimating) the influence that sales reps can have within an organization – both inside and outside the actual sales department.

As a sales manager or really any leader within an organization, you tend to get so focused on the performance of your sales department, you may neglect other functions or abilities of your sales team. The skills required to be an effective sales professional – whether inherent or learned – translate extremely well to other areas. Remember, in most cases, sales reps are influential by nature…so, how else could you be harnessing and utilizing the power of that influence?

Catalysts for Change

Consider the sphere of influence of your team of sales professionals. These individuals have both inward and outward influence. Inwardly, they constantly communicate with one another, whether to share sales tactics and experiences, or simply to vent. They also often have reason to communicate with other departments. Outwardly, the sales team has the ear of your customers on at least a somewhat regular basis.

So, what does that mean to you?

Consider this: the next time you need to implement a new internal process, take a step beyond simply sending that company or department memo – use the influential manpower of your sales team to expedite these cultural shifts within your organization. Likewise, when there is a change in your system that needs to be communicated to customers, don’t just sent a generic email – utilize the rapport of your sales team to spread the word on a personal level.

Tenured Sales Reps vs. Green Sales Reps

To take this concept a level deeper, consider the relationships that exist within your sales team. There is likely an element of peer-to-peer coaching that already occurs between your more tenured sales reps and the “new” people. This dynamic often occurs naturally, and it can be very beneficial for your sales team. Think back to who influenced you when you started out in sales…how much did those relationships help guide you?

Now, as a manager, use peer-to-peer coaching to your advantage! Enlist your tenured reps to help infiltrate and reinforce behaviors or activities to the other sales reps. They already have the relationships and it helps to make your job easier. As an added bonus, it shows recognition and trust to your tenured team members. And that kind of positive influence is always appreciated.

Do you have an experience where you have either been influenced or influenced someone in your organization? Please feel free to share!

Top 5 Sales Coaching Tips

As we continue to get requests from sales managers looking for ways to improve their sales coaching skills…we’ll continue to explore the topic. Even though this is an area we could go on and on about, we’ll keep this post to just five concise – yet insightful – sales coaching tips.

1. Focus on Behavior, Not Personality

This is an important point for new and seasoned sales managers alike to keep in mind. A personality type is not an indication of sales performance. For example, a sales rep who never seems serious and jokes with everyone in the office might have numbers through the roof. As a manager, you may need to repress the urge to “coach” to personality traits that do not affect performance.

When you focus on specific behaviors e.g., “Maybe you came off a little bit abrasive on that last call; let’s talk about how you could have phrased it differently ” vs. general personality traits e.g., “You should learn to lighten up; I’d like you for you to work on that” you create a less defensive environment. The goal is not attack a rep’s personality but rather to speak to and coach them through their behavioral weaknesses.

2. Spend Time with the Middle 60 Percent

Research continues to prove that a sales manager’s time is most effectively spent on the core 60 percent of their sales team. Why? Top performers don’t need as much of your attention – they are meeting or surpassing quotas – all they need is positive reinforcement. And your lesser performers, they have a lot more ground to make up and it could be a long time before you see results.

The middle 60 percent of performers is where you will have the greatest impact and where your energy and efforts will have the greatest return. Imagine what even a 5-10 percent performance increase from each of these reps could mean for your overall numbers.

3. Prepare Yourself with Proof Points

Before any coaching session takes place it is critical that you take the time to plan and thoroughly prepare. You should be armed with measurable data and discussion points to validate your coaching. This means listening to recorded calls, reviewing key metrics from reports, and assessing leading and lagging indicators. If possible, make arrangement to observe your rep in action prior to your session.

The better prepared you are with definitive proof points, the higher quality your session will be – and the more your sales rep will glean. Quality sessions lead to productive interactions which have a better chance of leading to real, measureable improvement.

4. Always End with Clear Action Steps

A good coaching session is only as effective and productive as its next steps are clearly defined. In other words, what do we do and where do we go from here? And not in a general sense e.g., “I’d like for you to work on a different way to open your calls.” Give extremely detailed direction e.g., I’d like for you to open your calls with the value statement we discussed and I’d like for you try it eight times in the next week.” Eliminate any gray area as to what you expect of your sales rep.

Further, before you end the session, make sure you have their buy-in on the plan. Confirm the expectations you have of the sales rep and ask them if they agree that the plan you have laid out is both realistic and attainable. If clear action steps are not defined and agreed upon by both parties, even the most effective coaching session will have gone to waste.

5. Don’t Forget to Follow Up

This is where many sales managers “fall off the wagon.” They planned for the coaching session, they gave great feedback and even defined clear action steps, but then…nothing. The follow-up is where a manager actually measures the effectiveness of their efforts. As busy as we all know you are, follow-up is something you must make time for – a plan without follow-through is incomplete.

And consider this, what kind of message are you sending to your reps when you blow off your follow-up meeting? Your disregard for the plan will send the message that it’s not important to you and therefore won’t be taken seriously by your sales team.

Cross-Selling & Up-Selling: Do Customers a Favor

Concern surrounding cross-selling and up-selling arises quite often. It appears that many sales professionals hesitate when it comes to employing these two practices. When we asked from where the hesitation stems, it seems many of you neglect to attempt up-selling or cross-selling for fear of losing the sale altogether. Salespeople are hyper-aware of negative perceptions and don’t want to risk losing rapport and credibility with a customer by sounding overly “salesy.”

We get this. What we would like for you to realize though, is that during the selling/buying process, at some point we become more than just salespeople to our customers—we are consultants and advisors—and up-selling is adding more value to the solution we are providing which is something that most customers would appreciate.

The Art of Up-selling & Cross-selling

It can be as simple as the last time you ordered pizza. The order-taker casually asked if you want wings with the pizza—why not—and extra ranch—sure—how about a 2-liter of soda to wash it down? In this case the up-sold products cost nearly as much as the original pizza. But even if you had opted not to buy the additional items, were you so annoyed that you revoked the original pizza order? Probably not.

And cross-selling? Perhaps no one does it better than the online travel industry. Their classic cross-selling technique entices you to purchase flights, hotel rooms, rental cars, and even entertainment tickets as a package that many customers see as a convenience. Another example is the online bookseller’s technique – first they up-sell by telling you what other titles you may be interested in, and then cross-sell by showing you items other customers purchased—items which may or may not be related to the book you originally added to your cart.

The point is, you need to consider your audience.

Just as sophisticated e-commerce programs calculate the needs of the buyer and present options that could be relevant or present intrigue, salespeople need to assess clues to determine the needs and desires of their customer.

For example, if a salesperson at the auto repair shop is dealing with two different oil change customers: a man driving a clunker and a man driving a late-model luxury car…it’s likely that the two men have different needs. The guy with the clunker would likely be concerned only with the necessities e.g. a new battery if his is nearly tapped out. The other guy may be apt to take the salesmen up on a new air filter or an A/C flush to ensure his continued comfort as well as the efficiency of his pricey vehicle.

At some point our customers do trust us and expect us to look out for their best interests. If they can get more value or enhanced performance by purchasing more or additional products/services, they at least want to know about it and have the opportunity to decide on the purchase.

When is the best time for up-selling and cross-selling?

The point of sale is the most opportune time for cross-selling and up-selling. If a customer understands how X product will meet his/her needs and has decided to purchase, then they will also appreciate the opportunity to evaluate how Y and Z might enhance the performance of X. They won’t re-evaluate their decision to purchase X simply because you’re talking about Y and Z (after all X still meets their needs). What they will be concerned with evaluating is the added value that Y or Z might bring, and if that added value warrants the additional cost. Rather than being a salesperson who is “selling,” you are a consultant/advisor in a position to help them evaluate.

Another optimal time for cross-selling and up-selling is new customers and accounts. Studies show that the majority of cross-sell and up-sell success is with customers who are just coming on board or who are still new (within the first 6 months of service). For this reason, customer service departments are good resources for potential cross-selling and up-selling opportunities. Customer service representatives who are in contact with existing customers regularly should be trained to recognize when a customer’s needs are changing and could benefit from an upgrade or addition to their current product/service.

To sum up…

Salespeople can keep on top of the evolving needs of their customers by practicing good account management and following up with existing accounts and new accounts coming on board. Certainly keeping the products and services that existing customers are using up to date will keep them a step ahead of your competition. Your customers are relying on you, as a consultant, advisor and partner, to be more knowledgeable and aware of their needs. If you have a way to make your customer’s current product or service faster, more efficient, more powerful, then show them the value of it—they would be upset to find out that you didn’t.

Cold Calling Sales Training – Top 3 Tips

There are few activities in the sales world as challenging to perform as cold calling. Why? It’s not because cold calling is particularly difficult; it’s just that many sales professionals lack the proper skills and training required to perform cold calling effectively.

The required skills vary from those used in standard sales training. In fact, aside from the challenging lack of visual cues that come with all phone sales, cold calling has its own unique set of hurdles to overcome.

Here are our top 3 cold calling sales training tips:

1. Put 90% of Your Focus on Your Opening

When opening a call, studies show that a sales rep has less than 10 seconds to make a positive impression, and this initial impression will set the tone for the rest of the conversation.

How can this 10-second window be maximized to tip the scales in favor of the sales professional? By having a well-prepared, value-leading opening statement.

On an outbound call, the sales rep needs to establish right up front exactly what’s in it for the customer. Before the customer considers staying on the line, they need a clear understanding of the value to doing so. If the sales rep fails to instantly connect the “value” dots it could cost them the call and the customer. Gone are the days when salespeople can afford to “wing it” and hope for the best.

2. Do Your Best to “Warm Up” the Call

Prior to your opening you should be doing a pre-call warm-up. (This is not meant to take any emphasis away from your opening, but merely to provide some talking points throughout the call.) Before you pick up the phone, do all the research you can on the company. Scour their website for information: read blogs, find out who their clients are as well as their competitors, learn about new product launches, etc.

Even better if you happen to know the name and position of the person you’ll be calling. See if they have a bio on the website, take a quick peek at their LinkedIn page – glean as much as possible. You may even find commonalities e.g., you’re both from upstate New York. Being armed with this information will give you the opportunity to show that you’ve done your homework, but it will also help you if the conversation lulls or you need recovery time.

Warming up for your call is just like warming up for a workout – the better you stretch and get your heart rate going, the better you’ll perform.

3. Consider Your Vocal Presence

Just as door-to-door salespeople are instantly judged by their appearance, cold callers are instantly judged by their voices. For this reason, it’s important to be hyper-aware of your message delivery. The way the words are delivered is just as important as the words themselves. Here are some commonly held perceptions regarding delivery and speaking styles:

A fast talker – This may imply that the speaker is untrustworthy or has something to hide. It also indicates a lack of confidence.

Poor diction – The inability to communicate clearly with appropriate word usage sends the signal that the speaker is uneducated or unintelligent.

Monotone – A lack of intonation can communicate that the speaker is bored, lazy or just generally uninterested.

As is true with any skillset, practice makes perfect, and cold calling is no different. We have worked with many sales teams in transforming their approach to cold calling – what was once viewed as a frustrating activity is now viewed as an exciting challenge.

Why Do Top Performers Perform Better?

Why is Sally consistently at the top of the sales leaderboard week after week? And why are you treading water in the middle of the pack? What is she doing that you’re not? Does this drive you crazy? If you’re asking yourself these questions, or if you’re a leader of a sales organization that is pondering this about members of your team, keep reading.

The most significant distinction between the top performers in a sales organization and the rest of the pack is their approach and mindset. The sales rep like Sally with the approach and mindset of a “trusted advisor” has developed and leveraged the use of need-based selling skills to help customers with their needs, rather than just selling a product or service. Contrast this person with typical sales people—individuals in the middle of the pack.

Is This You?

As a general rule, the typical sales rep is quota driven—they focus on the product or services that they can sell quickly and easily, those that will help them attain their monthly sales quota. Their outlook is one of immediate satisfaction: get the signature on the order and get out. Like the habitual gambler, he or she will act the same way repeatedly with the expectation of a different and more lucrative result. There is no jackpot here, only missed sales opportunities, transient and ineffective sales reps, and a company with lackluster sales.

Change Your Vantage Point

By comparison, a sales rep like Sally with the mindset of a trusted advisor looks at their position from a different vantage point. He or she approaches sales as a mechanism or a means with which to help people; that is, to help people succeed, to help people accomplish more, and to help make people’s lives better or easier. As a trusted advisor, the sales rep who has adopted this innovative approach moves beyond thinking solely of the transaction and develops a personal relationship with the client to collaborate and find answers.

Ask To Understand

Ask needs-discovery questions to uncover your customer’s pain points—some of which may not even been known to the customer until you have this conversation. An extremely important part of this dialog, in addition to asking relevant and precise questions, is the ability to listen. As you dig, don’t be afraid to ask a question to which you don’t know the answer. While absorbing this information, you should be thinking about the solutions you have and how to match them to the customer’s needs. For example, “What do I sell that solves her problem with productivity or increasing business leads,” or “How can I modify our standard product to do what the customer needs it to do.”

By taking a sincere and genuine interest in their objectives and issues, you will develop a rapport with your customer and forge a strong relationship where they will seek you out for answers and rely on what you say.

Don’t Listen To Critics

Critics claim that this consultative sales approach of dialog with active listening and probing questions, and needs assessment slows the sales process and hinders the close. Not so. To the contrary, the more you leverage this approach and implement these techniques, the more rapidly your customers will see you as their consultant or trusted advisor—rather than a person trying to get his or her foot in the door and selling the product of the week. The sales process will move more quickly and efficiently, and you will have the ability to work smarter not harder.

Should You Be Friends with Your Key Contact?

Over time, a sales rep will develop a territory that is familiar and full of strong relationships. By all standards this is a desirable situation, and reaching this point requires preparation, hard work, determination, and resilience. A natural byproduct of these frequent visits – especially if you’re friendly and outgoing – is the formation of a personal friendship with your key contact(s).

You may know each other’s birthdays, families, and professional goals. Although this familiar and warm relationship is a comfort and perhaps a break from the arduous routine of pounding the pavement and knocking on doors, it may breed a sense of complacency and an attitude of status quo.

While we would never suggest that you alter these relationships or even deter them from forming, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure an ongoing win-win for both parties.

Stay Semi-Social

Rather than viewing this regular appointment as a personal visit to catch up with a friend, try leveraging the relationship to gain a better understanding of the client and to reap additional business. The hard work you put in to land this client shouldn’t be taken for granted, nor should it exploited. Use your friendship as a means to do your job and to enjoy working with your key contact and others in the organization to find additional solutions that further imbed your company and its products and services into the account.

Strategize Relationships

Week after week, do you see the same person in Accounting, in Technology, or in the CMO’s office? If that’s the case, there are undoubtedly other contacts you can make in this account. Ask your key contact to introduce you to the Director of Technology, or invite the HR Manager to lunch with you and your pal. Your key contact can facilitate the introductions and coordinate the event. Ask him or her to “grease the wheels” to smooth the interaction. Your ability to learn more about all facets of the company and to involve other decision-makers or leaders will assist you in creating your ongoing strategy.

Conduct Competitor Research

As you get to know people in other departments, probe these individuals to discover what products they currently are using—what they like about them—and what these products lack in functionality, content, updates, and adaptability/interaction with the existing infrastructure? Why did they buy Product X? What do they wish they knew when they bought the product that they know now? When you deal with the competition, you should have a solid understanding of all of the players and how your solution stacks up.

Align Your Strategy

There is a significant difference between coasting and maintaining a relationship. That difference is a strategy for the relationship, and an action plan to achieve results. Your strategy must be aligned around the objectives for the client. Have you analyzed and articulated the opportunities? Do you have a sense of what needs to be done to benefit from those opportunities? When you are ready, set realistic parameters for this plan and begin.

Lastly, try performing a SWOT Analysis, which involves examining your client relationship in four ways: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. If you can honestly assess your SWOT without your BFF getting in the way, you should be able to maintain your win-win.

Are You A “Coachable” Sales Professional?

This entry is the flipside to last week’s blog about effective ways to coach a sales team. This time we are focusing on the members of the sales team and we’re speaking to YOU. Are you coachable?

Think back to when you were younger, perhaps playing baseball or soccer. You had a coach whose responsibility it was to teach you new skills and reinforce the skills you already possessed. And, surely you remember the kid on the team (maybe it was you) who had raw talent but was too headstrong to be coachable and therefore was a wasted asset for the team. Today, we realize that the player with mediocre talent who was willing to listen and open to learning new things wound up making a more significant contribution in the long run.

These same principles apply today in the professional sales coaching world.

Unless you’re in the upper echelon of sales professionals or struggling at the very bottom, chances are you’re in the middle 60% who are getting by: hitting quota most months, completing administrative work, and getting a decent commission check. Wouldn’t you like to achieve more and improve sales performance?

Look to your manager; and keep an open mind.

No matter how much you think you already know about sales for your company; and regardless of how you feel about your manager, that person is in their position for a reason. Chances are, they have valuable insight to share with you.

The next time your manager calls for a meeting or ride-along, think of it as an opportunity rather than extra scrutiny and punishment. Coaching and the added attention are meant to examine your sales performance and to discover ways to increase your numbers. You know where you stand on the leader board, so why not accept the coaching and see if it leads you to leap-frogging a few spots toward the top and at the same time bringing home a fatter paycheck?

Don’t take it personally.

During a coaching session, your manager will have a discussion with you about your sales performance. This might include sales metrics, but also may encompass a review of your prospecting, territory management, and presentation and closing skills. A strong manager will include some praise and validation of the aspects of your position that you are doing correctly; along with this will be some constructive criticism.

Keep in mind this is not a pre-meditated attack on your reputation, intelligence, or honor. In most people, there is an immediate response to go on the defensive when we hear someone, especially our manager, say something less than glowing about us. Fight the urge to give a knee-jerk response such as, “But I always follow up promptly,” or “I always file my sales reports on time.” A good manager will be prepared with specific examples and numbers analysis. You too should be prepared, and a large part of your preparation is to anticipate some areas that your manager would like to see improved.

Listen and ask questions.

Use this time as an opportunity to learn how to better yourself as a sales professional. Put yourself in the mindset of a negotiation or a consultation. Listen, take notes, and ask questions that clarify the issues. Think to yourself, “So what I’m hearing is I need to do a better job of following up with customers. I’ll do that and make sure that my manager knows. This is a way I can improve my performance.”

Say “Thank you.”

It is important to show your appreciation for the time your manager has spent with you. Ask for continued feedback. Show that you are coachable and that you welcome his or her input to assist you in becoming a sales superstar!

Remember that added attention can lead to more resources (e.g., marketing money), more sharing of best practices, and more opportunities to make sales. Soon you might find yourself at the top of the leader board!

Want more about sales coaching? Find upcoming dates for our sales performance workshops.

The True Test of a Sales Professional

Some people insist that the true test of a sales professional is their ability to effectively handle and overcome objections…and we couldn’t agree more.

Let’s face it: in the occupation of selling, objections are a part of the game. And while they may slow you down, they should not derail your efforts altogether. In fact, most objections can be addressed and ultimately resolved, therefore strengthening your position as a “trusted advisor” – one who will find a way to get to the root cause of the concern.

So, what is the secret to overcoming objections and improving your closing ratio? Let us share a few valuable research-based strategies for identifying, handling and conquering objections, while maintaining the highest level of professionalism.

Ask Smart Questions

Let us assure you that the secret lies in your ability to ask the right questions. Why? Simply put, a high-performing sales professional, who asks smart, specific and open-ended questions, is in control. And being in control is the key to effectively handling objections. In fact, the questions you ask can make all the difference in the world. They not only set the tone for a solid professional relationship but also reveal your competency level and your knowledge of the prospect, their business and not to mention your vested interest in their well-being.

Keep the Client’s Ego Intact – Demonstrate Empathy

Before you start tackling tough questions, find middle ground with your prospect and let them you know you understand where they are coming from. That’s one of the best ways to cushion your answer and assure the buyer that you understand how they feel. If you attempt to argue or dismiss their remarks, you may ruin your chances of advancing the sales process and ultimately not be viewed as a trusted advisor.

Consider Price Just Another Buying Criteria

When it comes to sales, price objections are very common. And because of the nature of this type of objection and the fact that at times, this may affect the customer directly, defensiveness can be further raised in these situations. However, it’s important to consider price nothing more than another buying criteria. When identifying needs, gaining a full-range of understanding of how the client is prioritizing their needs can be greatly useful in these situations.

Alter Your Mindset

If you often get discouraged by objections, it’s time to change your reaction to the word “no” or “not now” in selling situations. Your attitude may very well determine the outcome of your efforts. We recommend that you start thinking of every objection as valuable feedback, rather than a stopping block. With every “no” try to figure out how you can change direction and get to the root cause. Most important, don’t take it personally.

Whatever business you are in, the key is to prepare yourself to learn about the customer’s concern and offer solutions to mitigate their concern with the end result; longer-lasting customer relationships, more closed opportunities and more customers viewing you as a trusted advisor.