Full disclosure: I am a sports fan. Not just "a" sports fan, I enjoy most sports, almost all sports.
I enjoy watching sports. I enjoy playing sports. In my younger years, there was basketball, volleyball badminton, running and ball hockey (as a Canadian I probably should be embarrassed to not be an ice hockey player, but ice rinks are cold and I have never really liked the cold). Now that I have transitioned solidly into my middle-aged years I find myself not able to compete in those faster-paced sports and I have taken up new pastimes like golf.
What I truly enjoy is competing. Competition is at the heart of all sports: team vs, team and player vs. player. This is what drew me to the career I am in, selling. Selling is pure competition, it requires the same preparation, practice, systems and execution that are required in all sports. In essence, selling is as much of a sport as anything.
Those who excel in a sales role prepare for every call, they practice their sales pitch and closing techniques, they have a system to cover their territory efficiently and they execute their plan to perfection. They do this every day of every week all year long. This is Salesletics.
There are no shortcuts to sales success, just as there are no shortcuts to sports success. To be a top performer a salesperson needs to a execute on all aspects of their technique. Dedication to practicing, to reviewing competitive information, to getting better every day, to winning.
If you are not putting in all the work required, ask yourself why? Is selling more of a hobby than a profession?
Are you a Saleslete? Do you have what it takes to be a Saleslete?
Sales Coaching
A collection of items that I hold true not only in sales but also in life. Whether you agree or disagree with the content your comments are always welcome. The posts contain opinions that are mine and are not reflective of my current or any previous employer.
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
3 Things Sales People can Learn from Super Bowl LI
Just about everyone I know that has even the remotest interest in the NFL falls in to one of two categories: They either LOVE the New England Patriots or absolutely HATE them with a vengeance that is usually reserved for the most evil of criminals. The mere fact that this team was playing in Super Bowl LI was an apocalyptic circumstance that demanded all sane people cheer for their opponent.
By now almost everyone knows New England staged one of the greatest comeback victories ever in big game sports. Down by 25 points with just over 23 minutes remaining in regulation time all the Patriots haters were rejoicing. It looked bleak for New England, no doubt about it. What happened after that will be debated as either the biggest comeback to win a Super Bowl or the biggest collapse to lose a Super Bowl. Either way there are important lessons for sales people to pay attention to from those final minutes and overtime.
Lets pretend the Vince Lombardi Trophy is your sales quota and the two teams are competing sales executives for the top of the sales board. The season and playoffs to this point were merely a way to identify the top two and have them drive to the end of the month knowing they need to out sell the other on Super Bowl Sunday
I have seen this situation on sales teams many times, I've been the sales person that is behind the other drastically and fighting the uphill battle. I've been the sales person that jumps out to an early lead and needs to bring it home in a close race at the finish. The key, as the Patriots clearly illustrated, is to never lose focus. never give up and to never stop believing.
It seems obvious the objective is to win, but how? When an extra point was missed with just over 17 minutes remaining many New England fans may have felt the universe was conspiring to ensure an Atlanta victory. Down 19 points with just over a quarter of football remaining and having scored only 9 points in almost 3 quarters, the task of catching up seemed impossible. Someone on the New England side did the math - three scores ties the game. That became the objective.
Again, this seems obvious but look at the reality of what happened. New England has possibly the greatest quarterback of all-time in Tom Brady, so when the chips were down they went with their strength. In the fourth quarter alone New England passed 22 times and ran 3 times. They stayed true to their short and middle distance pass plays and did not throw a "Hail Mary" pass in "hopes" of success. In Tom they trust.
It would have been easy for the Patriots to fold like a lawn chair when the score was 28-3 for Atlanta, the Patriots did not. They chipped away at the lead and every member of the team on the field contributed. They played every down with the belief that they would prevail.
The same process will help sales people succeed against their monthly, quarterly and annual targets, moving them towards the top of the sales board. You need to understand what the objectives are (quota), you need to leverage your skills and training to build a sales funnel and close the deals that are closeable, focusing on what is immediately possible and not a long shot. Most of all you should never give up until the final whistle blows and the month is over.
New England did just that. They finished strong and played to the final whistle. As a sales executive, will you play to end, drive to the top of the board? Or will you be happy to achieve quota and just coast to the turning of the calendar?
** Disclaimer: I am, and have been for many, many years, a fan of the New England Patriots football team.
By now almost everyone knows New England staged one of the greatest comeback victories ever in big game sports. Down by 25 points with just over 23 minutes remaining in regulation time all the Patriots haters were rejoicing. It looked bleak for New England, no doubt about it. What happened after that will be debated as either the biggest comeback to win a Super Bowl or the biggest collapse to lose a Super Bowl. Either way there are important lessons for sales people to pay attention to from those final minutes and overtime.
Lets pretend the Vince Lombardi Trophy is your sales quota and the two teams are competing sales executives for the top of the sales board. The season and playoffs to this point were merely a way to identify the top two and have them drive to the end of the month knowing they need to out sell the other on Super Bowl Sunday
I have seen this situation on sales teams many times, I've been the sales person that is behind the other drastically and fighting the uphill battle. I've been the sales person that jumps out to an early lead and needs to bring it home in a close race at the finish. The key, as the Patriots clearly illustrated, is to never lose focus. never give up and to never stop believing.
Understand the Objective
It seems obvious the objective is to win, but how? When an extra point was missed with just over 17 minutes remaining many New England fans may have felt the universe was conspiring to ensure an Atlanta victory. Down 19 points with just over a quarter of football remaining and having scored only 9 points in almost 3 quarters, the task of catching up seemed impossible. Someone on the New England side did the math - three scores ties the game. That became the objective.
Leverage Strengths
Again, this seems obvious but look at the reality of what happened. New England has possibly the greatest quarterback of all-time in Tom Brady, so when the chips were down they went with their strength. In the fourth quarter alone New England passed 22 times and ran 3 times. They stayed true to their short and middle distance pass plays and did not throw a "Hail Mary" pass in "hopes" of success. In Tom they trust.
Never, Ever Give Up
It would have been easy for the Patriots to fold like a lawn chair when the score was 28-3 for Atlanta, the Patriots did not. They chipped away at the lead and every member of the team on the field contributed. They played every down with the belief that they would prevail.
The same process will help sales people succeed against their monthly, quarterly and annual targets, moving them towards the top of the sales board. You need to understand what the objectives are (quota), you need to leverage your skills and training to build a sales funnel and close the deals that are closeable, focusing on what is immediately possible and not a long shot. Most of all you should never give up until the final whistle blows and the month is over.
New England did just that. They finished strong and played to the final whistle. As a sales executive, will you play to end, drive to the top of the board? Or will you be happy to achieve quota and just coast to the turning of the calendar?
** Disclaimer: I am, and have been for many, many years, a fan of the New England Patriots football team.
Thursday, January 12, 2017
The Voicemail Paradox
How many times have you called a prospect or suspect and leave a voicemail? Better yet, how many times do you get a call back from that voicemail? It can be the most frustrating part of the day for any business development rep, calling and leaving voicemail after voicemail after voicemail. Never getting to hear their own phone ring because not a single person is calling them back.
Leaving effective voice mails is both an art and a science, much like selling itself. It is a skill that can be mastered, and there are a number of rules that need to be followed.
Have you ever received a voicemail that went on and on? Did you listen to the whole message? Most people have an attention span of under 45 seconds when it comes to voice messages so I coach sales people to stay under 30 seconds. The catch is you need to say something that will interest the prospect enough to call you back, in as few words as possible. Leaving an entire 3 minute elevator pitch or value proposition will not get you a call back.
Regardless of your product and target market you can craft a creative and compelling short voicemail. Doing A/B testing is always a good idea. For some an ultra short vague first voicemail works best:
Others require a bit more detail:
This is one that drives me crazy. Listening to voice mails full of "ums" and "ahs" and "ers". If you are going to call a prospect you should know exactly what you want to say to them or their voicemail when connected.
Other words that fall in to the category of filler words include (but are not limited to):
Avoid these at all costs as they will weaken the impact of your message and reduce the chances of the desired call back.
Nothing encourages a immediate deletion of a voicemail more than a voice lacking in confidence and energy. Smile when you talk, stand up, move around if possible. Speak with volume (not shouting) and authority. Prospects can hear your smile, your energy and your excitement.
Be sure that your confidence does not grow beyond that in to arrogance or smugness. Speak slowly enough that the prospect will be able to write down your number the first pass through and not have to listen to the voicemail again.
Take the time of day in to consideration, remembering the goal is to speak to the prospect. If you know they will be available in the morning call then. The best voice mails are the ones you don't have to leave because you reached the prospect on the first call!
Any tips or tricks you use in your prospecting to increase call back rates? Leave them in the comments below.
Leaving effective voice mails is both an art and a science, much like selling itself. It is a skill that can be mastered, and there are a number of rules that need to be followed.
Less is More
Have you ever received a voicemail that went on and on? Did you listen to the whole message? Most people have an attention span of under 45 seconds when it comes to voice messages so I coach sales people to stay under 30 seconds. The catch is you need to say something that will interest the prospect enough to call you back, in as few words as possible. Leaving an entire 3 minute elevator pitch or value proposition will not get you a call back.
Regardless of your product and target market you can craft a creative and compelling short voicemail. Doing A/B testing is always a good idea. For some an ultra short vague first voicemail works best:
"Hi John, it's Paul. Sorry I missed you, I can be reached at 202-555-1212."
Others require a bit more detail:
"Good morning Sandra. This is Anita at ABC Company. We provide specialized sales training that will increase the number of qualified appointments your sales teams make every week. We believe in our program so much we will guarantee the results. Call me at 202-555-1234 to learn how this program can increase your sales!"Try a couple versions and track results to determine which will work best in your industry.
No Filler Words
This is one that drives me crazy. Listening to voice mails full of "ums" and "ahs" and "ers". If you are going to call a prospect you should know exactly what you want to say to them or their voicemail when connected.
Other words that fall in to the category of filler words include (but are not limited to):
just-basically-almost
virtually-somewhat-somehow
relatively-might-maybe-closely
should-probably-likely
Avoid these at all costs as they will weaken the impact of your message and reduce the chances of the desired call back.
Be Confident
Nothing encourages a immediate deletion of a voicemail more than a voice lacking in confidence and energy. Smile when you talk, stand up, move around if possible. Speak with volume (not shouting) and authority. Prospects can hear your smile, your energy and your excitement.
Be sure that your confidence does not grow beyond that in to arrogance or smugness. Speak slowly enough that the prospect will be able to write down your number the first pass through and not have to listen to the voicemail again.
Time of Day
Take the time of day in to consideration, remembering the goal is to speak to the prospect. If you know they will be available in the morning call then. The best voice mails are the ones you don't have to leave because you reached the prospect on the first call!
Any tips or tricks you use in your prospecting to increase call back rates? Leave them in the comments below.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
How is That New Year's Resolution Going?
I have been reading a few things about fear of failure and relapses on resolutions and how most New Years resolutions don't ever last three weeks... sounds like a lot of doom and gloom out there!
This past Monday was allegedly "Blue Monday", the saddest day of the year. Likely because of bad /cold winter weather, holiday bills being due and yes the realization that we have once again failed to make a New Years resolution last in to February.
The key to getting that resolution to stick is to not be defeated by a lapse or two. Regardless of what the resolution is there is usually some element of breaking or forming a habit. Habits do not magically appear or disappear at the stroke of midnight the beginning of a new year, it takes time and it takes practice.
Changing behaviour and habits is a process, one that requires diligence, patience and persistence. Whether it is business behaviour (adding one extra sales call in every day) or personal (going to the gym every weekday morning) it is natural to have set backs as we adjust to the new behaviour and work towards establishing a new habit. Skipping the gym on Tuesday because you are tired does not mean you can't go on Wednesday, and again on Thursday etc,
Think of the first three months as the practice needed to perfect the new habit, but don't use that as an excuse. It is not failure if you miss a few days of your targeted sales calls, unless you give up and stop trying again. Use the practice time of the first 90 days of 2015 so that you can hit your stride in Q2!
This past Monday was allegedly "Blue Monday", the saddest day of the year. Likely because of bad /cold winter weather, holiday bills being due and yes the realization that we have once again failed to make a New Years resolution last in to February.
The key to getting that resolution to stick is to not be defeated by a lapse or two. Regardless of what the resolution is there is usually some element of breaking or forming a habit. Habits do not magically appear or disappear at the stroke of midnight the beginning of a new year, it takes time and it takes practice.
Changing behaviour and habits is a process, one that requires diligence, patience and persistence. Whether it is business behaviour (adding one extra sales call in every day) or personal (going to the gym every weekday morning) it is natural to have set backs as we adjust to the new behaviour and work towards establishing a new habit. Skipping the gym on Tuesday because you are tired does not mean you can't go on Wednesday, and again on Thursday etc,
Think of the first three months as the practice needed to perfect the new habit, but don't use that as an excuse. It is not failure if you miss a few days of your targeted sales calls, unless you give up and stop trying again. Use the practice time of the first 90 days of 2015 so that you can hit your stride in Q2!
Saturday, March 15, 2014
WIIFM? – It Could Increase your CRM Usage and Adoption
WIIFM? – It could increase your CRM usage and adoption
As sales leaders we always coach our front line reps to
distinguish themselves and our products, to understand the clients decision
making criteria and to customize a solution that aligns with their corporate and
personal goals. These personal goals are often referred to as “What’s In It For Me” or WIIFM, and when
addressed properly will lead to shorter sales cycles, usually with higher
margins.
It is this simple concept that sales leaders often miss or
disregard completely when selecting tools like Customer Relationship Management
(CRM) software, believing that tracking activities and documenting
opportunities is what will make sales people more successful. This is
completely backwards.
Any good CRM (and CRM implementation) will need to take in
to account not just the reporting needs of management and executive leadership
but also the Sales Force Automation (SFA) and usability for the front line
sales people. A seasoned sales veteran once asked me “If I put all of this in to our
CRM what is it going to give me back?”
It was refreshing to see the WIIFM in action coming from a
sales rep, and highlighted the need to understand behavior and decision making
drivers. With regards to the question though, in some instances CRM usage is so
inadequate the unfortunate answer is “nothing at all”.
What would a sales person want from a CRM? The biggest
request I have heard over the years is for a tool that actually helps them sell
more, not for a tool that only allows management to review/inspect what they
are doing.
Too many CRM’s are selected by sales leadership to enable
“greater visibility and reporting” which may allow for analytics that can be
used to sharpen marketing efforts to increase sales, but how many marketers at
small to mid-sized businesses are actually using CRM analytics today? I would
be interested to see some data on that. (Comments below are welcome)
Some of the SFA features that sales people would like
include automatic follow-up appointment scheduling, lead creation based on past
opportunities (lease term, product life or warranty driven time frames), email
campaigns by themes, mobile access (iOS, Android and BB) and have real time visibility to their person
performance and commissions calculations.
If you want your sales teams to be able to sell more they
will need the tools you provide them to help them do just that. When selecting
a CRM solution for your business did you consult your sales team?
Monday, December 17, 2012
Quality vs. Quantity
As a sales leader I am often besieged by my direct reports
about the number of calls/appointments/activities they are expected to complete on a
daily/weekly basis. I have even read sales playbooks that out line exact metrics, as well as lively debate in a group on LinkedIn.
The number is too high, the number is unrealistic, is all I
want that “number” or do I want “real” data/activities. The real question sales
people are asking is “Do you want quality or do you want quantity?”
My answer has always been the same – “Yes!”
The issue should not be how many, it should be how many done well. I want quality and I want quantity, in fact I require them both.
What has always perplexed me is why sales people tend to look at this as an “either/or”
problem while I look at is as the perfect “and” situation, since quality and
quantity are not mutually exclusive.
Activities do drive results, no one can argue that. For sales
to happen, sales people have to do something and calling on clients is one of those
things. Better quality activities will drive better results, I think it is equally
difficult to argue against this point also.
Think of sales calls as golf strokes (there will have to be
a separate blog post on this idea soon), the fewer the number of calls to get
the sale the better your score. Why? Because better calls mean that sales
people can make more calls with more clients selling more dollars making more
commissions. Quality should never replace quantity, it should magnify it!
How many sales calls are needed to close a sale? More than
one? Less than five? There are a lot of variables, I’m interested to hear your
thoughts so feel free to leave a comment.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Prospecting - It Needs to be a Habit
Recently I overheard a salesperson say “I’d rather clean the
office bathrooms than prospect” and it got me thinking about why prospecting
has such a bad rap. More importantly why average salespeople procrastinate and
find excuses not to prospect.
A sales funnel is a precious thing that too many salespeople
take for granted. It is the beginning of the sales process and without a
beginning there can be no successful ending. Knowing that why is it that
salespeople resist prospecting to start the sales process? Better yet what can
salespeople do to make prospecting less painful?
The best way to answer these questions is to examine the
habits of serially successful salespeople to understand what they do and how
they do it. There is always more than enough in their pipeline every month for
them to achieve and over achieve their quota. They understand the importance of
adding to their sales funnel and “book” time in their calendar everyday to do
quality prospecting.
Prospecting is hard work. Prospecting effectively takes
dedication. Prospecting is a requirement for sales success and needs to be a
habit.
It is the concept of a structured day that most average
salespeople ignore. They intend to prospect for 1 or 2 hours every morning but
allow any and all interruptions to distract them from this commitment. Maybe a
current client called with a billing issue, or an existing prospect emailed a
question about the proposal sent two weeks ago. Whatever the excuse that is all
it is, an excuse to not prospect.
Do you put off prospecting for any other activity? Would you
rather clean a bathroom than pick up the phone a make a cold call? What do you
do to make prospecting more bearable or fun? Feel free to add your comments!
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