How do you create future sales superstars?

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How do you create future sales superstars?

June 23, 2010 in Attitudes & Behaviours, Culture, Sales Assessments, Sales Leadership, Sales Management, Sales Skills, Sales Talent, Sales Training, Strategy, Success, Value Creation

How many of us entered our sales careers with our eyes wide open? Fully aware of what it takes to be an effective sales person – ably resourced with the tools, processes, plans and support essential to our success. Knowing full well what you were getting yourself into.

For most, if not all of us, our initiation into sales was nothing like this, and was cushioned with little or none of these luxuries. Does the analogy “sink or swim” resonate with anyone?

All of this makes the story I am about to share quite unique and refreshing. Recently, some rather clever and farsighted managers gave some very fortunate young people the opportunity to get a large glimpse into the world of selling.

Here is their story: Two senior managers from one company, both whom I have known and worked with for many years, had the presence of mind and foresight to think ahead and tap into the desire of some of their younger staff to advance their careers.

Their business is in the industrial equipment market where they sell new equipment, spare parts, service and rentals. Recently, they advertised for a new service sales person and received, amongst others, applications from several of their internal service technicians.

The senior managers took these applications very seriously. However, they could not appoint any of their internal applicants because they had no experience and very little idea about what it takes to be an effective sales person. Thinking about the future of their business, staff retention and the desire of these young people to advance their careers, the senior managers took it upon themselves to give these driven and ambitious staff the opportunity to really understand what selling is all about – so that they could one day go in into a sales role with their eyes wide open.

This is where Barrett came in. In discussion with the managers, we developed a one day session where these young participants explored topics like:

Why sales matters
The changing face of customers and what they really want
Ethics in selling
Missed and lost opportunities
Critical success factors, and key qualities of the 21st century sales performers
Olympics Game – our sales fitness and simulation exercise which tests peoples’ natural sales capabilities and gives them real time feedback
The sales essentials overview:

5 step sales planning process
4 step sales prospecting process
7 step sales communication process

Skills you can apply NOW to build your steps to being a sales performer

As part of the session, we pointed out that even if they were not currently in a sales role, there were still numerous, valuable things they could take from the session and apply immediately in their current roles. Skills, knowledge and insight that would (and did) serve them, their customers and the company well right now, as well as lay the foundation for when the time comes for them to knowingly and willingly step into a sales role. Things like:

Knowing, understanding, communicating and modeling the vision, key message and promise, values and customer service ethic of the business
Knowing how to make effective phone calls to clients, etc. – being clear about the purpose of their calls and how to position themselves confidently (this relates to how to make prospecting phone calls)
Recognising and understanding different communication styles and how not to confuse different with difficult
Knowing how to ask good questions to clarify and verify their understanding.

What was most impressive was the prolific note taking, questioning and genuine interest in really getting a handle on what it takes to be a great sales person. For me it was one of the most enjoyable and inspiring days I have had in a long time. There is nothing like working with people who really want to be there and be their best.

All the people I have shared this story with in the last month have all expressed the same wish – that they had had the chance to experience such a session before they became a sales person.

All credit to Cameron and Mick for having the wisdom to provide this opportunity to their team. I am sure that the benefits will be varied, significant and long-lasting.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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How fit is your sales team?

April 7, 2010 in Sales Assessments, Sales Skills, Sales Talent, Sales Training

Earlier this year we had the opportunity to put a client’s field sales force through the Barrett Sales Fitness Circuit to test their sales fitness.

The Sales Fitness Circuit is designed to reinforce and continue the process of learning from the Barrett Sales Communication Training. The Sales Communication competencies (skills, knowledge and mindset) covered in the initial training is put to the test through a series of exercises. The aim is to embed the learning from the training as a way of life in the sales team’s actions and thinking.

Specific skills, competency enhancement, and behaviour change were supported during the Sales Fitness Circuit Course through:

Reviewing and reinforcing key learning’s from the 7 Step Sales Communication Process, in particular the Pre, Analysis, Problem Solving, Recommendation and Closing steps
Sharing lessons learnt and obstacles experienced in using the models, techniques, and skills in the field
Reflecting on strengths and areas requiring further development
Developing individual action plans to address skill gaps moving forward

The Sales Fitness Circuit Course provided an experiential and high impact learning opportunity. The 1-day session is designed to be fun, high energy, and collaborative. It creates an effective learning environment that combines conceptual knowledge, real sales situations experienced in the field, and reflective learning.

Like the physical fitness circuit you would see in a gym or on the hit show The Biggest Loser, the elements of the Sales Fitness Circuit included:

Sales people worked in discrete teams
Each activity is set up as a station in the circuit
Each station simulates a different activity requiring the use of Sales Communication skills, techniques and tools
Props and visual cues were used at each station to enhance the experience and recall
Teams rotated around the stations receiving instructions, feedback, and wrap up from the ‘Sales Fitness Instructors’
Participants were required to perform under time pressure, simulating the real pressures in the field
No one salesperson was able to complete all client interactions on behalf of the team
Competencies positively demonstrated were reinforced throughout the circuit via allocation of points
At the end of the circuit prizes were awarded to teams and individuals who demonstrated exceptional levels of sales fitness
Participants observed others in action and were encouraged to reflect on potential positive and negative consequences of different approaches
The participants collaborated at the end of the circuit to rate their overall sales fitness as a team across the key competencies

We have run this circuit format with many sales team sizes over the years and the feedback has been fantastic, even though some people were really challenged by it. The insight people get into their skills and capabilities by really putting themselves to the test helps them see what they need to do and how they need to perform if they want to step up and be real sales performer.

If this has got you wondering how fit your sales team is give us a call and we would be happy to put them to the test.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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Walk a mile in my shoes

March 24, 2010 in Attitudes & Behaviours, Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Sales Skills

‘Walk a mile in my shoes’ is a song written by Joe South and made famous by Elvis Presley. The song is very much about challenging closed mindedness, respecting and honouring differences, and learning how to get along with each other. However, I propose that it also has a lot to say to sales and marketing people. For instance, the first verse sets it up well:

If I could be you and you could be me for just one hour
If we could find a way to get inside each other’s mind
If you could see you through my eyes instead of your ego
I believe you’d be surprised to see that you’d been blind

Many a customer’s ire has been roused when a sales person shows up and fails to find out what a customer’s priorities are. Instead, launching into a self absorbed diatribe of product information and self aggrandisement leaving the customer completely out of the picture.

Another stanza points out some of the major issues with being internally focused, refusing to acknowledge and see others as they are.

Well, your whole world you see around you is just a reflection
And the law of common says you’re gonna reap just what you sow

This stanza reminds me of my common catch cry ‘who’s your brochure written for anyway?’ Many companies still fail to produce sales and marketing materials that their customers and prospects can relate to, instead producing material that is too internally focused.

Being “other” aware, tuning into what another person needs, likes or wants is vital to a successful sales career. And it’s more than just asking a series of pre formed questions, writing down information and regurgitating it back without empathy or genuine understanding.

As Geshe Michael Roach, the author of The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Strategies for Managing Your Business and Your Life points out, the current western way of thinking, especially business and corporate incentives, has been very centred around what’s in it for the individual – ‘how am I going to benefit from this?’, ‘what will I get if I do this?’ and ‘how much will I make if I get this client on board, or deal over the line?’

Geshe Michael asks “When did you hear or read about two sales executives or two corporate executives splitting their bonuses because they did a good job together? This individual focus causes us to concentrate on ourselves, at the expense of paying attention to others.”

‘I’ has been the centre of our business models for a very long time, however I am proposing that in order to be a highly evolved sales person we need to shift to a ‘we’ focus. From ‘I’ to ‘we’ means including the ‘other’ in our thoughts, intentions and actions, and being able to see the world from another’s perspective even if we do not like or hold the same views or values ourselves.

Geshe Michael states “People have an instinct when they know you do not care that much about what they like or need and they have an instinct for the opposite as well.”

This statement begs some questions:

How well do I really understand another person and see the world from their perspective?
How well am I able to determine another person’s level of understanding about complex areas such as work, business, life, values, culture, etc.?
How quickly am I able to become aware of how another person thinks or feels?

The practice of exchanging ourselves with others takes us out of our exclusive focus on ourselves and starts us off on the process of being sensitive to others. It has a profound effect on work flow, performance and, most importantly, sustainable relationships.

There is a Buddhist practice called the Jampa Method which is outlined in more detail in The Diamond Cutter. It involves exchanging yourself for another – what you do is to pretend to put your mind in their body and then open your eyes and look at you from their perspective. You get to see or hear what it is that they (you in their body) would like from you (you). This step is called switching bodies. It is a little deeper and more difficult than just watching the people around you to see what they like or dislike.

When I practice this I ask myself “What does the other person need or want me to say and give to them?” It creates a much deeper level of listening than I have ever experienced before and I find that I can really tune into the other person with greater clarity and connect with them on a deeper level. It may seem a bit artificial at first but anything new does. I am work in progress as this method requires conscious effort and focused attention, however it can become second nature after regular practice and can make a profound difference to all relationships, personal and professional.

Therefore as I am writing this piece I am thinking about how I, the author, can stand in your shoes. I am imagining myself as someone reading this thinking – “What about my customers, when are they going to stand in my shoes?”

It is a common response we hear from many sales people that they would just like their customer to know how they feel too. This response highlights the importance of how we choose our actions and emotions rather than simply responding to those of others and that someone has to start the process first.

The choice is yours:

Do you choose Inaction? (which means you wait for your customers to make the first move) OR
Do you choose Action? (where you take the lead)

So in the spirit of ‘walking a mile in each others’ shoes’ maybe we could all as customers and sales people, or simply as human beings try this approach and see what happens.

Walk a mile in my shoes, walk a mile in my shoes
Yeah, before you abuse, criticize and accuse
Walk a mile in my shoes

Thank you very much!

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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2010 Sales Trend #3 – Getting back to basics

March 17, 2010 in Sales Leadership, Sales Skills, Strategy

‘Getting back to basics’ is our 2010 Sales Trend #3 as voted by you, our readers. Despite the positive start to 2010 in Australia, especially compared to other post GST economies, we cannot forget the fundamentals when it comes to creating a healthy, viable sales team, culture and business.

One of the real challenges of 2010 will be keeping sales momentum while understanding how changes in customers, competitors, markets, innovations, media, technology and all manner of things will impact on our businesses and our people. Getting our heads around all this to find the right ingredients for our plans and strategies will be demanding. We need to recognise the new ‘things’, in themselves, will not make things better, it is how they are integrated and applied in ours and our customers current situation and circumstances.

Often with new technologies, new trends, new ideas, and new innovations people become distracted thinking that these new things will promise to make life better, easier, faster, or more effective or efficient, all the while missing 2 key points:

In taking on the ‘new’ how does this support our real intentions and purpose as a business and leader?
How will these new innovations make our business and, more importantly, our customers lives better in action and deed?

Throwing away the ‘tried and true’ and rushing headlong into the ‘new and shiny’ without considered thought can pose great risks. If we look at this from the customer’s perspective we will see their wary cynicism of the new and shiny, and recognise their desire for transparency, continuity and familiarity as well as their need to be up with the latest. Many have long memories and know from lessons learned often the new and flashy is quickly dated.

Equally being closed off to the ‘new’ is just as bad because we could miss vital signals that may lead us to better places. Either way throwing out the basics or being closed off to the ‘new’ will leave us worse off.

In 2010, wise business/sales leaders and people will embrace the ‘new’ but not forget the basics.

The Back to Basics Checklist includes having:

1. A vision with clear intention, purpose, values and actions – what do we stand for and how do we act?

2. Clear sales strategy and tactical plan articulated at a business, state/regional, and sales person level. This would include:

Sales goals
Clear market message
Client segmentation including account management, new business development and service support
Competitor analysis – direct and emerging
Go-to-market sales tactics including how we make contact with prospects and customers
Clear Input and Output Measurements (role clarity, clear performance expectations, team unity, etc.)

3. Sound Sales Processes and Frameworks including:

Sales management knowledge, skills, and mindset (coaching, performance management, strategy, recruitment, leadership, etc.)
Sales Planning knowledge, skills, and mindset
Prospecting knowledge, skills, and mindset (Sourcing Leads, networking – new social media opportunities; Proactive prospecting activities like making telephone calls to new prospects, existing or lapsed clients; doing and monitoring your activities on a daily basis)
Selling knowledge, skills, and mindset (client meetings, pitching, presentations, negotiation, account management, customer service, conflict resolution, territory management, proposal development, etc.)
Self Management knowledge, skills, and mindset (monitoring self talk, analysing a situation accurately, taking care of personal health and well being, working with a sense of purpose and clarity)

Keeping our sales basics in tune will help us while we integrate and experiment with the ‘new’ such as social media and other new advances coming into our markets. It’s about finding out what is effective and then weaving in the ‘new’ and trialing it to see how it enhances or detracts from our sales efforts. Investing large amounts of money and effort into one sales approach leaves us vulnerable. It’s about having a blended sales approach and fine tuning it to meet our customers and our needs for being in business.

By knowing who and how to target customers and being well skilled in sales planning, prospecting, and client communication we will keep sales happening. By sticking to the basics and integrating the ‘new’ bit by bit we will work out how Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, Sales 2.0, Social media and all the other innovations will work best for us and how we need to keep on selling. With change comes opportunity and challenges.

I suggest we repeat the mantra ‘hasten slowly’ and keep doing the basics while considering, trialing, evaluating, and integrating the new. In 2010 the focus will be on selective incorporation, based on customers, community, company, and self, while still remembering the basics that got us where we are today.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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How do I deal with client objections?

February 3, 2010 in Communication, Customer Service, Negotiation, Sales Skills

Many sales people will tell you one of the biggest worries in sales, besides prospecting, is dealing with customer objections. Its true many people do not like dealing with objections or conflict, however, it is also true that many people unintentionally create objections and conflict by not understanding a customer’s real needs or priorities and failing to find common ground.

In my opinion ‘overcoming objections’ is often blown out of proportion in terms of the issue it claims to be. Too much time and attention is spent on objections in sales meetings and sales training rather than focusing on the skills and resources needed to help sales people eliminate objections from the sales process in the first place.

The two key strategies to eliminating the issue of objections are: Having a sound, logical sales communication process that sets you up to understand where a customer or prospect is coming from, what they value, what their real priorities are, why and when they are ready to make a decision to buy, and how sophisticated they are; and a sound knowledge of your offerings and how it fits or serves your market.

Utilising your very best communication skills such as focused questioning, active listening, verifying and paraphrasing, and creative problem solving are keys to eliminating objections and creating a dynamic, productive sales and buying experience for you and the customer.

Let’s rethink labelling every customer question or concern as an objection. A customer asking a question about your product or service, seeking further clarification on a matter, or expressing confusion over a new product are not grounds for an objection, they are merely trying to understand what you or the product/service does in more detail.

They are often trying to see if there is match between you and them. As sales people we should welcome these enquiries as the customer is fully engaged, showing interest, and seeking to find common ground as to whether to work with us or eliminate us from the equation. This should not be grounds for fear and loathing.

So what is an objection? An objection, as defined by www.dictionary.com, is a reason or argument offered in disagreement, opposition, refusal, or disapproval.

Based on this definition, in many cases sales people are not trying to overcome objections, they are working with the customer who is seeking information or clarification for a mutually beneficial outcome, the sale. Dealing with nonconforming ideas or helping a customer coordinate a viable solution requires understanding, collaboration, and creative problem solving skills on the part of the sales person, not overcoming objection skills.

There are four common areas sales people come across which can, if not properly dealt with, lead to objections (and reactions):

1.   Misunderstanding – correct it
2.   Doubt – resolve it
3.   Limitation – compromise or put it into perspective
4.   Question – answer it

The reality is if you and the customer have not found common ground or agreement on an action to move the sale forward to the next logical stage it does not necessarily mean you have encountered an objection. It may just mean a viable sales opportunity may not exist. However, if you have not listened to the customer, tried to force your ideas onto them without their consent, or tried to bully them into a sale then the customer may object, and rightly so.

If during any stage, especially the last stage of the selling process, you encounter strong objections or indecision from your customer, it likely means one or more of these problems may exist:

You didn’t really understand your customer’s/prospect’s needs or priorities in the first place and tried to put forward solutions they do not want
Your customer/prospect doesn’t perceive having a need i.e. they maybe an uniformed buyer
Your customer/prospect is not looking for a solution, i.e. maybe they are just on a fact finding mission
You have not shown your customer/prospect what they think they need, i.e. there is a clash due to a mismatch between what you perceive as important and what they perceive as important
Your customer/prospect cannot see any real value in your offering
Your customer/prospect is not ready to buy yet
Your customer/prospect does not have confidence in you or your company
Your customer/prospect has unrealistic expectations you will never meet
Your customer/prospect has other agendas or loyalties that do not understood, i.e. they have biases and are unlikely to buy from your not matter what

These situations and others like them are the realities of selling. Our job as sales people it to properly understand our customers, their situation, their preferences, priorities, challenges, goals, and come up with viable solutions that are a win:win for both parties, or determine that a ‘no sale’ exists. Either way everyone is in the know about what to expect which should reduce the need to object. However, sometimes there is no simple solution to a customer’s concerns. A customer will hesitate to move forward and if you can’t find a solution, maybe you can negotiate a resolution.

If you do happen to come across a real objection, below is a seven step process for handling objections:

Deal with the objection straight away, don’t ignore it.
Be trustworthy and empathise with feelings that are expressed; Use an appropriate manner by remaining calm, showing respect, and using positive language (talk about what can be done rather than what can’t be done).
Utilise your most effective communication skills, remembering to: actively listen, question, solve problems, avoid making personal judgments, be flexible, and work together.
Ask questions to determine the real objection.
Restate objections to clarify the issue and gain agreement from the customer that this is their real concern.
Work towards seeing the situation from the customer’s point of view
Select a course of action which may include negotiating a resolution.

In short, the key to handling and eliminating objections effectively can only occur when open communication, cooperation and collaboration exist, however it is important to check and make sure it is a legitimate objection first.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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