I was running a ‘train the sales trainer’ session with some experienced, professional Sales Managers the other day.  The session I ran is designed to equip these managers to run mini sales training modules of as part of our sales fitness programs.  Many manages are not trained facilitators and so we make sure we give them the information they need to set up an effective learning environment.   All was going well until we came across the content entitled “Creating the right learning environment” which is a practical guide about what you need to prepare and take into account when setting up your room environment.

I happened to mention (and wrongly assumed) that this was pretty straight forward and was familiar to most professional people and we could do a quick scan and move on.   However, one of the Sales Managers informed us that this was not always the case as the previous sales manager, whom he had recently taken over from, used to run some of his sales meetings and one-on-one performance reviews at a restaurant chain known for its scantily clad, big breasted waitresses.   And occasionally he decided to run these sessions at the local strip club as well.  Needless to say the sales manager in question did not last very long in his role.

I had thought (and hoped) we had progressed somewhat as professional business people, but clearly some people are still stuck in the 70’s and 80’s where similar stories were more common place.  I really didn’t think it happened today but clearly I was wrong.   I would be interested to know if this still goes in some industries today (I hope not but may find that it happens more than I had expected).

So rather than assume everyone knows how to set up the right environment I thought it might be prudent to remind us all of the key things we need to consider when setting up:

• A training session
• A coaching session
• A performance review
• A  sales meeting

For learning, feedback or a meeting to take place effectively you need to create a comfortable and safe environment. For this to occur you need to plan and arrange the environment and resources you will need for your session or meeting.

Whether you are training or coaching on-the-job or in a training room, giving feedback or holding a meeting, there are a number of things you should consider before you start (most, if not all, will be relevant):

• How many participants will be involved?
• Is the size of the location adequate?
• Is the location available?
• How will tables and chairs be arranged?
• Does the area have adequate lighting?
• Is the area quiet enough?
• Is the temperature comfortable? Is there adequate ventilation?
• Is the location accessible?
• Is the location private? (able to be closed to the outside world)
• Do you know where all the facilities are, for example, the toilets?
• Does the location have enough power points? Do you know where they are?
• Are training aids available?
• Are there any OH&S requirements you will need to consider?

As a sales manager, even if you are providing coaching advice to a salesperson in the car after a client meeting (which often happens) please consider the advice above.  For instance having the radio on while giving feedback or giving very specific feedback on a difficult area for development while the person in question is driving is probably not a good idea.

The manager, coach or trainer who is committed to accelerating the learning process of their people must attend to creating an optimal learning or meeting environment which also includes it being safe on all levels.
Sincerely, your advocate for selling the right way.

1. “My most important appointment is prospecting and I do it first up every day.”
2. “I qualify all leads I generate and have an approach to handle those that aren’t ready yet.”
3. “People appreciate a professional sales approach and are able to make an informed decision to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ because I clearly explain, up front, my reason for contacting them using a customer centred approach.  They need only say ‘no’ if they’re not interested.”
4. “I have a list of categorised prospects or influencers and a set approach for each category.”

Is this what you say, and how you feel and act about prospecting?

These four points about an exceptional prospector support our findings from over 40 years of international empirical research into prospecting behaviours.

Over the past 14 years, my team has conducted thousands of psychological assessments and interviews with both managers and salespeople about their prospecting and sales behaviours.

Our research has consistently revealed that salespeople often experience their greatest difficulties, dissatisfaction, and anxiety at the prospecting stage of the sales cycle.  Meanwhile, Sales Managers repeatedly express their frustration that they cannot find salespeople who are competent, confident, and motivated to prospect for new business.

Prospecting requires sales people to establish contact with people who might buy your products or services. Whether it is phone, face-to-face or group prospecting, inbound or outbound, nothing gets sold until you get in front of and/or talk to potential buyers.

Definition of Prospecting

Prospecting is looking for, qualifying, and pursuing potential sales opportunities with new and existing customers and appropriately developing viable prospects into profitable sales.

40 years of International Empirical Research in Prospecting
(Research Reference: Behavioral Sciences Research Press)

The research showed that the main predictor for success in sales is the amount of contact initiated with prospective buyers on a consistent basis!

Across industries, the sales people who sell the most are those who are most willing to get out and get in front of prospective buyers on a consistent daily basis. They sell more because, regardless of their talent, experience or knowledge, they always have new people to sell to.  They are visible and they manage their visibility so that customers know who they are and what they can do.

The hesitation to initiate contact with prospective buyers on a consistent daily basis is more responsible for the failure of competent, motivated, capable, revenue generating sales people than any other single factor. Nothing else even comes close.

Despite content or quality, no training can earn back what it costs until and unless sales people initiate contact in sufficient numbers with new and existing clients.

It is a reality that in order to achieve and exceed sales targets through attracting new business, a significant part of the process is going to come down to how well a sales person is able to apply themselves to the prospecting process.

So Prospecting Comes First!

Prospecting is not the only part of selling, or even the most important, however if you want to grow your business it must come first.  Unless a sales person will consistently prospect for new business, what difference does it make if they are empathetic or knows the product?

The Good News

While most sales people, by far, experience their greatest difficulties, dissatisfaction, and anxiety at the prospecting stage of the sales cycle, the good news is that many of their issues can be overcome and usually boil down to 2 key areas:

1. Lack of training in how to prospect effectively:  most people are thrown in the deep end and not given adequate training in clear processes and tools to show them how to prospect effectively.
2. Misconstrued beliefs and attitudes around prospecting: leading to people generating fear-based thoughts, and responses towards prospecting – in other words they avoid prospecting because they are scared of it.  These attitudes and subsequent behavioural responses are entirely learnt and can be easily unlearnt with the right support.

If you are at all concerned about your prospecting effectiveness, don’t worry you can address your concerns by using the right approach:

• If you don’t know how to prospect but are not scared to have a go then get skills training specifically covering a structured prospecting process and techniques.
• If you are afraid to prospect whether you are trained in a prospecting process and techniques or not then you would benefit from gaining insight into your beliefs and attitudes around your hesitation to prospect.  (This can be achieved with purpose built assessments and qualified feedback)

If you want advice, coaching or skills training on prospecting process and techniques call us on (+61) 03 9532 7677 or email contact@barrett.com.au

If you want to read more about effective prospecting go to Peak performance in prospecting

Sincerely, your advocate for selling the right way.

• Are you finding that you are over servicing your existing clients and not bringing in new business?
• Are you running out of time each week to do the important sales jobs such as prospecting?
• Are you at risk of not meeting your sales budget?

In my many interactions with sales people I have found that many find they have problems prioritising their week.  They often get caught up in activities that do not produce revenue, leaving them vulnerable.

Let’s look at the key activities that should feature as priorities in most sales people jobs:

Revenue Generating Activities
Direct

• Prospecting (phone calls, etc.)
• New business client meetings (with new prospects and existing accounts)
• Account management
• Proposal development, submission and pitch
• Proposal follow-up
• Referrals

Indirect

• Advertising
• Networking
• Pipeline management

Support Activities

• Customer service
• Sales meetings
• Internal meetings
• Administration
• Professional development

Where are you investing your time?

Without a systematic method of finding clients you will rarely produce outstanding sales results.

In order for a sales person to be successful in their role they need to organise their week and their time.

This concept quite simply is called an ideal week.

An ideal week is designed to help sales people be more focused and more productive by chunking key tasks together.  For example, in many ways it makes sense for sales person to be in the office in the morning followed by appointments with clients in the marketplace in the afternoon.  This means that all administration and prospecting activities are out of the way early, leaving the afternoon to really focus on clients’ needs.

There is no one ‘right’ ideal week, however having a structure and focus in how to set up your appointments, administration, and prospecting time will be one of the keys to you becoming rapidly successful.

Experienced sales people may need to come back every 3 to 6 months and review their ideal week to ensure that it’s delivering a great result.

A Systematic Method

A systematic method of finding clients is critical for a Salesperson’s success.

We need to ensure that time is put aside each day to prospect, so that we can continue to feed our pipeline of new clients.   Importantly, we need ensure that we have a consistent and ongoing focus on finding new clients.

Our ideal week needs to include personal time, finding time, and selling time, so that our time is filled with $ productive activity.

Example of an Ideal Week 1

In this example the sales person has chosen to have three days in the marketplace with Monday and Friday being focused on setting up for the current and coming weeks.  Monday is reserved primarily for prospecting and Friday is reserved for planning, administration, research, and catch up, as well as some sales management support*.

Example of an Ideal Week 2

In this example the sales person has chosen to have mornings in the office and afternoons in the marketplace. examples can and will work well. Both of these examples can and will work well. The key is having an ideal week and using this as a benchmark for faster decision making. It’s important to understand that the week will probably never work out 100% like this, but it gives us a benchmark for how to structure our week for maximum productivity.

* Sales Management Coaching and SupportIt is unlikely that an experienced sales person would have a one-on-one coaching session every week, especially highly experienced sales people.  However, do not forget to spend regular time (say once a month at least) with an experienced sales person as they too can benefit greatly from personal development.Whereas, new sales people should be having a one-on-one coaching session every week to get them up to speed as quickly as possible.

Sincerely, your advocate for selling the right way.

It is well documented that being healthy (physically, emotionally, and mentally) is vital to leading an effective and productive life.

In sales your health is a critical factor to your success.  Many highly successful sales people I meet are self disciplined in all aspects of their life ensuring they are fit, healthy and well trained in their profession.

Having a healthy sales career is underpinned by the individuals healthy life style, and a well managed business which includes good sales support, clear goals and leadership.

I have written before in a previous post Healthy salespeople, healthy sales about the issues associated with poor health and inconsistent sales, especially the ‘boozy’ culture associated with some sales teams and sales cultures.  Sadly this stereo type if often the only one portrayed in the media further perpetuating this type of behaviour.   Yet this is not the behaviour we see in healthy sales people and sales teams.

However another issue we see more often now is overwork, especially with some high achieving sales people and teams.

We Australians are known for working excessive hours and for not taking our quota of annual leave.   This is not a good recipe for ongoing success as I can attest to myself, having burnout a few years ago from over work.

It is very tempting in these challenging times to work longer and longer hours and one could be (almost) forgiven for not taking time off, feeling the need to work more than ever before.

The problem is if you are already overworked and now further distressed by the current business climate then you could be setting yourself up for bigger problems in the future namely your health.

However the issue of overwork is being further exacerbated in some business sectors by excessive cost cutting, which is leaving sales teams under resourced.  A number of sales people are reporting that they are losing the support people from their teams, or worse still being asked to pick up larger and larger territories when sales people leave and are not replaced.

The conscientious ones will try to pick up the slack and put in more hours trying to make up for the lack of resources.  This then leaves them tired and eventually vulnerable to burn out.

One person I met now has to manage over 300 clients, up from 100, with a full service offering in a complex sales environment which they admitted was impossible. This person is a good operator and takes pride in doing a good job but now they cannot deliver to the standards expected and are left feeling overwhelmed, distressed and demotivated.

While I know we may have some sales people who are not and may never pull their weight and need to go, penalising those who are doing their best to keep sales coming by not resourcing them properly is a recipe for sales and business disaster.

Overwork and lack of support are not recipes for a healthy life, a healthy career or a healthy business.

Burn out due to overwork can be an issue for some high performing sales people in the good times, but let’s not make it worse and create a burnout epidemic by cutting vital sales support such as administration, marketing support, etc. or overburdening our sales people because  we feel the pressure of tough times.

The one thing you cannot afford to lose in this climate are your effective sales performers.

In these challenging times it may seem counter intuitive to take time out, however regularly taking time out to rest, relax, exercise, socialize, be with family, have a small holiday, gain perspective are important to our wellbeing.  This coupled with a healthy diet, and being around people with health mindsets and ‘can do’ attitudes are vital to keep us going.   I would encourage you to encourage your sales people to look after themselves.

And you could look after them by providing appropriate support and being realistic in your business expectations.

These approaches are vital to leading a healthy sales career and team.

Sincerely, your advocate for selling the right way.