Do you sell one thing and one thing only? Probably not. I suspect your business has a range of things it can offer. And I suspect that many of these things can be integrated together to make an end-to-end solution or various combinations that lead to much larger sales.

I wanted to see how open minded he was so I asked him had he defined what this new type of person would look like. He said ‘no’. I suggested there were a number of ways he could approach this and I proposed two options to him:

1. At best we could develop and map the ideal sales person profile for his business model, build a recruitment kit he and his managers could use to properly assess the candidates, supply the right assessment tools and then provide feedback.
2. At worst he could just use the tool and we provide feedback as originally requested.

He was very happy to explore this further. I committed to getting him a detailed proposal that day. Which I did. Besides everything mentioned previously, I also included 2 bullet points outlining sales and sales management training which could form part of their induction training. (you just never know)
After I sent the proposal, I received a call the next day asking me to elaborate on the 2 bullets points around the sales and sales management training piece as well. Which I did.

By the way, whilst they paid more, it was worth it to them because their new ‘breed’ of sales people achieved:

• Achieved a sales closing ratio of 4:3 within 2 months ·
• Sold the annual sales budget within 5 months.

My client was very happy and said he and his team had learned a lot about how to select in and develop sales people; skills they hadn’t had before and could now take with them anywhere they went. In turn, he referred me on to other areas within the business and so the journey and sales continue.

Here are some handy hints to help you up sell and cross sell:

1. Product Knowledge: know all your products well
2. Product Associations & Combinations: Know how your products integrate with each other and how they form a bigger picture. This goes with this goes with that, etc.
3. New topics: know how to introduce relevant new topics and products into the conversation.
4. Education: Don’t underestimate your value in terms of the education you bring to clients
5. Pricing structure: know how your pricing works: the structures, bundling, unbundling, volume pricing, various product pricing combinations, etc

For more information try this research site: www.findarticles.com.

‘It’s out of my control.’ ‘I can’t do anything about it.’ ‘I’m just the sales person.’

LISTEN – Listen carefully to your customer. Don’t interrupt or tell the customer to calm down, this will only ignite the anger. ·
EMPATHIZE – Feel the pain of the customer, and tell her that you can understand how they feel.
APOLOGIZE – Apologize to the customer, even if you feel that you have no part in the problem. Do not blame the customer, but there is no need to take the blame yourself! ·
REACT – Decide what you will do to resolve the problem, and tell this to the customer.
NOW! – Do not delay. Take immediate action! The longer you wait, the harder it is to produce outstanding customer service.

Today people are looking for honesty and authenticity and do not have time to be misled. They want to work with people who are what they say they are. They are assessing your every word and action. They are looking beneath the surface and are wanting to see the real you.

Many people are now more wary about companies and sales people making big claims and promises with lots of ‘sizzle’. They are wary of the ‘charmers’ and the sales people after the ‘big kill’. What they are now looking for is the steak and all that comes with it: i.e. what kind of steak is it? How it was it grown, prepared and cooked? Where did it come from? Is it grown in an environmentally friendly, humane manner? etc. They no longer want to confuse packaging with substance. They look for evidence at every turn and how you align with the promises you make.

Sales is now getting personal. The spotlight is now squarely on the sales person and the business they represent. Their actions and words are scrutinised every day.

Going (not quite gone) are the days of the ‘charmers’ who try to seduce you into buying something – the term often used in this situation is ‘getting into bed’. In recent times I have seen some sales people, salesmen to be precise, usually with 20+ years sales careers whose whole sales strategy was to seduce people with their charm, designer suits, Tiffany cufflinks and personal flair. Their preference was always for face-to-face meetings – none of this telephone stuff (meaning it is much harder to dazzle you over the phone).

I have even seen them try their ‘charm’ offensive on colleagues and myself in training sessions. But we were having none of it. In fact it was very inappropriate and quite embarrassing, mostly for them. What we found was that they shied away from acknowledging the relevance of effective selling skills like questioning, active listening, problem solving, etc. and didn’t like being put under the spot light when it to came to participating in competency oriented role plays and validating themselves. Instead they complained and tried to distract us with their charm again. Some of these men had also found they were in and out of sales jobs more quickly in recent times, with one man having 4 sales jobs in different companies in the last four years. He was clearly frustrated and was struggling to come to terms that his ‘charm’ strategy wasn’t working anymore. He and others like him hadn’t adapted nor recognised that people want more than the packaging on show they are wanting substance.

Then there is the overly competitive, self centred, soloist sales people who want everything for themselves – everyone else, even their peers, are either there to serve them or are competition. And they want to win and win big. Being on top of everyone else is what they want – but I ask you at whose expense? They see sales as a sport, more precisely Big Game Fishing or Hunting. Customer are ‘Targets’. Getting a Sale is referred to as ‘the Kill’. Customers are regarded as objects to be possessed or trophies to be placed in their cabinet, to be shown off and admired (perversely so) like stuffed animal heads on the wall.

Quite frankly, as a customer I do not want to be possessed, or displayed like a trophy nor do I want to be seduced or charmed into ‘getting into bed’ with someone. I want to be in a productive effective relationship. Like I said before I do not have the time to be misled nor do I want to be misled, coerced, bullied or intimidated into buying.

Thank goodness these types are dying (al beit slowly) and making way for a more enlightened, consultative, big picture focused, business oriented, cooperative sales person who is well organised, disciplined, can prospect proactively, is fully aware of their product and business’ value to their customer market, their competitive edge and how to make business work for them and their customers.

They are fit, well-presented, up to date, self aware and relevant – and they are not just female. There are more men out there working this way too. I am also noticing a growing trend among younger men who recognise the need to be more integrated as sales people and people as a whole. In fact I have three men this week alone mention this without prompting. What they and others like them recognise is that if we only focus on competition for competition’s sake or try to seduce people with our charm we are apt to miss the main point; which is:

Without the cooperation and kindness of others we cannot exist.

That is why I am finding more and more people saying they want to work with others (suppliers, partners and customers) in a spirit of cooperation, consultation and respect not competition or deceit. This personal insight and awareness makes for much better sales people and much better sales results.

Terms such as Account Development, Account Management and Territory Management are often interchanged indiscriminately by many a sales people and managers thus creating confusion when it comes to sales planning, portfolio allocation and recruiting the right kind of sales person for your business.

I thought it might helpful to define these terms and give you a little more perspective.

All sales people involved in developing long term viable business relationships with the right kind of customers should be doing Account Development: Here is our definition of Account Development taken from the BARRETT Sales Competency Dictionary.

Account Development: Develops account profiles and plans for each customer with a thorough understanding of the customer’s business and their needs and works with that business to yield greater penetration rates for further viable sales.

It makes sense.  However, when it comes to field sales planning it is critical, not just to know whom you are calling on and how you are calling on them, but to know what type of portfolio allocation and management your sales portfolio requires. 

Are you and your sales team working a territory or account management strategy? 

The difference is quite important if you want to run a successful well managed sales team and business.  Let’s look at the two most common terms used when it comes to sales portfolio management:

Account Management

Relates to a Sales Representative entrusted with managing an account or series of accounts.  This, for example, would include the responsibilities for locating and negotiating to acquire clients’ accounts within a Territory, State or Nationally.  Account Management is not necessarily territory bound in practice, however, it does involve:

• positioning yourself and your business at multiple levels with the client account,
• handling all major decisions related to that specific client and
• working with all key people within that account including the key decision makers, influencers, coaches, etc. 

True Account Management is usually reserved for larger, more complex accounts requiring one or more of a team of people to manage the account(s) from the supplier.

Territory Management

Relates, in the main, to a Sales Representative or Merchandiser with a Territory to manage – this is most common in businesses such as:

• Pharmaceutical Sales: calling on GP’s, Hospitals and Pharmacies within a specific geographical area.
• Selling into Retail: selling into and managing all the different retail stores in their territory i.e. Supermarkets, etc.
• Some Mortgage Franchise Sales: in a number of these franchises, they have set Mortgage Brokers up with a designated geographical territory calling on consumers within that area.

Therefore how should your sales team currently be operating?

If you are unsure about what is right for you here is some information from www.sykronix.com, a marketing research portal that might help you:

REASONS FOR ESTABLISHING SALES TERRITORIES

Better coverage – salespeople cannot cherry pick; territory assignments constrain salespeople to work with less profitable customers or prospects as well as the most desirable accounts

Reduced selling costs – assigning responsibility to a single salesperson ensures that there is no overlap in coverage; customers and prospects are called upon by only one salesperson

Improved customer service – assigning responsibility to a single salesperson helps to ensure that all customers and prospects receive adequate servicing

More accurate evaluation of performance – if territories are relatively equal with regard to workload and potential, then salesperson performance can be compared on an equal basis; if territories are unequal in a known way, then adjustments can be made in evaluation of unequal performance

WHEN NOT TO ESTABLISH SALES TERRITORIES

Sales coverage is far below sales potential – e.g., a new company wants to cherry pick for the most profitable prospects first

The sales force is highly specialized – e.g., when the sales force is organized along the lines of product specialty rather than along the lines of customer location

Sales are made on the basis of personal contacts and by referrals

SOME GUIDELINES FOR DESIGNING TERRITORIES

Sufficient potential – with insufficient potential, a salaried salesperson will not be used effectively, and commissioned salespeople will leave the company for greener pastures

Reasonable size – is a salesperson’s time being spent traveling or making face-to-face sales calls?

Adequate coverage – is the salesperson able to service all accounts and able to meet new prospects?

Minimum impediments – try to set territories such that rivers, mountains, railroads, etc. set the borders of territories rather than run through the middle.

DESIGNING TERRITORIES

Determine appropriate focal points and boundary areas

Political boundaries – state, city, county, etc.

MSAs –

Trading areas –

Natural boundaries – mountains, rivers, railroads, etc.

Determine territory shape for efficient use of time and routing

Wedge – slices of a pie; use when salespeople work out of a common office

Circle (or square) – use when salespeople work out of a home office

P.S. Then there is

Category Management: Relates to someone being given the responsibility of managing a ‘Category’, example ‘Footwear’, they would manage Shoes, Socks, etc. but they would not be responsible for shirts etc.

Also thanks to Tom at Golden Circle for the additional insights.