Fridays are notorious for being the day salespeople start late and leave early (Especially in Business to Business Sales) - that's if they decide to work at all. Our team is lucky in the sense that they have a Sales Manager who has made every mistake they have made, or will make in the future. Our team is also lucky because I generally know what they are thinking before they think it. I'm a realist - sometimes to a fault.
Every Friday I hear the same lame excuses for why a salesperson isn't working.
- "Josh, I cold called for a few hours this morning and no decision makers are working."
- "Josh, every business I've called went to voicemail."
- "Josh, you know Friday's are horrible for cold calling."
- "Come on, if you ran a business would you be working today. It's gorgeous outside."
Salespeople like the ones above are full-of-it. I've been there though. Early in my career I pleaded with my Sales Manager to let me leave early. I came up with way better excuses than the ones above and the sad part is - my Sales Manager's either bought it or didn't care enough to argue with me.
After being a typical salesperson for a while, going into debt and working too hard; I now see Friday's as fun days. They are the days I write most of my orders. Let me put it this way; all week you've been following up, pitching, tweaking proposals and hammering away - Friday is like the universal 'get 'er done day' (Excuse the Fargo-ian reference). For most people, everything that was on the to-do list Monday, gets scratched off on Fridays. If you're persistent, available and have a good weekly value proposition; you'll ink loads of orders on Fridays.
As with everything in sales; If you THINK you won't make money on Fridays - you won't. If you THINK you will make money on Friday's - you will. It's 11:55 Friday morning and I have a rep who finalized three orders this morning and a another rep who finalized two.
I'll write a piece on the weekly value proposition next week. People generally want to have less things to worry about and they want to have less on their plate. By combining people's human nature with a weekly value proposition; Fridays are FANTASTIC selling days for true Sales Professionals.
Think I'm full of it? What did you do this morning?
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Biggest Mistakes Salespeople Make.
Donald Trump said, "Without passion you have no enthusiasm, without enthusiasm you have nothing."
If ever someone is a poster child for failing upwards, Donald Trump is. He has made lots of mistakes. We make mistakes every single day. Learning from them is great but some mistakes cannot be undone.
In sales, there are three mistakes that guarantee you are not successful:
1) Not realizing how important your attitude is to your success. You wake up every morning and you have more choices than you realize. You can decide to make $100 that day or $1000. You can decide to hit the snooze button, not shave or watch Sports Center. I haven't hit the snooze button on my alarm clock in 4 years! Have you? Your attitude dictates your success - no question about it. One hundred years ago or so, Napoleon Hill (Sign Up for the Daily Newsletter) wrote something like - Whatever the mind can believe and conceive it can achieve. Ain't that the truth! A huge part of being a successful Sales Professional is thinking you can and expecting positive results.
2) Getting into sales for the money. Again, The Donald is right. If you don't love what you do, you will never be as successful as you could be. You will never achieve all the goals you've set for yourself. Passionless sales people don't make anywhere near the money an enthusiastic and passionate Sales Professional does. You have to love this profession to be the best. Being a Sales Professional is like being the driver of a roller coaster - it's intense, exhilarating and fun as hell. If you're in sales for the money - QUIT. Go be a lawyer or lobbyist.
3) Excuse making and blaming others. If you are the type of person who always finds a way to pass the buck, sales is not for you. The great thing about being a Sales Professional is that the buck ALWAYS stops at you. You control your destiny. Whiners don't make it in sales. Your computers crashed - whine. Your car broke down - whine. UPS lost the package I sent - whine. Why don't you go back to your Mom's house and live there. Then while you are at it, you can tell your Sales Manager that your dog ate your proposal and the prospect didn't buy because your prices are too high (you baby). Not taking full responsibility for your success doesn't work in sales. In the old days they would say that cold calling outside sales separates the Men from the Boys. Really it just separates the losers from the winners. Making excuses is for losers. So in short, if you don't make it in sales - you're likely a loser.
If this offended you, I feel sorry for your organization. If this inspired you to grow and evolve from a typical salesperson to Great Sales Professional - email me and I have a great position for you.
If ever someone is a poster child for failing upwards, Donald Trump is. He has made lots of mistakes. We make mistakes every single day. Learning from them is great but some mistakes cannot be undone.
In sales, there are three mistakes that guarantee you are not successful:
1) Not realizing how important your attitude is to your success. You wake up every morning and you have more choices than you realize. You can decide to make $100 that day or $1000. You can decide to hit the snooze button, not shave or watch Sports Center. I haven't hit the snooze button on my alarm clock in 4 years! Have you? Your attitude dictates your success - no question about it. One hundred years ago or so, Napoleon Hill (Sign Up for the Daily Newsletter) wrote something like - Whatever the mind can believe and conceive it can achieve. Ain't that the truth! A huge part of being a successful Sales Professional is thinking you can and expecting positive results.
2) Getting into sales for the money. Again, The Donald is right. If you don't love what you do, you will never be as successful as you could be. You will never achieve all the goals you've set for yourself. Passionless sales people don't make anywhere near the money an enthusiastic and passionate Sales Professional does. You have to love this profession to be the best. Being a Sales Professional is like being the driver of a roller coaster - it's intense, exhilarating and fun as hell. If you're in sales for the money - QUIT. Go be a lawyer or lobbyist.
3) Excuse making and blaming others. If you are the type of person who always finds a way to pass the buck, sales is not for you. The great thing about being a Sales Professional is that the buck ALWAYS stops at you. You control your destiny. Whiners don't make it in sales. Your computers crashed - whine. Your car broke down - whine. UPS lost the package I sent - whine. Why don't you go back to your Mom's house and live there. Then while you are at it, you can tell your Sales Manager that your dog ate your proposal and the prospect didn't buy because your prices are too high (you baby). Not taking full responsibility for your success doesn't work in sales. In the old days they would say that cold calling outside sales separates the Men from the Boys. Really it just separates the losers from the winners. Making excuses is for losers. So in short, if you don't make it in sales - you're likely a loser.
If this offended you, I feel sorry for your organization. If this inspired you to grow and evolve from a typical salesperson to Great Sales Professional - email me and I have a great position for you.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
You're a Scum Bag!
Sales Rep: "I had the worst day ever! This bitch at XYZ Corp. kicked me out of the building and told me she was going to call the cops."
Me: "That happens all the time when you're new at this. I've only been kicked out of maybe three buildings in my entire life. What could you have done differently?"
Sales Rep: "Nothing. I was polite. I told her I was from _______ and then gave her a brochure and started telling her why we are better than their current provider."
Me: "What else did you tell her?"
Sales Rep: "I told her we would save her money and that we've been in the business for 75 years and, I don't know...a bunch of stuff. She kept saying she wasn't interested so I kept telling her why she should give me 5 minutes of her time."
Me: "Did you ask her anything?"
Sales Rep: "Not really, I didn't get the chance. She kicked me out after me being there for only 5 minutes."
I have conversations with salespeople just like the one above about once a week. They give me the same excuses as the week before, take no responsibility for the prospect's actions and they whine. Why do cold calls sometimes end with the salesperson being kicked out of the office? That's easy: BECAUSE THEY ARE A SALESPERSON.
In order to be successful at selling, (or any form of persuasion for that matter) you must be able to mentally trade places with the person you are speaking with. You have to understand their mindset, trade places with them and be sympathetic to what they are feeling.
Every training session I conduct, I ask the salespeople one question: What do people think of when they hear the word 'salesperson'? The answers vary, but the following four come out every single time:
-Pushy/Closers
-Greedy/Only worried about their commission
-Fake
-Slimy/Greasy/Used Car Salesmen/Scumbag etc.
This exercise is beneficial because it is a HUGE wake up call for many salespeople. It shouldn't be. We've all dealt with a salesperson like the one described above. However, for some reason, as soon as you get your business cards many of you adopt a holier than thou persona.
The facts are these:
-You are a salesperson.
-You are stereotyped to be the typical salesperson.
-The typical salesperson is the one we've just defined.
-The typical salesperson is a failure.
-The typical salesperson scares people.
-The typical salesperson puts people on edge and makes them put a wall up.
-The typical salesperson is the last person people want to talk to. You're right up there with ex-wives and mother in laws.
Now that you have this information, it is your goal to separate yourself from every other salesperson out there and become a Sales Professional. You can start separating yourself by asking questions instead of stating facts. Next, you can do the exact opposite of what a your think the typical sales person would do. Every interaction with a customer is a chance to change what they think about you and your profession.
Next time you are with a customer, remember, they hate you and you are a scumbag - until you convince them otherwise.
Me: "That happens all the time when you're new at this. I've only been kicked out of maybe three buildings in my entire life. What could you have done differently?"
Sales Rep: "Nothing. I was polite. I told her I was from _______ and then gave her a brochure and started telling her why we are better than their current provider."
Me: "What else did you tell her?"
Sales Rep: "I told her we would save her money and that we've been in the business for 75 years and, I don't know...a bunch of stuff. She kept saying she wasn't interested so I kept telling her why she should give me 5 minutes of her time."
Me: "Did you ask her anything?"
Sales Rep: "Not really, I didn't get the chance. She kicked me out after me being there for only 5 minutes."
I have conversations with salespeople just like the one above about once a week. They give me the same excuses as the week before, take no responsibility for the prospect's actions and they whine. Why do cold calls sometimes end with the salesperson being kicked out of the office? That's easy: BECAUSE THEY ARE A SALESPERSON.
In order to be successful at selling, (or any form of persuasion for that matter) you must be able to mentally trade places with the person you are speaking with. You have to understand their mindset, trade places with them and be sympathetic to what they are feeling.
Every training session I conduct, I ask the salespeople one question: What do people think of when they hear the word 'salesperson'? The answers vary, but the following four come out every single time:
-Pushy/Closers
-Greedy/Only worried about their commission
-Fake
-Slimy/Greasy/Used Car Salesmen/Scumbag etc.
This exercise is beneficial because it is a HUGE wake up call for many salespeople. It shouldn't be. We've all dealt with a salesperson like the one described above. However, for some reason, as soon as you get your business cards many of you adopt a holier than thou persona.
The facts are these:
-You are a salesperson.
-You are stereotyped to be the typical salesperson.
-The typical salesperson is the one we've just defined.
-The typical salesperson is a failure.
-The typical salesperson scares people.
-The typical salesperson puts people on edge and makes them put a wall up.
-The typical salesperson is the last person people want to talk to. You're right up there with ex-wives and mother in laws.
Now that you have this information, it is your goal to separate yourself from every other salesperson out there and become a Sales Professional. You can start separating yourself by asking questions instead of stating facts. Next, you can do the exact opposite of what a your think the typical sales person would do. Every interaction with a customer is a chance to change what they think about you and your profession.
Next time you are with a customer, remember, they hate you and you are a scumbag - until you convince them otherwise.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
The wondeful world of Email.
Now that I run a sales division, I have loads of salespeople pitching me on copiers, trade shows, marketing ideas and whatever else people sell these days. I welcome all sales calls and treat each and every one of them with respect. That is until I get an email like this:
Mr. Haddon,
I just wanted to see where we were at with that proposal...
Sincerely,
Joe Schmuck
XYZ Ltd.
"Useless tag line that offends me"
(XXX)-XXX-XXXX
What are salespeople thinking when they hit the send button after putting such little effort into earning my business? The fact of the matter is, they aren't thinking.
Email is a wonderful and easy way to non-invasively keep in touch with prospects and customers. It allows you, the salesperson, to separate yourself from every other salespeople. You can do this with minimal effort.
Sending emails like the one above; or emails with subject lines like 'touching base' or 'checking in', will fast track you to mediocrity. You must add value to the relationship and show you care. You can easily do this by sending links to e-zines, articles and useful tips that will help your customer with their success. Focus on them, not yourself or the sale. Everyone knows salespeople get paid on commission. Your customers know that every time you call, you are calling to check on your paycheque and see when you are going to get money out of them. Eliminate this feeling by caring about the customer's success and you will never worry about your paycheque again.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. How long have you not been the top earner in your organization? I guarantee if you send every single prospect an email that is useful to them, you will have greater success this year, than last.
Here's a link to some useful links, provided by Jeffrey Gitomer, my favourite sales authority.
Mr. Haddon,
I just wanted to see where we were at with that proposal...
Sincerely,
Joe Schmuck
XYZ Ltd.
"Useless tag line that offends me"
(XXX)-XXX-XXXX
What are salespeople thinking when they hit the send button after putting such little effort into earning my business? The fact of the matter is, they aren't thinking.
Email is a wonderful and easy way to non-invasively keep in touch with prospects and customers. It allows you, the salesperson, to separate yourself from every other salespeople. You can do this with minimal effort.
Sending emails like the one above; or emails with subject lines like 'touching base' or 'checking in', will fast track you to mediocrity. You must add value to the relationship and show you care. You can easily do this by sending links to e-zines, articles and useful tips that will help your customer with their success. Focus on them, not yourself or the sale. Everyone knows salespeople get paid on commission. Your customers know that every time you call, you are calling to check on your paycheque and see when you are going to get money out of them. Eliminate this feeling by caring about the customer's success and you will never worry about your paycheque again.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. How long have you not been the top earner in your organization? I guarantee if you send every single prospect an email that is useful to them, you will have greater success this year, than last.
Here's a link to some useful links, provided by Jeffrey Gitomer, my favourite sales authority.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Two ears, one mouth. 2.0
I mentioned in a previous post that I would touch on the sales practice of asking questions in order to secure an order. I understand that every product/service is unique, however, I truly believe every person is similar when it comes to how they want to buy your product or service. If you ask the right questions, you'll discover that your prospect will basically tell you how they want to be sold.
I was once challenged by my former Vice President of Sales, Sean, to spend an entire day cold calling while only asking questions. I pushed back, citing that this approach would seem salesy, flighty and unnatural. Sitting in a training room this idea seemed far fetched and unrealistic. After two weeks of sub-par selling I decided one Monday morning to give it a shot, thinking what's the worst that can happen?
I wrote 4 face to face, cold, one call orders that day. Which is my best day of cold calling in that industry to date. I was shocked and excited. At the end of the day I reflected and thought that it was just a lucky day. The rest of the week I got 2 more orders after reverting back to my old ways.
The following Monday I gave the 'questions only' method another shot. Guess what? Three more cold, one call orders. Did I become a believer in this method? You bet I did. To this day I practice this method and owe it to Sean for the tens of thousands of dollars in extra commission.
Some of the simple leading questions I use are very basic (Mostly geared for Business to Business sales. Please email me for Business to Consumer sales questions.):
-Hey there! How's business?
-Hi! I know you don't know me from a bag of potato chips, but it's hot out, is it alright if I suck up some of this Air Conditioning while I'm here?
-Hey! What do you folks do here?
-Good Morning! How's it going today?
Now, these are very basic opening lines that are questions. The answers will tell you alot about the person you are dealing with. Once I have established whether I wear my professional or funny-professional hat I continue asking only questions:
-Cool. How long have you worked here? (Alt. How long have you been married? etc)
-Wow, long time. Do you like what you do?
-It's funny, as a receptionist, everyone knows you really run the place. Do your bosses treat you well?
-What's your boss like?
-Is he/she pretty hands on or rarely in the office?
-Is this his/her card? (Alt. What is his or her name?)
Wow! Look how much information I've received. I know if the gatekeeper likes their job, has any clout in the company based on how long they've worked there, I know if they have a sense of humour. I also know what the boss is like, his/her name, management style and likely their sense of humour as well. How great!
The rest of the questions peak interest and qualify. These vary from industry to industry. One part of the question should not change. No matter what you're selling, I suggest asking in a way that activates both their personal and professional brains, like this:
-Are you or your company looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint?
-Are you or your company looking to reduce costs at all?
-Are you or your company concerned with the new H.S.T.?
-Have you or your company ever dealt with a Worker's Compensation claim?
You can alter the questions to suit your industry. The premise is still the same. By phrasing it as YOU or YOUR company, you have 2 chances per question to peak their interest. Once their interest is peaked, they will then begin to ask you questions. Once you have them interested and asking you questions, you're off to the races.
Remember, "In selling as in medicine, prescription before diagnosis is malpractice."
Who's name is at the top of your company's sales leaderboard?
I was once challenged by my former Vice President of Sales, Sean, to spend an entire day cold calling while only asking questions. I pushed back, citing that this approach would seem salesy, flighty and unnatural. Sitting in a training room this idea seemed far fetched and unrealistic. After two weeks of sub-par selling I decided one Monday morning to give it a shot, thinking what's the worst that can happen?
I wrote 4 face to face, cold, one call orders that day. Which is my best day of cold calling in that industry to date. I was shocked and excited. At the end of the day I reflected and thought that it was just a lucky day. The rest of the week I got 2 more orders after reverting back to my old ways.
The following Monday I gave the 'questions only' method another shot. Guess what? Three more cold, one call orders. Did I become a believer in this method? You bet I did. To this day I practice this method and owe it to Sean for the tens of thousands of dollars in extra commission.
Some of the simple leading questions I use are very basic (Mostly geared for Business to Business sales. Please email me for Business to Consumer sales questions.):
-Hey there! How's business?
-Hi! I know you don't know me from a bag of potato chips, but it's hot out, is it alright if I suck up some of this Air Conditioning while I'm here?
-Hey! What do you folks do here?
-Good Morning! How's it going today?
Now, these are very basic opening lines that are questions. The answers will tell you alot about the person you are dealing with. Once I have established whether I wear my professional or funny-professional hat I continue asking only questions:
-Cool. How long have you worked here? (Alt. How long have you been married? etc)
-Wow, long time. Do you like what you do?
-It's funny, as a receptionist, everyone knows you really run the place. Do your bosses treat you well?
-What's your boss like?
-Is he/she pretty hands on or rarely in the office?
-Is this his/her card? (Alt. What is his or her name?)
Wow! Look how much information I've received. I know if the gatekeeper likes their job, has any clout in the company based on how long they've worked there, I know if they have a sense of humour. I also know what the boss is like, his/her name, management style and likely their sense of humour as well. How great!
The rest of the questions peak interest and qualify. These vary from industry to industry. One part of the question should not change. No matter what you're selling, I suggest asking in a way that activates both their personal and professional brains, like this:
-Are you or your company looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint?
-Are you or your company looking to reduce costs at all?
-Are you or your company concerned with the new H.S.T.?
-Have you or your company ever dealt with a Worker's Compensation claim?
You can alter the questions to suit your industry. The premise is still the same. By phrasing it as YOU or YOUR company, you have 2 chances per question to peak their interest. Once their interest is peaked, they will then begin to ask you questions. Once you have them interested and asking you questions, you're off to the races.
Remember, "In selling as in medicine, prescription before diagnosis is malpractice."
Who's name is at the top of your company's sales leaderboard?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)