The Daly News January 2006 Issue 6
Happy New Year! We at Professional Sales Coach want to wish you the very best in 2006. Thanks to your on going, strong support for Jack’s programs we find ourselves blessed with an extremely full calendar as we head into the new year. As a courtesy to all who have expressed interest in having Jack work with their teams in 2006, we encourage you to pencil in a date on our calendar soon. This will ensure that you won’t miss the opportunity to get “JACKED UP” in what is sure to be a fantastic year. We sincerely appreciate your support.
RECRUITING TOP SALES PROFESSIONALS”
Inspect the Baskets!”
As so many of you know, I am often speaking to entrepreneurs and owners of businesses. I really enjoy asking the question with the ‘obvious’ answer-”How many of you are proactively looking for a superstar sales person?” The hands fly to the sky really quickly. Inside that question actually resides the answer as to “how”-by being proactive!
When I follow up the hands waving in the air and ask for the list of those they are recruiting, all too many look at one another and admit to not having such a list. Well, this isn’t my idea of “proactive”; this is more like wishful thinking! In fact, its pretty analogous to the sales person saying they would like big clients, but not having such candidates targeted on their lists, with an approach plan to “win them over”. We covered this process back in our September issue of THE DALY NEWS under the topic “Inspect the Baskets”. Here is the RECRUITING version of the same concept.
Every manager should have a recruiting list for each position that they have responsibility for. The great Vince Lombardi said it best: “Recruiting is not a sometime thing. It is an all-time thing.” In building such a list, push yourself to answer this question: “If I could have anyone on my sales team, who would be number 1 on my list?” Once answered, do it again until you have a rich list of 20. What will help you in identifying these top candidates is your development of a written profile of the personal characteristics of a top performer for your company.
Recognize that recruiting is a bit like dating, and that a terrific hire often requires many “touches” over many months prior to hire. As such, the “recruiter” needs to allocate a sufficient and specific time each month to do this thing called “recruiting”. Again, just as the sales professional has to allocate specific time to “prospecting”.
Dr. Bradford Smart in TOPGRADING underscores so well the CEO role in recruitment, a checklist from which any hiring manager can benefit. Witness:
- Take responsibility for topgrading success and processes.
- Set specific management hiring goals, including the requirement to hire only “A’s”, or those with “A” potential.
- Hold all managers accountable for topgrading.
- Monitor the progress (including culling “C’s).
- Devote one-quarter of work time to topgrading.
- Provide incentives for topgrading.
- Occasionally call the big plays (like overriding hiring decisions due to too low a bar).
A final thought. A key to recruiting is to “mind the store” by retaining our key performers. Our stars do require attention and recognition, and are all too often “taken for granted”. We would be best served to invest our time with our top 20%.
First Annual
Jack Daly
Sales Management & Sales Summit
February 2 & 3 2006
Newport Beach, California
CALL TODAY- WE ARE ALMOST FULL!
Time is running out and by the next issue of THE DALY NEWS, the first ever Jack Daly Sales Management and Sales Summit will be history. February 2 & 3 are the dates, so be sure to quickly call Jennifer at 888-298-6868 to get you and your team registered for what promises to be two days of rigorous learning. Southern California in February is sunny and warm with temperatures typical in the 70′s. Our Summit starts with a full day Sales Management session concluding with a networking dinner and idea exchange. Day two focuses on improving the sales process, finishing with a wine tasting and idea exchange. This two-day Summit promises to launch you and your company into 2006 with real world, easily implementable, results driven action initiatives. See you there!
“The difference between Jack Daly and everyone else masquerading as a “sales coach”, is that Jack has sold, and has sold more successfully than any team of sales coaches you could hire. If you are serious about investing in your sales organization, hire Jack Daly.”
Dennis Arnold, President
Office Furniture USA
CONTINUOUS SELF DEVELOPMENT
I just finished a quick read of a book that nicely re-enforces so much of what we have been teaching in the area of building one’s business through the implementation of a TOUCH SYSTEM.”THE REFERRAL OF A LIFETIME” by Tim Templeton brings the TOUCH SYSTEM to life through the telling of a story, but he then goes on to present the reader with the blueprints to design and implement an effective TOUCH SYSTEM. Through such a system, you will enjoy generating a steady stream of new business through consistent referrals from your existing customers, while maximizing business with those you are currently winning business. For those of you out there that hates cold calls (and who doesn’t!), we say “warm them up” before calling on them! Here’s how.
Based on the demand for open seat Sales Workshops during 2005 and the tremendous reviews and feedback we received, the schedule for 2006 includes revisits to 2005 cities and a significant number of new cities for Jack to deliver his business building ideas. Registration is as simple as a call to Jennifer at 888-298-6868 or just click on to our website www.jackdaly.net. The website provides additional details as to content, curriculum, hotel location and investment. Here’s what the schedule looks like so far and we anticipate adding more cities to the list as the year progresses. If your city isn’t on the list, give us a call and we can discuss just “how” to get on the list!
2006 Workshop Schedule
- Jan 27 – Cleveland, OH
- Feb 02 – Newport Beach, CA
- Mar 02 – Atlanta, GA
- Mar 16 – San Francisco, CA
- Mar 24 – Philadelphia, PA
- Apr 18 – Cincinnati, OH
- Apr 24 – Long Island, NY
- May 10 – Houston, TX
- Jun 09 – Minneapolis, MN
- Jun 15-Orange County, CA
- Oct 10- Atlanta, GA
- Oct 26- Montreal, BC
- Oct 27- Lancaster, PA
“I have been through my share of selling seminars and not only did you motivate me, you gave me tools to be successful. No other speaker had ever done that.”
Rebecca Williams
Cobbs, Allen & Hall, Inc.
OLDIES but GOODIES
For the past 6 years we have historically produced a newsletter from Professional Sales Coach, Inc. With this Daly News newsletter as replacement, we wanted to remind our readers of a feature each month pulled from the archives which continues to be content rich. Professionalism requires life long learning.
CLEANING UP YOUR DAILY SALES ACTIONS
Action Agenda:One of the best ways to end a bad habit is by replacing it with behavior which you recognize is good for you. Here are ten positive habits of top sales people.
1.Make sure each of your calls has a purpose.Many of your clients have various sorts of barricades to help them regulate sales reps and other callers.
Every call must have a purpose other than idle conversation. If there is not an immediately obvious one, it is up to you to create one.
A reason can be a product or price change, or news from the local scene. You can always bring something to give your call a purpose. It is up to you to find it
2.Start analyzing your calls.
The best time to do so is immediately after leaving the prospect’s office. Ask yourself the following: “Did I make a professional impression?”. ” Did I talk too much?”. ” Did I uncover needs?” ” Was my interview or presentation tailored to those needs?”. ” Did I address objections properly?”
Jot down several things you did right, then jot down several things you did wrong. Also, make certain you understand the next step with the client, and write that down as well.
3.Start analyzing your client’s performance.
You cannot afford to spend your valuable time with customers who do not produce for you. An office that used to be a big account for you may have lost a key player, surrendered market share to another firm, or had other difficulties. Be sure to recognize when this happens, and adjust accordingly.
You can afford to “carry” only a small number of low performers. Ask yourself these questions about your client base every 90 days:
“On a scale from 1 to 10, how has this client performed?”
“Do we offer the right programs or products for them?”
“How many suppliers do they deal with?”
“Do I get my fair share of their business?”
“How many calls have I made on them in the last 90 days?”
Value each business source and constantly upgrade the quality of your clients. Stop calling on those who don’t measure up to your standards. If you have internal sales support, turn over low-producing customers to your inside support team.
We must build clients, not hunt for transactions. Clients are those business sources which give us a significant percent “if not all” of their business. How many clients do you have? Add at least one high producer each quarter as a client.
4.Become a student of people.
Just as an artist needs to understand the full potential of his range of colors, so must a salesperson know how to deal with the differences in people.
Most salespeople realize that people are different, and must be approached in varying ways. However, many do not realize that there are clues in observable behavior that can help you anticipate how others will react to certain situations. They can be of inestimable value to a salesperson. Learn ways to easily identify some of these differences. Ask yourself early on in the interview, “What kind of person am I talking with?”
5.Get organized.
Time is a salesperson’s most valuable tool. But using it to maximum advantage is often the salesperson’s greatest challenge. Salespeople tend to be ebullient, vivacious people for whom detail is a despised form of torture. Disciplined pros make and follow a flexible work schedule to maximize their selling time.
Generally that consists of office time, planned at the beginning and end of the week, and at the beginning and end of the day ? with selling time for the rest. Of course, you sometimes must be in the office to interact with your staff, but it is not the place to spend your prime time hours. Do these things as bookends to your selling day- either early or late.
Remember, no time management plan will overcome lack of motivation to succeed. Do your work with enthusiasm and passion- success is sure to follow!
6.Add the personal touch.
Use your individuality to do the little things that will make you stand out from the crowd. Writing personal notes to clients to thank them for their time, or to follow-up an appointment are examples. They need not be lengthy or complex, just sincere.
Along the same lines, leave a brief note on the back of your business card when you miss key contacts in their offices. It?s so simple, but hardly anyone does it. And it means that your card will get noticed among the many.
Ours is a people business, and creativity counts. Find ways to make your personality come through in your approach.
7.Create a notebook for presentations and objections.
A “Success Guide” will help you crystallize your thoughts before going into your presentation, and provide reminders for key points that will work with your client”s social style. An objective notebook helps you handle the hurdles every salesperson encounters along the path to getting a commitment. The amazing thing is that there really aren’t more than ten objections out there.
Write down the objections you hear the most, and answer them in your own words for future use. Also jot down a presentation idea or power phrase when one occurs to you. They provide effective refreshers, regardless of your experience level.
8.Always conduct an interview before making a presentation.
This is the most fundamental rule in selling, but it is also the most frequently broken, even by the most seasoned professionals. You have to know what your prospect’s needs are before you can do an effective job of meeting them. If it is as simple a concept as it sounds, why then do most salespeople opt to “shotgun” every feature, benefit and aspect of their product line? It is far easier to ask a few questions before you target shoot. It’s easy to do, if you listen. Don’t just “show-up and throw-up.”
Identify your client’s Highest Value Needs. After you bring some of the client’s concerns out in the open, then you can prepare a powerful and beneficial presentation.
9.Before you launch into your presentation, go over your understandings once more with the client ? they may have changed.
Sales take place over time. You might find your inspired solution to a client concern isn’t relevant any more. To avoid this, simply restate your prospect’s highest value needs and ask for confirmation of them. Similarly, ask your prospect what he or she means before responding to an objection.
After making your presentation, ask for the business. Remember that we are interested in becoming a business partner, not just in getting one deal. A good way to find out how your prospect sees the relationship is by simply asking,”Considering what we have been discussing, do you see ways we could work together?”
10.Become a student of your industry.
The best way to truly understand how to get business is to know how your clients do business.
Think like your customers, and you will seldom be short of ideas on how to serve them better. If you think like them, you must know the business inside and out- in some ways even better than they know it themselves.
Of course, that kind of knowledge does not come easily. Take courses and attend. Pick a client you know well and spend the day with him or her. Find one or more successful professionals and model them to learn about your field, your role, and, ultimately, yourself. Sit at the feet of the masters.
TAKE ACTION
All of these ideas should cause changes in your everyday routine. It will not do much good if you keep these ten Action Agenda items as vague goals. Give them a thorough evaluation. Implement the ones you believe can be helpful in revitalizing your career and recharging your batteries. A conscious decision to act and effect change is the most important step to take.
Everyone is looking for a better business partner. Build trust on every call and then be professionally persistent.
If any of the articles in this newsletter would be of interest to your co-workers, customers or clients we would appreciate having you forward it along. Thank you!
