The Daly News April/May 2009 Volume 31
QUIT GRIPING AND PROACTIVELY TAKE ACTION!
As many of you know, I’ve recently returned from 5 weeks in Australia and New Zealand. We snuck in a quick visit to one of the wonders of the world- Milford Sound- breathtaking. For our journey back to Queenstown, we decided to take a helicopter. Funny story. The owner of the copter business ( Jeff Shanks of Milford Helicopters) struck up a conversation with me and asked where we were from and what did I do. Upon learning we were from the USA and I was a speaker in the area of Sales and Growing Your Business, he said: “Well, you haven’t done a very good job lately then have you? Sounds like you better hurry home and help out!”
The press continues to pummel us with negativity, and too many are joining in the lamenting and becoming victims to the “tightened economy”. Yet, others are proactively taking advantage of these times to garner market share (even if it’s a smaller pie), and solidify their relationships by helping their clients and customers traverse the rocky seas.
Taking a cue from Jeff, my copter friend, I decided to put together two checklists- one for Sales Managers and one for Sales Professionals – that are the proactive activities that need to be done to (forget survive) THRIVE in the marketplace, in good times and bad. So, quit the griping and TAKE ACTION!
SALES MANAGEMENT CHECKLIST
· Rank sales staff performance and deal with poor performers
· One on Ones with each Sales Professional minimum monthly
· Sales Meetings twice monthly min
· Recruiting basket of at least 20 we are courting
· Recruiting courting process built around a touch system
· Recruiting interviews ongoing
· Inspect the baskets (pipeline mgmt) min monthly
· Inspect key activities of Sales Professionals
· Progress reviews at least quarterly
· Training, training, training: to include role practice, joint calls, training calls, coaching calls and building a success guide
· Inspect monthly the Sales Professionals touch system
· Recognition activities ongoing
· Rewards systems ongoing, including contests
· Compensation plans review twice yearly
· Key account focus
· New hire orientation
· Unit performance management (Actual/Plan analysis)
· Senior Management interactions (proactive/reactive)
SALES PROFESSIONALS CHECKLIST
· Goal setting
· Key activities identification
· Key activities tracking
· Touch system design and maintenance
· Data base management
· Sales meeting participation
· One on ones with Sales Manager
· Inspect the baskets prep (pipeline mgmt)
· Training, training, training: Role practice, joint calls, training calls, coaching calls
· Progress reviews
· Actual/plan results analysis
· Web 2.0/social sites proactivity
· Operational interaction
· Time blocking and management
· Recognition systems: prospects/customers/clients and the support team
· Model the masters
· Bottom line is in any market, the key is proactivity and having your head in a positive place. If we wake up each morning deflated and defeated, don’t expect the day to get any better. Fret less about the results and stay focused on consistently doing the right activities, and the business will come. The question to be asked is who is ensuring that these checklists get done? Don’t expect people to be cheering about doing all of this, and having people “in their stuff”. Very few players on sports teams “enjoy” the coaches “in their stuff” during practices, yet all celebrate the victories. It’s time we went about posting some victories!
TAKING ACTION– As a catalyst to encouraging others to “take action”, we feature what others are doing and experiencing with their initiatives following our training sessions. Hopefully these will prompt each of us to take action!
“I am VP at an SAP consulting firm. I used a couple “Jack tips” while launching a new practice and growing revenues from 0 to $5 million in three months in a down market. We are now at over $30 million and growing.” Regards, James.
So, gang, take another look at those checklists above and get busy!
“I used your suggested interview question for sales hires and it’s the best question I have in my tool box. Thanks for your insight into that.” Anoop
The question? “Tell me about your first sales experience or job, and it needs to be before anything listed in your resume. What was it, how did it make you feel, successes and failures with it?” The key in any markets, easy or difficult, is to have the right people in the seats. This only gets more visible in a tight economy!
NEW TOOLS FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Here are two things to add to your prospecting arsenal: GOLD MAIL AND SEND OUT CARDS. Following is a brief description of each and how to get started. An inexpensive and creative way to get in front of your prospects and customers, while differentiating yourself from the competition. Get proactive!
I’m always looking for effective new business tools with minimal associated cost that can immediately impact your bottom line profits. I want to introduce you to GoldMail, a powerful new business development tool that I’ve discovered and personally tested. It helps you send email messages with voice-and-visuals aids that produce a much bigger impact… either before or after any sales call. Just click on the GoldMail button above to hear my personal message.
For years I have been underscoring the importance of regularly “touching” your prospects, customers and clients. In my training Workshops, I share examples of many ways to do this activity that will ensure you stand out from the competition. One of the more effective tools I’ve used for years has been taking photos on my calls and other occasions and quickly turning them into photo cards with my own personalized messages. These simple cards have generated me several hundreds of thousands of dollars in business over the past couple years, and the momentum continues to grow. This is a great tool to go “wide and deep” with your existing clients. Just click on the SendOutCards logo above to send yourself a free card.
NEW TOOLS FOR ASSESSING EXISTING AND POTENTIAL
SALES PROS PROFILING FOR SUCCESS
HELP IS HERE!Having the tools to assess behavior partnered with recommendations for change that will result in improved sales performance is a sales manager’s dream. Well, dream no more. With a simple phone call you can have these tools in your hands. And the process is simple. Your sales staff takes the assessment online. It only takes minutes. After they’ve finished filling out the survey, the computer generates a thorough assessment of strengths and weaknesses. It gives the sales professional a clear view of what’s working and what’s not and why.
Results and Benefits
An investment in the Success Insights Sales report will yield immediate results and valuable benefits in several areas by showing how to:
* Spot winners with a reliable selection method.
* Evaluate the performance of both new and existing salespeople.
* Maximize the sales team’s effectiveness.
* Coach the sales team for maximum results.
* Hire the salesperson that fits the company needs.
* Bring a salesperson out of a sales slump and back on a winning track.
* Reduce employee turnover and new training costs.
* Boost your sales-the ultimate business objective.
If you are looking to maximize the sales team’s effectiveness-bring a salesperson out of a sales slump and back on a winning track-spot winners with a reliable selection method-coach the sales team for maximum results- then contact us at [email protected] and ask about the SALES INSIGHT REPORT.
Coaches Corner
HOW ONE SALES TOOL CAN MAKE EVERY SELLER MORE EFFECTIVE
by Dan Larson & Dave Wilens
We both have recently had the experience to coach and train rookie sales people. These are not just rookies to their field but rookies in the field of selling. The companies that hired us as outside resources (sales coaches/sales trainers) unfortunately had previously put 90% or more of their training on product knowledge for their new sales reps.
As a matter of fact, the only ongoing training for their seasoned sales “professionals” was 100% focused on product knowledge… “here is what our product does, here are the features and here is how to sell it…”
So WHY were they struggling and admittedly losing control & sales to the competition?
In a word… relationships. That’s where the real sale is — where the real value is — where the real profit is. Otherwise, why have a sales force at all? Why not just utilize a website or catalogue and sell on massive distribution and low price alone.
So we started our first few minutes with the rookie’s explaining the shortest course in selling is to “Ask Questions and Listen.” We point out the fact that the best sales professional’s ask 6 times as many questions as the average sales reps. However, the real key is that they listen to the prospect/customer.
Once the shock wore off that a great sales person is not a good talker but a great listener, we dispelled the belief that the sale is just one small part of the relationship. Making the sale doesn’t start the relationship and hopefully it does not end it either. The sale is the natural result when you discover the prospect’s needs, desires, eliminate risk, develop trust, provide solutions to problems, make life better in their world, deliver what you promised and in some way served them in a very memorable way.
Every seller’s main objective should be to build a solid relationship based on trust so eventually they’ll give you a sale, they’ll do business with you again and will be happy to make a referral.
Building strong relationships provides the answers of how to not just make a sale but also to build loyal customers and repeat business. If you’re looking to build a successful book of business, it starts with strong relationships and builds to loyalty through ultimate trust.
Relationship begins with relate. The better you’re able to relate to the customer’s needs, desires, goals, pains, fears and their use of your product as a solution… the more successful they are, the better they feel and the more they want to continue doing business with you.
Relationship building is natural for some people but it’s a critical part of the Jack Daly process of selling that we coach. It has little to do with “price” and less to do with your product knowledge. It haseverything to do with how you customer makes a decision, what they most want or want to avoid and how you’re going to get them those results now and long-term.
Are you or your people trying to “make a sale” or do you go into it trying to “open a relationship?”
If it’s relationships, what are your most effective ways to do this? As coaches, we’ve built Question Guides for sales teams large and small that focus the seller on asking the best questions that are 20%-50%-100% more effective to develop strong relationships and higher sales. It lays out a path of questions that each seller can personally adapt and use. The right questions identify the buyer’s key motivators, gain critical information and work to position the seller in an “advisory” role — a valuable position to achieve.
Bottom line: A Question Guide is a powerful sales tool that equips your sales team to consistently use more powerful questions to create stronger relationships and greater control in selling. They become highly effective!
Free Question Guide Example: If you want to get a Question Guide example to get a sense of how this tool can take shape to help your team, send us an email to [email protected] [email protected]. We’ll send it to you.
Introducing the Jack Daly Coaching Staff
Unique Coaching Resources Designed to Meet Your Individual Needs
In looking to assist my customers and clients (YOU) with your CEO, Sales Management and Sales challenges (and again with those challenged by the economy), I’ve assembled a team of Coaching Resources specifically keying on areas of expertise and needs. Click here to get an overview of the Coaching Channels, and if you have an interest in exploring further, just contact us at 888-298-6868 or [email protected].
Which Route Have You Chosen?
T oday’s tightened economy provides the weaker sales people and companies a ready excuse for a shortfall in performance, if that’s a route one wants to take. An alternative is to recognize the market as one of more difficulty and take the steps to confront it head-on. My question is which route have you chosen? 50% or more of success is a ‘head case’ when it comes to sales, so a salesperson who wakes up each morning bemoaning the difficulties and stating the day will be a bad one, well, that’s not where you want to be in this market!
My sessions will certainly get people’s “heads on right” but better still provide the competitive tools, strategies and tactics that can turn a tightened economy into one of opportunity. How to get through closed doors, win new customers and go deep and wide with existing accounts. How to differentiate from the competition. Best of all, how to take the markets and customers being vacated by those “giving up” and turning today’s challenges into opportunities. No theory here, plain and easily implementable ideas that work. Plus, turning the internet into a tool of differentiation, referrals and value for one’s clients.
At the end of the day, WE are responsible for the outcomes we experience. Regardless of the market, there are sales people that are posting wins, gaining share and using this economy as an opportunity. Join me, and then join them!
2009 Workshops and Summits
June 10, 2009-Winnipeg, MB
Full Day Smart Selling
June 12, 2009-Los Angeles, CA
1/2 Day Smart Selling
June 18, 2009-Cleveland, OH
Full Day Smart Selling
September 24 & 25, 2009-Toronto, ON
2 Day Sales & Management Summit
October 1, 2009-Orange County, CA
Full Day Smart Selling
October 9, 2009- New York, NY
1/2 Day Smart Selling
November 20, 2009- Chicago, IL
Full Day Smart Selling
Here’s the schedule of cities I will be conducting programs in over the next 3 months (some for clients, others are open seat workshops). I may have flexibility in my scheduling for lunch, dinner or more should someone have an interest. If you see I’m headed to your part of the world, feel free to email [email protected] with your interest and Jen will do her best to accommodate any requests.
June- Winnipeg, Cleveland, New York, Philly, Los Angeles
July-Los Angeles, Toronto, Australia
August-Australia, Chicago, Kansas City, Tampa
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND-We have added Australia to our July/August calendar after being asked to come back to provide two open seat workshops. There are a few open dates available if you are interested in having Jack work with your team while he is in town. Please [email protected] if you are interested for more details.
CONTINUOUS SELF DEVELOPMENT
Our book of the month is one I was provided an advance copy to review, one I have enthusiastically endorsed, and one that is wholly consistent with my sales and sales management teachings. FRONTLINE PROFIT MACHINE by Ziad Khoury. Here are a few of the “what’s in it for me?”
· How the frontline sales group can help increase top line revenues by 5% to 10% that can result in doubling of profits (I feel like stopping there, isn’t that enough?)
· How to capture “easy money” that is being left on the table during client transaction.
· How to select and invite the right fit into your organization
· Why training alone cannot improve frontline sales performance
· How to implement the winning sales culture process
· The book is available at www.frontlineprofitmachine.com and is required reading for meeting and beating this tightened economy.
If any article in this newsletter would be of interest to your co-workers, customers or clients we would appreciate having you forward it along.
