“By not acknowledging your own sales success, may be keeping you from securing more sales success.”

How often do we, as salespeople, expect perfection from ourselves – therefore not celebrating success?

Need an example? When is the last time you celebrated one of those little successes that add up to a fantastic sales career?

Perhaps a day when you hit all the metrics you measure yourself by (… or your boss measures you by). Maybe even reaching that hard to catch prospect AND rocking the call. Or walking away from a bad opportunity instead of putting blinders on and believing it was a good one.

Salespeople are good at celebrating the BIG wins – hitting 100% of your yearly target, earning those perks that are given out for top performance, spending the big commission check. As you move into 2012 create a habit of celebration!

Every day pick three thing you want to accomplish – if you achieve all three; celebrate! Pick something that is commiserate with the achievement.

• Reaching your target numbers for; dials, conversations, & opportunities for the day might be a special beer or desert with dinner
• Closing a deal, getting a tough appointment, setting up a conference call = a day trip somewhere that weekend

It doesn’t matter what you measure – it matters that achieving it will move you forward in an account – a deal – your career. Those little celebrations will make you want more… and more… and more. Driving your daily behaviors toward those big successes. Then you can celebrate BIG!

Wishing you a 2012 full of enthusiastic celebration of your own success.

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Credit www.flickr.com

Enjoying life extends beyond meeting that goal to increase sales.  For now you can reach out to past customers, colleagues and even family members.  Say hello, meet for a cup of hot chocolate or even break bread in a favorite restaurant.

Now is the time to be especially thankful for all those loyal customers who placed their profits into your pocket. For without their faith in you, your company, your solutions, your price and your delivery, you would be pocket poor. Invest some time to reflect to determine how you can better serve your loyal customers in 2012.

There is a saying the squeaky wheel gets oiled first. By not acknowledging your own sales success, may be keeping you from securing more sales success. For as they say, success breeds success because it breeds authentic confidence. Of course, you can go a bit too far and become an ego maniac and that may work for the short term.

What is so sad is salespersons, small business owners, C Suite executives to frontline workers not having this attitude about Christmas all year round. Just imagine what would happen if each salesperson treated all those other months from January to November  like December?

• Would more calls be made?
• Would more sales leads be gathered?
• Would more appointments be secured?
• Would more focused meetings take place?
• Would the goal to increase sales be achieved?
• Would life in general be a whole heck of a lot better?

Regardless if you believe in Christmas or you don’t, this time of year does affect business people,  the bottom line and usually in a positive manner. So consider embracing in for the next 12 months and you not only will increase sales, but truly have an extraordinary year filled with ongoing sales success.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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Oh, Shine on, shine on, harvest moon

Up in the sky;

I ain’t had no lovin’

Since January, February, June or July.

Snow time ain’t no time to stay

Outdoors and spoon;

So shine on, shine on, harvest moon,

For me and my gal.

• Are you one of the salespeople out there who “ain’t had no lovin”?
• Or maybe hoping that the harvest moon will “shine on”?

If either one is the case it NOW is the time to look at what has put you into this predicament! Shining the harvest moon on the top 3 things you’re not doing.

Here are some favorite “not doing” items from the salespeople I coach:

1. Cold Calling – it always amazes me the justification list salespeople can come up with as the reason they don’t have time to cold call. Many of the activities, in and of themselves, are valid – but become excuses on why NOT to do something that is uncomfortable.
2. Asking “Why do you buy from me?” – this question is in my top 10 questions to ALWAYS ask, yet the fear is the customer will think of reasons to change their mind or not have a reason at all. Baring the sarcastic answer of ‘maybe I shouldn’t’ (which is usually followed by a snort or laugh) the important Customer Facing Reason for asking this is simple – how else will you make sure you keep doing it?
3. Asking Tough Questions - why didn’t I give you the tough question? because what ‘tough’ is depends on where you are in your sales career AND you’re personal hang-ups. I always have a tough question I’m trying to add into my repertoire, once the question becomes easy… I put another post it up on my computer with the next one to work on. What’s your tough question?
4. Calling Difficult People - ‘difficult’ is another vague word that might range from grumpy all the way to sweet yet unhelpful. We all have difficult people in our account bases – the one’s we roll our eyes when it’s time to call. Back to the notes from #1… many times we will find lots of excuses on why today isn’t the right day to call.

Once you can identify your top 3 things you’re not doing – the only fix is to DO THEM. I know, sound so simple doesn’t it?

When I first got into sales, one of the trainers said “Successful salespeople, do the things unsuccessful salespeople fail to do.” Notice there is nothing about LIKING to do them… WANTING to do them… or BEING COMFORTABLE doing them…

Stop making excuses and start doing.

• If you’re missing a skill set – learning = doing
• If fear is stopping you – facing the fear = doing
• If you’re uncomfortable – pick an accountability partner and do something together
• If you don’t like it – focus on the result you do want and then take action

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The full moon for hundreds of years has been thought to be the purveyor of madness among other illnesses.  Yet, maybe this is somewhat closer to the truth if we start examining the behaviors of some sales people, sales management and even C Suite executives.

Did You Know?

On Labor Day (9/5/2011), the year was two-thirds spent.  There only remained 121 total days.  If we take out weekends, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas that leaves only 85 days to increase sales. Depending upon your sales cycle, this may truly not be enough time.

85 Days to Increase Sales

Now those sales professionals who are just meeting sales targets or quotas or have yet to meet them are going to start beating the bushes because reality is fast approaching.  Sales management is looking at team and individual sales quota and realizing there may be significant gaps.  C Suite executives are scanning their operating budgets and crunching numbers.

What to do is now being asked from the basement to the C-Suite?

Historical sales research suggests 20% of sales people deliver 80% of the results.  This seems to go along with the majority (90%) of sales people stop after the third contact, but the majority (90%) of sales are made after the third contact.

This data does suggest a big disconnect or gap.

In July of this year, I had already exceeded last year’s sales.  Over the past several years, I saw some signs or trends in the marketplace and consequently I made some significant changes to my business model so that I could continue to increase sales and avoid those gaps.

Additionally, I even more clearly identified my ideal customer and where my solutions best fit. These changes have been part of the reason for the increase in sales.

The other reason is far simpler.  I started being me and working with my strengths, talents and experiences.  By taking these actions, I no longer suffer from Moon Madness (if it exists) at Harvest time or any other time.

After literally reading thousands of words from a plethora of business experts to sales gurus going through numerous sales training programs, I realized that my way of selling, working relationships, providing education and asking just simple questions was the best way. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Focus on how people buy rather than how you sell.

Now my goal is to see how much I can exceed last year’s sales.  In late August, I made the decision to join a local Chamber of Commerce and a professional women’s organization to put some new heat under my marketing.  Additionally using my recent sustainability certification, I am working with another local organization to provide a Green Leadership Conference where the emphasis is on not only the environment, but people and processes or operations. Sales Training Coaching:  Marketing is all about attracting attention and building relationships.

Harvest Moon Madness, I am not sure it exists. Yet I know I will be observing a lot of crazy busy sales people to small business owners running around like the Mad Hatter saying “I’m late, I’m late for that very important sales quota date.” Thankfully I will not be one of them.

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Beat The Heat! Stay Inside & Phone Your Way to Profit.

As Leanne broke leads down for us, lets take them by category:

“Is it someone who signed up on your email marketing list?“

OK,  this could actually refer to anything where the prospect actively signed up for something. Hopefully you have an idea what that ‘free’ thing was!

#1 Target your call. This might sound to simple to believe, but I recently received a call where the person didn’t even know what I’d signed up for! Therefore couldn’t start the conversation off intelligently and bring my focus from what I was doing to what I had been thinking of when I’d signed up.

#2 Make it result oriented. When the prospect was signing up, what they hoped to receive was worth giving away their contact information. ASK them what that result is! “When you signed up for __________, what were you stuck on that you were hoping for help resolving?”

#3 Tag Team voicemail & email. I always suggest you follow up a voicemail with a SHORT email. Make your subject line compelling, keep it to 3 sentences, include an easy action for them to take, PLUS start with “per my voicemail…” so it helps pull their attention away from the delete key.

“Could it be someone who called in as a referral?“

How awesome this this – someone who knows and loves us, gives our name to someone they know. Plus there was typically a conversation around something where your name came up.

My friend Jerry calls this “do you know a guy?” In your personal life;  if you need a new roof, work done on  your plumbing, or your hairdresser is retiring, what do you do 1st? You ask people you trust…. for the name of someone they trust.

#4 Use your connection. They called, emailed, contacted you BECAUSE of a mutual connection you have. Ask the question “I love that my name came up, what were you talking about when it did?”

#5 Thank You – take the opportunity not only to reach out to the new prospect BUT also your existing customer who gave you the referral. See what you can do for them to say thank you.

#6 Remember you still have to sell the prospect on the idea of working together. Don’t make the mistake of thinking the referral contact means they’ve decided to use you.  Being “the guy” someone knew, gives you a huge advantage, you’re still responsible for selling them!

“Maybe it is all or part of all your contacts as LinkedIn, Branch Out or Google Plus?“

Where ever you’re connected, be sure that you reference that connection when you call. Take advantage of what you have in common and move on from there.

#7 Communicate in the arena of connection. In tip #3 email was mentioned as the tag team partner to voicemail. Instead of email, connect your phone call to the contact in the social network you know them in (ie LinkedIn’s inmail, Facebook messages, etc)

#8 Be a resource. Create something of value for them, to bring the contact into your sales cycle. Find out if they are a suspect (you think they meet your ideal customer profile) or a prospect (they tell you something that indicates they need you, but THEY might not realize it yet).

#9 You’ll be calling again! Don’t make the sales goal of your first call a sale or appointment. Instead make your objective to decide it if is worth ever calling them again. That way, you can start to separate the wheat from the chaff and all your subsequent calls will be more profitable.

“And the heat goes on!“

Our final tip for today is all about keeping the summer fun in your lead follow up.

#10 Bet ice cream on it! Find someone else on your sales team who is also following up on leads and pick a TeleSales behavior that you can create a contest around, then set the target number and go for it.

• dials
• conversations
• business opportunities
• pieces of critical info (define that more for your business of course)
• new referrals
• etc…

It’s summer, follow up on those inbound sales leads from the air conditioned coolness of your office. If you’re an inside salesperson – you’re use to this activity, don’t allow yourself to be bored (the person on the other end of the phone will hear that in a heart beat). If you’re an outside salesperson – your meetings will begin from a place of mutual understanding and get right into it.

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With the continue presence of the digital age specific to what some call Business or Sales 2.0, now is the tine to use that expansion to your benefit as a small business owner or crazy busy professional.

A Couple of Year Round Facts and One Question

Hubspot in one of their many research reports several months ago suggested the cost of an inbound sales lead was around $130 while an outbound sales leads averaged closer to $330.  During the dog days of summer, doesn’t it make sense to stay where it is air conditioned and take advantage of all those inbound sales leads?

Another report issued by Pitney Bowes late in 2010 revealed that sales leads get cold in 15 minutes. This makes sense because people are so crazy busy that in 15 minutes another 10 things have been added to their to do lists.

Finally, what do you define as a sales lead?

Is it someone who signed up on your email marketing list?

Could it be someone who called in as a referral?

Maybe it is all or part of all your contacts as LinkedIn, Branch Out or Google Plus?

The answer is probably all of them are sales leads just not necessarily qualified sales leads. That is another topic for another day.

This leads (pardon the pun) to this question:

How well are you following up on

all those inbound sales leads?

Recently I paid for a course on Advanced Sales using LinkedIn from a company located in Chicago, Forward Progress. This web based training was well worth the investment because it showed me a path on how to begin to better utilize my 900 plus connections on LinkedIn.  Then I took this knowledge and began to apply it to some other inbound sales areas. The results so far have been a 10 to 1 return on my initial investment. And most of it (90%)  has been done in my cool, air conditioned office where I continue to beat the heat.  The other 10% has been in my air-conditioned card.

Sales research suggests that around 50% of all sales leads are left dying on the vine so to speak.  Even though the majority of earned sales are achieved between the fourth and twelfth contacts, 90% of the sales people stop after the third contact.  I guess this does give substance to 10% of the sales team is delivering 90% of the results.

Consider scheduling some telephone time at your air conditioned office or in your car and pick up the phone, connect with a sales lead, follow-up on all those business cards stacked in a neat or not so neat pile on your desk.  Just remember sales is still a contact sport where people must know you care before they can even consider making a buying decision. So as Sonny and Cher have said with a minor change:

And the heat goes on!

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Credit www.sxc.hu

What some may not realize is how fireworks and elevator speeches both generate emotions.

Those oooohs and aaaahs are the emotional responses to the bursting of fireworks in the evening skies. Even the loud booms that accompany some fireworks also generate an emotional response not to mention some barking to shivering from local neighborhood dogs.

What would happen if every time you delivered your 30 second elevator pitch those around you would see a blaze of their favorite fireworks above your head?  Your message would be so compelling; you could hear the oooohs and aaaahs from the audience at that most recent business networking event. And then when you were finished, these folks ran up to you and you along leaving your competitors talking to each other? Sales Training Coaching Tip:  You want to Be the Red Jacket where you stand out away from everyone else.

For emotions are the key because after people buy from people they know and trust (first sales buying rule), they buy first on emotion then justify that purchase with logic. Additionally, their emotions have created a unique value to them. Just like some people like the Barrage of rapidly fire sequence of fireworks while others appreciate the Brocade of a large spherical break of gold or silver stars producing very long lasting trails of light dripping down and there are those who love the Chrysanthemum (my personal favorite) a dense spherical burst of stars again with burning trails expanding outward.

To create this fireworks illusion might require you to think differently about this one so often asked question:  What do you do? If you replay your role within an industry such as “I sell real estate,” or “I am a mortgage broker,” then you are confusing the how of what you do with the what of what you do.  Sharing the how is very much experiencing a “dud firework” because that response does not ignite any emotions.

However as one of my customers said “I facilitate the American dream.” Now doesn’t that sound much more emotionally engaging than I sell real estate or I am a mortgage broker.

Now if you can somehow include value within those first few words, all the better. One way to improve your value is to remove the word “help” from your 30 second elevator pitch.  Sales Training Coaching Tip: This word has become so overused, that it is an emotional turn-off and truly does not increase sales.

When you craft a compelling 30 second elevator pitch that has people running up to you after a business networking event, then experiencing fireworks (think increase sales) will be every day for you and not just for the Fourth of July.

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I’m glad you asked!

The Ooooh & Aaaah Factor

What makes a great fireworks display or sales presentation is the uncontrollable  ooooh & aaaah factor.

This isn’t people giving the appropriate reaction – instead it is that spontaneous inhalation at the surprise and wonder of how amazing the view is.

When you’re putting together your sales presentation – if you have asked enough qualifying questions to figure out what is important to the prospect, you have what you need to make sure they will be oooohing & aaaahing.

Which brings us to…

Planning & Preparation

If you have ever been to a fireworks display – how much of your brain has been focused on the effort, planning, and preparation that went into it? NONE; which is exactly how much your prospects focus on your sales presentation’s planning and prep (if you’re doing it right).

Let’s face it there is ZERO spontaneity in a fireworks display. From the careful creation of an explosive filled product through the timing of when you have to fire it off for the actual explosion of color to coincide with the music – everything is choreographed.

Sales presentations need to appear as effortless – the only way to do that is through careful planning and practice to ensure proper execution.

The Dud Factor

Which doesn’t mean everything will go according to plan. Even in a fireworks display there are duds – those charges that don’t go off at all or aren’t quite on time.

We’ve all experienced that in a presentation – where instead of oooohs and aaaahs there is complete silence. Crickets instead of explosions. Don’t stop the show; set off another round of charges just like you’ve planned – if your preparation was done well, you’ll recover.

My Favorite vs. Yours

It is critical to keep in mind that everyone has a different firework favorite; I’m a big fan of what my family calls the ‘fishy ones’ that make a high pitched sound and stream out to smaller explosions at the end – where other people prefer the big BOOM and instant explosion of color. Plus – we haven’t even gotten into color preferences!

Sales presentations are the same way, figure out what your prospects favorite is (very difficult when presenting to a group I know) and play to their favorites instead of your own. They are the audience after all!

The Finale

Both in a sales presentation AND fireworks show you should never have to say “last but not least” – instead the ending is the dramatic conclusion to the show.

Color, light, and sound all creating a cacophony. Ok- that should ONLY be in the fireworks show, your sales presentation needs to feel like the crescendo ending with the solution for your prospects problem along with things they hadn’t even considered were possible before your presentation.

Which is why I think sales presentations and fireworks have a lot in common.

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It’s called the ‘squeeze play.’

At first blush, this approach would seem to be just the opposite of what you would expect. Executives (VPs and C-Levels) are tough to reach and getting them to respond is even tougher. Protected by personal administrators and voice mail, the odds of speaking to an exec are slim.

But that doesn’t matter. You don’t have to speak the executive for the squeeze play to work. All you need is a simple strategy.

The Executive Suite

When you call higher up, one of two things will happen. You will get lucky and reach the decision maker or, more likely, you will reach a personal assistant. Either way, you can leverage the moment.

The Executive Encounter

Unless you’re selling a strategic product or service, the chances that the executive actually makes the decision to buy is negligible. An underling usually handles those buying decisions and that’s what you are really looking for. Begin by identifying yourself, where you are calling from and the nature of your call. They key here is to acknowledge that the executive may not be the right person and ask for guidance,

“Ms. Bigge, I know you probably don’t handle this type of purchase but perhaps you could steer me in the right direction.”

You’ll find the vast majority of executives appreciate your candid nature and will give you the name of the person in charge, the ‘underling.’ Now here’s how you complete the call and set up the Squeeze Play,

“Thank you Ms. Bigge for your time. I’ll call ____ today and then I’ll let you know how it went by the end of the week. How does that sound?”

Either the executive will say yes to your suggestion or she’ll explain you don’t have to call back. It doesn’t matter. You’ve set the stage.

The Personal Admin Encounter

You can use the same tactic if you reach a personal secretary. They’ll be glad to refer you to the proper underling. Be sure to thank secretary and let her know you’ll give them an update by a specific date and time.

The Underling – Voice Mail Squeeze Play

Call the underling. If you encounter voice mail, leverage the call to the executive suite and induce the Squeeze Play. Leave the following message,

“Mr. Underling, I was just speaking to Ms. Bigge (or I was just speaking to Janet, Ms. Bigge’s assistant) and she suggested I give you a call with an idea we discussed on how to ___________ (fill in your benefits statement)

Would you please give me a call at ______ as soon as possible as I told Ms. Bigge I will get back to her on Friday at 2:00 p.m. regarding the results of our conversation.”

By telling the underling that you will get back to the executive by a given date and time creates the “squeeze play.” At this point, the underling doesn’t know a thing about you except that you have had a chat with the executive (or the executive office). So naturally enough, the underling feels compelled to respond and reply to you…just in case. Et voila!

The Underling – Live Squeeze Play

You can use the squeeze play live as well. In your opening statement, make reference to the discussion with the executive right off the bat,

“Mr. Underling, I spoke with Ms. Bigge regarding ______ (your benefit statement). I am to get back to Ms. Bigge by Friday with regard to our call so if I have caught you at a good time, I’d like to ask you a few questions to get a feel for your situation and to determine if there might be a fit.”

As with the voice mail, the underling knows the executive is somehow involved and will likely feel obligated to answer your questions or set up a telephone appointment sometime before Friday. In this manner, you avoid the brush off objections that typically occur.

Keep Your Word

The beauty of the Squeeze Play is that it is legitimate. You have positioned your executive contact so that it maximizes the opportunity.

Key point: ALWAYS follow through and keep your word. Call the executive or admin back as you promised. This can work for you in two ways.

First, if the underling does not call back, you can call Ms. Bigge and explain you made a few attempts to reach Underling but that he has not gotten back to you. Explain further that you will continue to try and will continue to keep Ms. Bigge updated. In this manner, you are not really “tattling” but rather fulfilling a promise you made to the executive.

Second, if the underling does call you back you must STILL call Ms. Bigge. Regardless of whether or not you get a sale or an appointment or whatever, be sure to give the executive (or secretary) an update. It’s not so much they they really need to know but rather an issue of keeping your word and positioning yourself for future opportunities.

Summary

Try the Squeeze play. It’s easy, it’s ethical and it’s a little edgy. Certainly, it’s different. Most of your competitors don’t use it. Above all, it works very well and that means more decision maker contacts. More opportunities typically mean more sales. Give it a shot

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’ A sliver bullet is a metaphor for an action that cuts through the complexity  of a situation (like achieving a challenging sales objective)  and provides an almost immediate solution.  The silver bullets below are  your keys to transforming your tele-sales program into a sophisticated sales channel.

Silver Bullet #1: Think Tele-Sales NOT Telemarketing

The first siliver bullet  to achieve superior sales results is to change the way you think about telephone selling.  Scratch the surface and you’ll discover that most sales  executives have a stereotypical image of the telephone as a “dial and smile” approach to selling; that medium is not capable of much more than a simple, transactional sale.

If you –or others-  think telephone sales is ‘about the numbers’ and that ‘ the harder you dial the luckier you’ll get’, then you’re destined for mediocrity.  This type of thinking limits the potential of your sales team because it implies that luck, more than anything else, is the key to success.  It implies that other activities don’t impact the sales result. And it provides a ready made excuse NOT to change the way companies hire, train, coach and motivate their reps

Tele-sales (vs. telemarketing) is growing in sophistication and complexity.  Complex products with longer sales cycles and multiple decision makers can, and are, being sold by telephone. And as a new generation of buyer enters the B2B workplace, the need for face-to-face selling is being replaced by the need for  the instant accessibility that the telephone (married with the internet) provides.

The first siliver bullet is to start thinking about sales results, not numbers.  When you do that, a whole new level of sales will manifest itself.

Silver Bullet #2: Hire Better Telephone Reps

The second silver bullet is  to hire a better tele-sales rep; a rep who is cut out to be a telephone sales rep and rather than a desperate soul in search of a job.

Hiring a good reps begins by having a thorough selection process that evaluate the candidate’s potential to sell over the phone.  Forget the tradtional face-to-face interview process that so many companies still utlize to hire tele-sales reps.  Change the way you hire to reflect the medium. Here’s how.

After culling the resumes, conduct your first three interviews by telephone.  The first call is short, maybe 2-3 minutes. Evaluate the voice quality, the grammar, and the articulateness of the candidate.  If you like what you hear, have the candidate call you back at a specific time later that day or the next.  You’ll be staggerd at how many reps ‘fail’ this little test by 10-15 minutes.

Spend more time on the second  interview and assess their resume as you would if you were face-to-face. Continue to gage the voice quality and grammar. Can they EFFECTIVELY communicate?

Next: if you like what you hear, get the candidate to call you back in five minutes  and leave a 1-2 minute voice mail.  Tell them to leave you a message that answers the question ‘Why you?’  The objective is to determine if your candidate takes the time to plan and craft a good message.  Listen to see if the rep ‘sells’ you on the ‘benefits’ of hiring him/her.  Can they create a compelling sales message? Do they deliver it well or do the stutter, hum and ha?

The next step is to have the candidate visit your office for a final assessment.  Give them a copy of the job description and let them review it in detail. Get the candidate to sit with one of your telephone reps for a half an hour or so monitoring calls and asking questions. You want the candidate to completely understand the nature of the job. If they don’t like what they see and hear, let them disqualify themselves.

If the candidate is still keen, have them complete a sales assessment.  Don’t skip this step.  It will give you additional perspective on the type of selling style your rep will likely exhibit.  Is it compatible with your sale? How does it compare with those who sell well in your department?

Assuming you’re happy with the candidate and the candidate is happy with you, check their references thoroughly and make an offer. This process takes less time than you think because the majority of time is spent on the telephone. It is thorough and complete and reduces your risk of hiring a dud while increases the odds of selecting a superb telephone rep.

Sliver Bullet #3: Train them

The third silver bullet is to train your reps.  It seems like a no-brainer but the fact of the matter is, most tele-sales departments are treated like the wicked stepchild when it comes to investing in training and devlopment.  Most are grossly undertrained.  It’s not surprising because it stems from the belief that ‘how hard can telephone selling be?  Heck, you just pick up the phone and pitch, right?’

Wrong. It is thinking like that which has stunted the growth of tele-sales programs and revenue results. Selling by telephone all day is tough work. If you don’t believe it, try it yourself.  Pick up the phone and dial, not for a token hour or day, but for an entire week.  That’ll be a real eye opener!  Deal with the rejection and frustration.  Only then will you  truly understand the need for a rep to be better skilled in opening the call, handling objections, questioning, presenting an offer and closing or advancing the sale. Only then will you understand that it’s more than “just a numbers game.”

Treat your inside sales team as you would a field sales team. Provide them with precisely the same training. This includes complex selling, account planning, territory management, product and knowledge session and,  above all, skills training.  Give your reps the skills and techniques to sell smarter!

Silver Bullet #4: Coach Them ‘till They’re Blue in the Face

The fourth silver bullet is probably the most significant in terms of net impact.  If you buy into the training then you must buy into coaching. Training provides the foundation for increased sales results. Coaching provides the brick and mortar.  Coaching translates the training into action.

The overwhelming majority of managers don’t coach yet it is coaching that encourages reps to try new techniques, to stick with them, to correct them when they stray, to encourage them to try again and again. Coaching is the ONLY activitiy that can modify and change behavior.  Training gets them started. Coaching keeps them on track.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, works better at improving sales results than coaching.  Good compensation and incentive programs, games and contests can get your reps to work /sell harder but they do nothing to help your reps sell smarter. Coaching is about smart selling; about being better at selling so that the rep can sell more with the contacts he/she has got. Leveraging the moment.

A superior coaching program has four components. The first is to set the ‘standards’ by which to coach. Here is where training kicks in. If you train your reps on the precise steps to  opening a call (5-step process) or to handling a ‘knee jerk objections’ (3 –step process) or any number of other skill sets, you establish an objective foundation by which to coach. Your feedback will be based on cited expectations rather than your arbitrary comments and suggestions.

The second component is to actively monitor live or recorded calls. Schedule the time, get in the trenches, and listen.  Next, analyze what you have heard against the standards that you set. The rep will either be performing to that standard or not.  Finally, based on your analysis, provide constructive feedback.   (See Related Article: The 10 Worst Feedback Mistakes Tele-Sales Managers).  The coaching silver bullet really works! Use it.

Siliver Bullet #5: Motivate and Entice Them

The final siliver bullet is to provide a decent compensation program and develop a motivating environment.  Tele-sales reps are woefully underpaid thanks in large part to the ‘telemarketing’ mindset.

Hate to say it, but you get what you pay for.  When you offer a rep $32K with a chance to make a paltry $3K in bonus, you get candidates who did not get the jobs at $40K. When you cap your reps commission, you stifle initiative and ales.  Then it becomes a vicious circle, the underpaid, under trained and under coached rep does not do terribly well when it comes to selling so it becomes difficult for the company to justify an increase in pay.  Sound familiar?

One of the best approaches to getting and keeping a good tele-sales rep is to start off by offering a higher base rate with a moderate commission rate.  After 60 or 90 days, reduce the base and increase the commission rate. This allows your rep to learn your products, generate some sales and build a client base. It also gets them to work both harder and smarter!

Monetary and non-monetary incentives are also necessary to create a motivating environment.  If you actually picked up the phone and dialled for a week, you would  understand  the precise implication.  Activities like contests act like oil in the selling process; they make selling faster, easier and more effective.

Summary

Treat your tele-sales program as  significant and it will become signficant.  Your tele-sales program can become a significant revenue source.

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