The sales team works hard. Most put in long hours, study diligently and follow the plan. However, are all doing as well as they can? Are all of your sales people actually working as hard, trying has much and giving it all they have? In short, are they doing their very best?

Below are some effective ways to help you motivate your sales people to do their very best and try their hardest. After all, often the only missing ingredient between success and failure is that last little push.

Money is Not the Prime Motivating Factor
First, find out what it is that truly motivates each sales person. Understand that on the surface, and even to the sales person, that motivator may appear to be the money, but it is not. The sales person who is motivated by money, is really inspired by the things that the money will do for him or her. The person’s desire is the results, lifestyle, power, influence, fun or any number of a thousand things that the money will provide.

Your job is to find out exactly what it is that money provides that powers the sales person, and use it as the proverbial “carrot.”

Uncover Past Feats of Great Inspiration
In attempting to discover what a sales person’s motivating triggers may be, look to a time in his or her past, for a demonstration of great inspiration. Everyone has a story when they persevered through enormous adversity to succeed. Everyone has a story about when they would not stop, would not give up and won against all odds.

Such an experience could have been in a business setting, or something personal like overcoming a health problem, passing a difficult test, getting a degree, pursuing a member of the opposite sex, quitting smoking or learning to swim. Everyone has a situation where they pushed their hardest and succeeded.

You should get to know your sales team on a level more personal than just business. Take an interest in their lives and get to know them. In doing so, uncover one of those great challenges, and see what was the underlying motivation.

Perhaps it was love, or the feeling of power, or being in control. Often, it is recognition and pride. The point is that you want to take those past underlying motivational triggers, and use them today.

The Marathon
As an example, you ask a sales team member to explain the greatest challenge he has ever faced and overcome. The reply is that he trained for years, tried and failed many times, but finally he completed a full marathon race.

You next ask him to explain why he went through so much effort. Why was it so important and what drove him to keep trying? He tells you that it was simply to be able to know that he was capable of doing it.

Obviously, self-satisfaction and inner pride are driving issues for this sales person. You then use such ideas during your personal motivating meetings with this sales person.

“You know Steve, it is extremely tough and may take a lot of tries to do it, but if you can hit 45 sales in one month, you can take pride in knowing that you are the first person to ever reach that goal in the first year with the firm.”

Perhaps the marathon runner’s answer was that she wanted to prove all of those people wrong who said that she could never do it.

“Sarah, if you could close 45 sales this month, you will prove me and other managers wrong…”

Do It Again
Please understand, I am not talking about trying to manipulate people nor am I suggesting some psychological mind games. I am simply suggesting that you find what motivating factors led someone to overcome great obstacles in the past, and use those same factors in the present. In fact, do this to and for yourself!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

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Stop scratching around for sales and learn how to sell the modern way with my FREE 40 minute online training session. Click on the image below to find out why you’ve got to be changing the way that you prospect and sell…

Listening skills…

Every sales manager and director tells you how important they are but do they actually tell you how to improve them!

As sales people elevate their sales skills in other areas, often the area of listening begins to suffer, and usually it is the more experienced pros who are the biggest culprits. There are reasons that listening skills deteriorate over time in the sales business and below are the main three. Avoid these mental mistakes and you will increase your listening skills and close more sales!

Listening Mistake #1 = Knowing the questions and answers before you hear them
One of the main problems happens as sales people get to the point where they know all of the answers. You have heard all of the objections a thousand times and you believe you already know what the prospect is going to say. When this happens, it is easy to hear but a fraction of what the prospect actually says, as you mentally anticipate the rest of the question or statement. The problem is that often you are incorrect. You THINK you heard what the prospect said, when you really heard what was in your mind.

Solution: To help avoid this, look to discover new answers and thoughts. Try to make them tell you something you have not heard before. This can only help you get better. When the prospect begins that question that you know you have heard before; stop and try to find what is different about this question. To your surprise, you will find some new thoughts and ideas.

Listening Mistake #2 = Formulating your response before the prospect has finished
Following mistake #1, many sales people begin to formulate their response to the prospect as the prospect is still speaking. The prospect begins to explain his or her concern. You believe you know exactly what they are going to say, and you begin rehearsing in your mind what you will say back. Anxious to obliterate the prospect’s objection immediately, often the sales person will cut off the prospect in mid-sentence.

Solution: Wait until the prospect has completed their thought, and then count to three before you open your mouth. This not only helps you listen and digest exactly what the prospect said, but it also helps you avoid belittling the prospect. Do not be too quick to “have an answer for everything.” Take time and let the prospect see that you are thinking and that his or her concern is important.

Listening Mistake #3 = Lack of eye contact
Most sales people diligently try to maintain eye contact when they are speaking. However, many seem to wander as the prospect talks. Listening entails more than just your ears. You have to listen with your eyes and emotions.

Solution: Maintain constant eye contact every time the prospect says anything. Take in and note the prospect’s body language, facial expression and movements. You need to SEE and FEEL what the prospect is saying in addition to hearing it.

So, lose the sales Crystal Ball that tells you exactly what the prospect will say before they say it. Don’t write your thank you speech before the game is over and listen with your eyes as well as your ears.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

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Stop scratching around for sales and learn how to sell the modern way with my FREE 40 minute online training session. Click on the image below to find out why you’ve got to be changing the way that you prospect and sell…

Every sales person knows that to set yourself apart from your competition is a vital component of your sales process.

Although you may get many chances to do this during the sales process, the best time to differentiate yourself is in the very beginning. Here are three powerful ways to help you eliminate your competition so they could ultimately respond with “You had me at hello!”

#1. Response Time
While it seems that everyone invests enormous amounts of time and money on increasing web presence and traffic; not as many invest equal resources on responding to those enquiries. Those emails and incoming phone calls are critical and the time it takes to respond is as important, if not more so, than how you respond.

Take any measures necessary to respond instantly to web enquires. By instantly, I do not mean a few days later or even the next day. I am also not referring to an automated response saying that you received their enquiry. You need to contact that prospect with a personal telephone call or email within minutes or as soon as physically possible. Establish alert systems, forwarding avenues; do whatever you have to do. Hire a dedicated person to respond or to distribute enquiries to the appropriate sales person if needed.

Now, I know some of you are probably thinking, “Now, wait a minute, Sean…that can cost a fortune and we do very well with incoming leads.” Do you honestly know exactly what your enquiry-to-lead conversation rate is? Do you know exactly how many calls came in to the front desk and how many become bona-fide leads? Do you have actual data or are you guessing?

When you get that enquiry, chances are yours is not the only site that prospect hit, nor the only request for more information they submitted online. People have become used to waiting days or even weeks to hear from a real live person with answers to their questions. Respond instantly and with customised information not generic sales-brochure type rhetoric.

#2. Give Something
Now, in that instant response, or if this is an outgoing call or contact, give the prospect something first before you begin asking for business. By this, I mean you need to offer the prospect information, ideas and advice that are useful to them, and do so without the thought of receiving anything in return. Educate the prospect during that first contact. Help them.

#3. Become a Consultant and Advisor
During that first contact, you need to raise yourself to the level of a consultant who is a leader in their industry. To accomplish this successfully, you need to ask THE question. THE question is one for which the prospect has not yet thought of. You need to ask a question that shows the prospect that you understand their situation and problems even more than they do. You need to ask that question that the prospect cannot answer.

It is that question to where the prospect’s only response is something like, “Uh…um. I never thought about that. What do you think?” When this happens, you have become the advisor!

If you do not currently have several such questions that make the prospect dig deep; that uncover areas of problems and pain that the prospect is unaware…then you need go back to the drawing board and figure out a list of questions that help to unearth their true hot buttons. However, you cannot TELL. You must ASK.

Respond instantaneously.
Offer some free information or advice.
Ask a question that solidifies you as an expert and you will eliminate competition before they can compete!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

(Image by Chaiwat)

Stop scratching around for sales and learn how to sell the modern way with my FREE 40 minute online training session. Click on the image below to find out why you’ve got to be changing the way that you prospect and sell…

So how exactly do you prospect on LinkedIn?

Most sales professionals and business owners are only aware of their first degree connections. These are the people that you probably already knew before LinkedIn; friends, colleagues, people you have worked with in the past etc.  But these connections might not be potential prospects for you, so how can you get to the key decision makers who you really want to engage with?

The real gold which LinkedIn has to offer (more than any other social networking site) is the ability to be introduced to key decision makers you may otherwise not be able to reach. It quite literally is a prospecting power tool…in the right hands.

The real value in the site doesn’t necessarily come from who you are connected to, but who your connections are connected to – and the great thing about LinkedIn is that it doesn’t just show your own network, it also shows your network’s network. In fact, LinkedIn even shows you how you are connected to these prospects so that you can ask for an introduction from your shared connection in order to make that first contact.

Say for instance you are already connected to the Sales Manager of particular company, but the connection you’re really interested in is the Sales Director of their company who they are already connected to.

By building up a solid relationship with your current connection – giving them good advice, offering solutions to their problems or suggesting interesting content that may help them – you can then ask them with confidence to recommend you as a connection to the key decision maker you are keen to network with. After all, you’ve proved to be a good connection to them so why would they not consider recommending you to their colleagues?

But it goes further than that. Whilst asking for a recommendation to connect on the LinkedIn platform is a start, what you really want is to get to talk to this key decision maker outside of the site, via email or on the phone.

If you have a new product or an interesting whitepaper you feel would really benefit the Sales Director of the company, email or call your first degree connection and speak to them directly about what you have to offer them and the company, and then either ask to speak to their Sales Director directly or set an appointment where you can meet with them both to discuss things further.

If you have a good relationship with your first degree connection you will find it much easier getting them to pass you on to their superiors and setting an appointment with them – you are literally bypassing the gatekeeper and getting right into the heart of the company.  

This is the gold on offer through the LinkedIn platform, and by putting in the time and effort with your current connections you could soon find yourself being recommended to the key decision makers you are looking to work with – an opportunity you may not otherwise get.

That’s all for now folks, see you again soon for another Techy Tuesday.

Regards,

Louise

Louise Denny

Marketing Manager

(Image by  Jannoon)

Whenever the idea of a planned presentation comes up, usually the first thing sales people think about is a “canned script.” In a canned script, I am referring to the old-fashioned, smile-and-dial era, word-for-word, rehearsed, “Pitch.” Such was a primary tool of sales people, in particular telemarketers, years ago. Alternatively, we had the opposite of the canned spiel with the show up and throw up method, where sales people just walked in and did whatever they thought came natural.

While most sales professionals have rose above the smile and dial pitch, the question arises of the validity of using a planned sales presentation today. While not exactly a throw-up tactic, many still believe it is best to know all you can know about your product and prospect, and then just go in and let the sales interaction flow impromptu, directed by the prospect’s interests. So, dealing with today’s modern and educated buyer, should you play-it-by-ear and wing it, or use a planned and structured sales interaction?

Defining a Planned Sales Interaction
I believe that for the majority of selling situations, you should use a well-planned and structured sales presentation; but allow me to define exactly what I mean.

Although with a planned presentation, you may have a few words or phrases that you might use verbatim, I am not talking about a canned script. By a planned presentation, I am referring to “a thoroughly interactive, yet totally controlled methodical process that systemically moves the sale through incremental, yet critical stages, accomplishing interim goals at each step, while maximizing the odds of closing the sale.”

You can keep your sales interaction feeling impromptu, but you must have a way to control the direction and outcomes. You should have a step-by-step process that leads to a successful conclusion. In such, you can maintain the flexibility to adapt to responses, yet keep the process on track towards a narrow objective.

A Strategy
A Planned sales interaction is a strategy. With a planned interaction, you want to know what you need to accomplish at each stage of the presentation. For instance, in your first step, you may want to design proper seating arrangements as soon as you arrive. Or you may want to find out more about the prospect’s delivery systems during your warm-up talk. Perhaps you need to uncover more about the current contract the prospect has with a competitor.

In your second stage, perhaps you need to uncover exactly how much the prospect is spending on the outdated system, how much time their people are wasting due to lack of training. It is a plan on what you need to accomplish and when.

Planned VS Canned
So what is the difference between a planned sales interaction and a canned pitch?

A Canned Script – PUSHES: Pushes benefits, forces ideas, and minimises interaction.
A Planned Structure – Pulls: Pulls out problems, uncovers pain and maximises interaction.

A Canned Script – SUPPRESSES: Suppresses responses and objections and stifles emotion.
A Planned Structure – EXTRACTS: Extracts responses and objections early or avoids them and stimulates emotion.

A Canned Script – TELLS: Tells the prospect things.
A Planned Structure – ASKS: Asks the prospect questions.

In dealing with today’s sophisticated and educated buyer, now more than ever, you need to have a well-thought-out plan. You must have a strategy to accomplish every sales goal, including just setting an appointment.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

Stop scratching around for sales and learn how to sell the modern way with my FREE 40 minute online training session. Click on the image below to find out why you’ve got to be changing the way that you prospect and sell…

Due to circumstances well beyond your control, the new software version upgrade will not ship as promised. The sales team has anxious clients waiting for the upgrade, in addition to many prospects who are interested in seeing the new version. Moreover, the delay means that regular monthly maintenance fees are suspended and the sales team will not receive their monthly residual commissions!

Now it is your job to deliver this uplifting news to the sales team. Arrrgh!

In business, things do not always go as planned and there are times when your firm may have to endure negative, costly and painful information. How you deliver such information to your sales team is critical.

The Positive Sandwich
You may have heard of the concept of the positive sandwich, in when delivering disconcerting information, you simply position the bad material in between two positive discussions. Lead off with something good, quickly disseminate the bad, and then close with something good. While there is nothing wrong with this concept as it makes sense and works quite well in many situations such as public speaking; today’s modern sales people may need a bit more.

Start at the Bottom and Go Up
Eliminate the emotional rollercoaster. Begin with the worse news possible, and then deliver good news. Follow that by even better news and then the best news. Finally, show some example of this good news in action.

As an example, using our hypothetical software upgrade above, you would deliver the bad news that the upgrade is late as are residual commissions. Then, share the good news that the upgrade has additional features and benefits. Better news; that clients who upgrade will get a reduction in their monthly service fees. Follow that by best news that sales people will get a raise in their residual percentage. Finally, share an example of the good news with the fact that the new features will open up new markets and more sales opportunities for the sales team.

Expectations Shape Perception
The most powerful way to deliver bad news to your sales team is to shape their expectations of that news.

Have you ever felt a movie would be the best movie of its genre you have ever seen, only to find that the movie was not as good as you thought? Alternatively, the movie you thought would be a flop, was not as bad as you thought it would be.

A company earns $200 million in profits. However, the company failed to meet the Wall Street expectations of $206 million, and therefore did not perform very well. Expectations greatly influence perception.

When you need to deliver bad news to the sales teams, start by shaping their expectations of the upcoming news. Let the team know that in the next meeting, you have some very bad news to share. You do not want to exaggerate or lie, and you don’t have to. Individual human imagination will run rampant as sales people envision their own worst possible nightmarish fears.

Now, by the time you deliver the actual news, you can rest assured that it will be nowhere near half as horrible as they thought. Now use a nonchalant, light-hearted tone of voice when delivering the news and the sales team’s perception will be that the news was really not that bad at all!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

Stop scratching around for sales and learn how to sell the modern way with my FREE 40 minute online training session. Click on the image below to find out why you’ve got to be changing the way that you prospect and sell…

Most people in sales management or with a title that is responsible for leading a sales team, speak about leading by example.

However, exactly what does that mean?

Many think that to lead your team by example, is to sell as much or as more as each member of the sales team. In some sales organisations, this may be practical. However, in many other situations, due to time constraints, additional responsibilities and a host of other reasons, it may not only be impractical, but impossible for the manager to lead the team in sales. And should the sales manager still be responsible for “closing sales” too? In some companies when a sales rep moves into a sales management role they step back from the day to day selling and are now responsible for motivating, coaching, developing and driving the sales performance of their teams.

So how can you lead by example?

Excel in the following four critical areas and you will not only lead your sales team by example, but lead them to another level as well!

Just remember that your goal is to L.E.A.D.!

L = Loyal
The single most vital leadership area that your sales people must see in you is a complete and unalterable loyalty to your company, products or services and your industry. You must believe in what sell wholeheartedly, but also in HOW you sell it. You have to have total faith in your sales processes, your operating methodology, sales philosophy and the future of your entire industry. Your sales teams must know that you eat, sleep, walk, talk and even bleed your company at all times.

E = Ethics
First, you need to have a set of ethical standards that are uncompromising and you must practice what you preach. You must have a zero tolerance for anything that in any way represents a misleading concept or statement, misrepresentation, over exaggeration or a fabrication of any kind. In addition, you need to posses and demonstrate an unyielding personal work ethic. Be the first one in, and the last to leave.

A = Attitude
You need to be the unshakable rock of positivity. Nothing, from tough economic times, to competitive issues, to personal problems, should ever dampen your enthusiasm, passion and optimistic outlook on today, tomorrow and beyond. You should be able to see some good in everybody and everything. Your sales people should get a boost of positive energy just from being in your presence.

D = Done It
Finally, to lead by example truly, you need to have been there and done that. While it may not be possible for you to get in the field and sell with your team, the goals and quotes you assign should be things that you have accomplished at sometime in your career. You can tell your sales team that they should be closing ten sales every week and that it is easy and all they have to do is follow the plan. However, if you have never, personally closed ten similar sales a week in your life yourself, you have a serious credibility problem. The team needs to know that anything you ask of them, that you are not only willing to do yourself, but have done it.

L.E.A.D. and your sales team will follow!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

Stop scratching around for sales and learn how to sell the modern way with my FREE 40 minute online training session. Click on the image below to find out why you’ve got to be changing the way that you prospect and sell…

You made the initial contact through LinkedIn. You then directed the prospect to your company website for additional information. You emailed more documentation and now it is time to call to set an appointment. Fear begins to set in. Will you face a strong gatekeeper screen? Will the prospect have time to talk? Will your voice present the wrong image and ruin the sales process?

Right before your eyes, the phone seems to be growing larger, heavier and you wonder if it is your imagination, or if the handset suddenly grew teeth! You begin to think that maybe it is a good idea to try to set the appointment by email as well.

Depending on your business model and sales process, perhaps a purely or mostly e-selling process makes sense. However, for most sales people, the telephone is still an indispensable part of the sales process, and using too much email has increased their phone phobia.

Email and other e-prospecting and communication avenues are a critical part of doing business today. However, there are times when you need to put down the mouse and pick up the telephone!

5 Reasons Why You May Still Need To Make The Call

#1. Image Is Everything
To truly secure your image in the mind of the prospect, especially before your first face-to-face meeting, the prospect needs to hear you voice. Sending great emails, photos and everything else, cannot replace your voice.

#2. Personality
Has the prospect needs to hear your voice, you should hear his or hers as well. By speaking to the prospect, you can determine many personality traits not evident in email correspondence. Does the prospect speak very fast or slow? Is the prospect a formal, business-like person is she more laid back and casual? These are important things to know before a sales interaction, and people do not write exactly the way they talk.

#3. Rapport
Once you have some insight into the prospect’s personality, you can slightly adjust your approach to match. To create rapport, you need to appear similar or familiar to the prospect. You can accomplish this in a telephone call.

#4. Questions
Many questions and fact-finding methods require instant feedback. When you pose a question, often you need to know the prospect’s reaction right away to be effective. Sometimes, waiting for an answer just does not work.

#5. Real Person, Not an Avatar
Until you actually speak with the buyer, you are in a sense, an avatar. That is, you are a graphic representation of your alter ego. We all know that people can represent themselves to be anything they want via a virtual environment. Pick up the telephone and put a real voice and personality behind the image.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

(Image by Stuart Miles)

Stop scratching around for sales and learn how to sell the modern way with my FREE 40 minute online training session. Click on the image below to find out why you’ve got to be changing the way that you prospect and sell…

According to the latest facts and figures released, Facebook is now used by every 1 in 13 people on earth, and with over 50% of these logging on every day, the ability for prospecting and connecting with your followers through this platform is at an all-time high.

As a sales professional or business owner you would probably love to be doing more prospecting on Facebook and be able to utilise this platform to the best of its abilities – but as with most social media sites, this can be very time consuming and many companies struggle to dedicate this time in order to gain the real value of the site.

With Facebook receiving so much traffic every day, it can be hard to manage all of your comments and interactions on the site, and this is where a handy little tool called Vitrue comes into play.

Vitrue excels in helping you make the most of your Facebook presence, by enabling you to quickly and easily moderate any comments left on your Facebook page, and automate sending targeted messages to people who have “liked” you or your company.

This service is designed specifically for businesses, to help companies grow their social community whatever industry or size of business you are, so it’s well worth taking a look at the solutions they have to offer.  As this particular platform offers bespoke solutions to each requirement, they don’t have set price for using their service, but you can sign up for a free live demo via the Vitrue site which will help you establish how this platform can best help manage your social media activity – specifically on Facebook.

Also on offer from Viture are some great white papers on managing your Facebook community and detailing how to structure a top-notch post to engage with your followers,  so it’s well worth visiting the site for the free content alone.

Facebook can be a lucrative platform for you and your team to engage with your online audience and build good social relationships which can turn into valuable leads for the company, but as time is often the issue for so many sales professionals and business owners it’s great to have a nifty little tool like Vitrue under your belt to help manage the process – and your time – more effectively.

That’s all for now folks, see you again soon for another Techy Tuesday.

Regards,

Louise

Louise Denny

Marketing Manager

(Image by Marco Pako)

“Find the prospect’s hot buttons!” “Push their hot buttons!” We’ve heard these thoughts before; but what do they mean? Is it to say that as a sales person you should try to discover your prospect’s primary areas of interest? How do you push those so-called buttons anyway? How do these hot buttons help you close sales? Exactly what is a Hot Button?

The Hot Button
For most sales people, the term Hot Button refers to some topic, product or service-point for which the prospect has very strong interest or desire. With this avenue of thinking, many sales people look to the benefits their product or service offers. They think, ‘find a benefit the prospect likes and push it to make the sale.’ Unfortunately, this is a mistake.

A Definition
Merriam-Webster defines the adjective, “hot button” as, “An emotional and usually controversial issue or concern that triggers immediate intense reaction.”

The key words to remember are emotion and intense. A benefit does not usually create an emotional reaction that leads to a buying decision. Also, understand that the fear of loss is a far more intense emotion than the desire for gain.

Find Hot Buttons
To find the prospect’s emotional triggers, you need to find their problems. Unearth the prospect’s problems and pain and you will discover their hot buttons. Then present how your product or service will solve those problems, and you will be pushing those hot buttons.

Don’t Confuse Interest and Desire with Hot Buttons
Often when a prospect mentions some area of interest, the sales person assumes such is a hot button, and relentlessly pursues the idea. However, such initial areas of interest usually just scratch the surface of the prospect’s situation.

Also, keep in mind that today’s modern buyers are smart, and are not too quick to reveal their emotions and concerns, as they know doing so will weaken their negotiating strength. In addition, the prospect’s true hot buttons, those areas of serious problems and pain, may not be immediately evident, even to the prospect.

Solutions to Problems = Hot Buttons
You need to have a systematic method of asking questions to uncover the prospect’s problems. Find areas the prospect is losing, hurting or suffering in some way due to the lack of your product or service. Exemplify those areas of problems and pain, and then present your solution and you will hit the hot buttons on the head.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

(Image by Stuart Miles)

Stop scratching around for sales and learn how to sell the modern way with my FREE 40 minute online training session. Click on the image below to find out why you’ve got to be changing the way that you prospect and sell…