A complete posting of self promotion this Friday as we’re up for a Business Of The Year Award for our growth this year!

In a training market that is 27% down according to CIPD, MTD have grown by 40%.

I’ve won entrepreneurial awards in the past but it would be awesome for all of the team if we won this one!

I’ll keep you informed of our progress!

Happy selling and have a great weekend

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

Telephone: 0800 849 6732

Improve your SALES SKILLS Click by signing up for our FREE SALES TIPS

“Hi Sean,

No matter what I do I can’t motivate my team to make more sales. They are on good salaries, have good conditions and no matter what I say in team meetings or what I offer in terms of reward or recognition, I get nothing back!

What can I do to motivate them?

Vijay Lal

—————————————

This is a great question and one I get asked a lot.

Motivation is a thing that comes from within. Sure you can be inspired by others but I believe you can’t be motivated by anyone other than yourself.

In order to get the best out of others I recommend that you give them the tools, the skills and create the environment for them to achieve high levels of performance AND THEN they will become motivated.

You cannot give them “motivation” and performance will improve. Instead, give them the tools to perform and they will become more motivated.

I was once asked to give a motivational talk to a workforce of 1000 sales people and was getting paid £5k for an hours work.

The brief was to get them pumped up.

Now I like to do my research so I met with some of the sales people a couple of weeks beforehand so I knew what they did and how they did it.

I found out that:

* No-one had received any training from the company in the past
* They were not using any CRM system or tool to keep records etc
* Everyone of the team was using a different sales process
* The company as a whole did not have any key unique selling points for the product

Now this was a multi-national company!

Yes, I can get anyone pumped up. But they’d be going back into the workplace to continue hitting their heads against the brick wall (but a bit faster after my hours talk!)

So instead of “motivating” the team I decided to train and develop the team. I only had an hour but I focused on 4 of the key “biggest hitting” areas that would make a difference.

The result?

Well, I got rated 9.8 out of 10 from the conference feedback forms because I gave them tools to improve their performance. I didn’t include any “motivational stories” or “pump me up” ra ra’s yet on the feedback forms the comments were like “I feel really confident and motivated that I’ll improve my performance” and even “I’m psyched, I want to get back to work and try these techniques out”

That was living proof of the point I’m making here.

Remember, give them tools to help them improve their performance and the motivation will naturally come. It’s not the other way around.

Happy selling

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

Telephone: 0800 849 6732

Improve your SALES SKILLS Click by signing up for our FREE SALES TIPS

Just before Christmas, I received a really good question from Stuart who asked:

“I am a manufacturer sales person and my products are sold through distribution to customers, who then convert them into the finished product for their customer – the eventually end users.

We are going through a process of trying to get our product spec’d by the eventually end user. What is the best way of doing this? We are trying to communicate with the end user themselves, but it is having limited success. How do I get an end user to say that product x must be made from material supplied by manufacturer A or I am not going to buy it?”

Great question Stuart, what you need is to offer an ethical bribe!

If you can get hold of the contact details of the end users direct then you need to give them an ethical bribe to help you! You can do this by offering them something in return for helping you with your market research. It’s got to be something of real value though. You could approach one of your distributors and do a deal with them to offer x% off their next purchase or you could give them something.

You need to work out what this information will be worth to you in the long run. If it’s worth thousands then you can “give away” some real juicy gifts for the help like weekend’s away etc.

I once received 3 months worth of Fosters for helping them with some “market research” once!

But you need to position it as market research and you need to include all different types of questions to really profile their needs.

Now if you have not got any contact details of the end users then you need to do the same process but with your distributors.

Information is a valuable commodity. Work out what the info is worth to you in the long run. It could be worth thousands or tens of thousands if you can receive exactly the answers you need. And then get the good ole ethical bribe out in exchange for “market research”

Happy selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

Telephone: 0800 849 6732

Improve your SALES SKILLS Click by signing up for our FREE SALES TIPS

Do you have to conduct sales presentations to win business?

If so, you’ve most likely referred to them as beauty parades. This is where your prospect has given you and 3 other vendors a list of requirements and have asked you to present “what you can do for them” and your ideas.

Psst Have you heard about The Beauty Parade Sales Presentation Myth?

You know what it is…..

“It’s always worse to present first”

Not true. Don’t get me wrong, I used to feel this way!

But then I won some major projects going first, last, before lunch and after lunch!

You see, it doesn’t really matter where you go that counts but it does matter what you do during your presentation that counts.

Going First?

Well, you should look to build so much value into your presentation that it sets the standards so high that all of the other vendors are compared to yours and don’t stack up. You need to be the trailblazer here!

And if you know who you’re up against, and have done your homework on what their USP’s are etc then you can position yourself against them by going first like this:

“Throughout today you’re probably going to hear unique selling points like offering you a completely tailored software system, 24/7 support and unlimited ongoing changes for your version of software. Well, those aren’t USP’s to us. They are “givens” offered by everyone. Let me talk you through what makes our product completely unique….”

By prefacing a statement like that, if all of your competitors are going on about their 24/7 support etc then the decision makers will not take too much notice about them because of what you covered in your talk. You’ve devalued those features.

In theory you can bash all of your competitors USP’s without naming them and by stating that they are the norm and are not unique.

Conversely, if you know your short comings in the marketplace and what they are against your enemy then you can cover these off in your presentation. For example, some of the “big boys” in your marketplace will try to play the “we’re the biggest and the best, with the most coverage, turnover, profits and capability” hand. They’ll try to make your 10 staff look like you can’t do the job. With something like this you could pre-empt their strike by getting in first with something like this:

“We’re not as big as some of the companies that you’ll meet with today but that is a major advantage because you’re not just another number to us, we can make changes to your specs 2 weeks quicker than anywhere else and….”

I hope you get the picture?

Presenting at a beauty parade is an art and a science. Remember, it doesn’t matter what slot you’re given – it only matters what you do in that slot and how you position yourself against those before you, after you or both!

Happy selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

Telephone: 0800 849 6732

Improve your SALES SKILLS Click by signing up for our FREE SALES TIPS

If you didn’t know already I offer one off sales coaching sessions either face to face or over the telephone to cover certain aspects of your selling if you need a boost.

Call it “Pay as you go!” sales coaching!

Anyhow, last week a sales person wanted me to come out with him on a couple of visits so I could analyse his technique and give him some coaching after each visit.

I played the role of a new starter shadowing the sales person! I found it very difficult not to step in!

Anyhow, this sales person was very detailed, talked very slowly, was analytical and very techy. He knew his stuff big time.

But in each of the sales visits he treated the prospect exactly how he would like to be sold to. He was baffling them with jargon, getting all “techy” on them, he was going into great detail about things etc

And that’s fine if the prospect is like that but they weren’t!

I’ve never seen two prospects glaze over so quickly before.

And here’s the lesson.

You’ve heard of the expression do unto others as they do onto you?

Well, in sales that’s strictly not true.

You need to weigh up what type of prospect they are in terms of:

- Detailed v Big Picture thinkers
- Straight Talkers v Fluff
- Analytical v Gut Feeling thinkers
- Move towards people v Move away people

There are many other factors!

And then you adapt your style to fit their style.

It’s not one size fits all with selling.

Try it out and see how you get on. You will find it makes a huge difference to your sales and how you connect with your prospects.

And don’t forget, you don’t need me to come out and shadow you to benefit from my sales coaching. You might just want a 45 minute session with me over the phone to go over a couple of things and to get my views, opinions and approach on something.

If you want me to help just reply to this email and I’ll send you how it will work.

Why don’t you give it a try?

Thanks again

Happy selling!

Sean

PS Here are 3 additional ways to help you to improve your sales!

1. Check out my 5 CD Sales Programme “Drive Time Sales Strategies: 39 Practical “HOW TO” tips while you’re on the way to the sale!” Click here: http://www.drivetimesales.com

2. Attend one of our sales training open courses run at different locations throughout the UK. Click here for the latest schedule:
http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/opencourses.htm

3. If a number of you require training to help you to close more business then we can come to you and train you together. Click here for details on our in-house training options:
http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/inhouse.htm

_______________________________

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training International

Telephone:
0800 849 6732

Website:
http://www.mtdsalestraining.com

Address:
MTD Sales Training
Business Innovation Centre
Binley Business Park
Harry Weston Road
Coventry
CV3 2TX
United Kingdom

If you give demonstrations of your products or services then I recommend that you give this closing line a try:

“Why don’t you give it a try?”

“Try” is a very powerful word in sales as it seems to reduce the risk of the purchase to the buyer.

“Why don’t you buy it?” may seem a little heavy handed to some purchasers and may seem a little front on.

Whereas the word “Try” sinks into our minds as though there are no long term commitments and that we’re “having a go” with the product or service to see how we get on with it rather than purchasing it although you are purchasing it!

Why don’t you give it a try?

Happy selling

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

Download some useful resources:

FREE weekly sales email tips

Sean McPheat’s latest CD Sales Programme

As you probably know I am always looking for tell tale signs of sales scripts being used, blueprints that sales people are working from and basically “how things are put together”

Ok, I’m a nosey bugger!

But it keeps me ahead of the game. I’m a nightmare when I’m sold to too! I’m probably analysing what the sales person is doing rather than listening to them!

Anyhow, it’s Friday and I came across this video on how the news is actually put together.

It’s very funny and you’ll definately relate to it!

Have an awesome weekend. Here’s the video:

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

Click here for free sales tips

I received this question yesterday from Keith Benning who asked:

“Sean, when trying to get into a company should I just aim at the top and the ultimate decision maker?”

My thoughts:

Keith should just focus on getting in!

Doesn’t matter whether it’s at the top or the bottom – just get in!

Today’s top sales people understand that yes, getting in at the top is very important and
is possibly the quickest way to get from A to B. But they also know that getting in at
this level is increasingly becoming harder and harder with not only 1 gatekeeper in the
way but usually there are several that you’ll need to navigate through. (Assuming you’ve
identified who they are in the first place that is!)

Today’s top sales people shoot for both ends of the organisation.

They target the people at the top as an “in” to the company and also those further
down the food chain.

So why should you target the “people at the bottom?”

Well, if you think about it, those are the people that your product or service would
normally impact the most. They are the group of people with the most pain and hurt
and whilst they may not be able to say a “yes” to what you’re offering, they can
certainly make the right noises for you internally and point you in the right direction
to the person who can say yes.

Remember, your objective is to get to the decision maker.

You can go direct. Or you can go via a different route and bring people with you.

Those that can influence internally and be one of your enforcers on the inside.

Just imagine one of these people talking to the decision maker and saying something
like “Mr DM, I’ve been on XYZ’s email list for 6 months now and they’ve taught me lots
about business continuity software. They’ve given me CD’s, even a free DVD and I
haven’t had to pay a penny for it. I know our contract comes to an end with ABC at
the end of next month. I really think we should see these people”

DM-> “Ok, set it up”

Now that’s the position you want to get into!

And we all know the value of a referral! Word of mouth counts for a lot.

So remember, there’s more than one way to to “get in”.

Make sure your prospecting caters for both.

Until next time, happy selling!

Sean

PS Here are 3 additional ways to help you to improve your sales!

1. Check out my 5 CD Sales Programme “Drive Time Sales Strategies:
39 Practical “HOW TO” tips while you’re on the way to the sale!”
Click here: http://www.drivetimesales.com

2. Attend one of our sales training open courses run at different
locations throughout the UK. Click here for the latest schedule:
http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/opencourses.htm

3. If a number of you require training to help you to close more
business then we can come to you and train you together. Click
here for details on our in-house training options:
http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/inhouse.htm

_______________________________

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training International

Telephone:
0800 849 6732

Website:
http://www.mtdsalestraining.com

About 12 months ago I was approached for an interview on how to dominate your market.

Because MTD Sales Training is one of the dominant players in the UK sales training market, Bull Guertin wanted to know what we did to make it so.

Now I’m not going to reveal our secrets because there are plenty of those! But what I did do was tell all around some of the personal branding that I do as the leader of the company.

And I’m pleased to say that my information is covered over 4 pages within the book so I got some decent coverage out of it.

Now in terms of the book, it’s a must read.

Bill has gone to great lengths to interview some of the major players in their field and he has done a lot of research on what it takes to dominate your market.

What I particularly like about it is that it provides you with plenty of practical examples and real-life experiences to bring the book to life.

It will certainly help you to separate yourself from your competition and in markets where suppliers are a “much of a muchness” today, this is really useful.

It’s not too heavy, easy to read and you can digest the info in bite sized chunks.

I would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for something different and want to position yourself as an expert and authority in your field.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

For free sales tips please click here

Telephone:
0800 849 6732