Hoping… Wishing… vs. Expecting Success in 2016?
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t’s highly likely that your goals for 2016 are directly related to your performance in 2015. If you had a good or great year in 2015, you’re probably looking to sustain that high level. If you had an average or poor year, you’re probably looking to improve or avoid 2015’s results.
What’s on your list right now that is part of your plan to accomplish your objective? Are you still formulating your plans? Maybe you know what you want to do, you haven’t allocated time to commit it to writing or share it with someone else. Studies done on the subject of goal accomplishment stress the point that commitment is the key to success. People who have in some tangible way (written or told someone) committed to their goals, on average, achieve more than 40% greater success than those who don’t.
Here’s a simple process:
- Decide what you want to accomplish.
- Determine what is required to accomplish your objective.
- Formulate a plan to execute your strategy.
- Act!
There’s a credit card company that asks “What’s in your wallet?” We’re asking you, “What’s in your tool bag?” Are you still working with the same tools you’ve always used? Another key component of every survey I’ve seen regarding attaining success emphasizes the importance of growing and stretching out of one’s comfort zone. Have you just one tool in your bag? Are you using it in every situation, or are you examining each situation and applying the right tools?
Here’s a saying that might have value for you: “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
Come the end of 2016, how will it have gone for you? The headline for this tip mentions hoping and wishing versus expecting success; but, here’s another: how about earning your success? Find a way to grow and expand your tool box. Remember: hope is not a strategy.
Sales Concepts can help you add the tools you need to succeed that you may be missing as well as help you master the tools you already have.
What Picture Are You Painting For Your Customers?
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hen I started working in sales, I recall a conversation with a wise and experienced sales person where I asked the question, “What do you think sales is all about?” I remained quiet and listened to what he had to say. He explained sales is about painting word pictures, and salespeople are the artists. If your customers and prospects like the picture and see themselves succeeding, they will buy. At the time, I thought this idea was kind of silly and too simplistic. It was not what I expected from someone who had been selling for over 30 years. Now that I have decades of experience, I’ve come to understand just how wise he was.
The inspiration for this article came during one of our recent training programs. I was conducting practice sales calls with one of our attendees, and I remember losing my train of thought, because I had no interest in what the sales person was saying. He had not asked any questions. He behaved as if he already know what solution he was going to pitch without determining what I needed or wanted. The picture he painted was his own and not mine. Anyone who has looked at group photos knows firsthand that the most interesting photos are the ones that include themselves. After this call, I understood why my customer’s clients were not interested in what he offered. The word pictures were only of him. They all seemed to be the same and were delivered with little or no enthusiasm.
What word pictures are you painting? Are they yours or your customers? Are you painting your pictures with enthusiasm about customized solutions for each customer or prospect? Here are a few tips that we practice.
The next time you work with a prospect or customer by phone, email, or even voice mail, determine the behavior style of that person. Each customer or prospect has a behavior style (a way they like to conduct business) where he or she naturally resides. If we, as sales people, are going to meet the expectations of customers and prospects, we need to customize our delivery to meet their style. If we don’t, the picture we paint will not appeal to them.
Listen to your calls. As time passes, it becomes difficult to maintain the required level of enthusiasm needed to attract and keep customers. Sometimes we fall into a routine where our messages sound the same and we treat all of our customers the same. Be aware, while you may not notice this, your customers will. I recall a time when I replayed some of my voice mails and could easily understand why no one was returning my calls. I sounded the same in each message. Have people listen to you and ask them to give you genuine feedback. This helps you understand how others perceive you. Avoid routine. If you are bored, your prospects will be bored.
Practice on your coworkers. Make sales calls on the people with whom you work. Just as we do in our courses, record the calls. This is a powerful method of learning. Again, ask yourself about your delivery and word pictures. Are you convinced you would buy from yourself? If not, what should you change? If so, why? Are you approaching the sale with your contact in mind? Are you tailoring your method of delivery to the individual you are calling? If not, practice the ideas listed here, ask for suggestions, and you are always welcome attend one of our upcoming courses for professional guidance!
Are Your Salespeople Bilingual?
Consider for a moment that the president of your company has come to you with an incredible opportunity! You have been asked to start or lead the company’s presence in Brazil. Your compensation will increase by a factor of 10! All expenses paid. Your family will be well taken care of. It is a five year assignment based in Rio de Janeiro. What concerns would you have?
The first concern many would probably address is the goal of this assignment. How will my success be measured? Equally important could be the fact that you may not be able to speak Portuguese.
Could you be successful in Rio de Janeiro not being able to communicate in Portuguese? Quite possibly. Rio de Janeiro is a major international city. There are plenty of people there who speak English. However, would it make a difference if you could speak Portuguese? Most certainly! What might be some of the benefits of being able to communicate in the native language of the people with whom you will be working?
- Improved Communication translation creates confusion and makes comprehension difficult.
- Credibility you will be seen as credible and trustworthy if you know the local language.
- Likeability in general you will be better received if you speak the local language. You may not be seen as such an outsider.
- Respect you will be more respected if you speak the local language.
- Differentiation you will be set apart from others who don’t speak the local language.
This list is by no means exhaustive. We could go on, but you get the point. There are numerous benefits to understanding the language and the culture of your prospects and customers.
Every day sales people are asked to call on C-Level executives without fully understanding their language and culture. They have a language all their own. They think about things differently than most other people your sales people typically visit. Understanding the language and the culture of the CFO, the CIO, the COO or the CEO is just as important as understanding Portuguese in the preceding example. Do you or your sales people fluently speak “ROI“, “Life Cycle Return Analysis” or “Cost of Ownership“?
Master this language at our next Financial Justification course. Learn the language of the boardroom. Be comfortable and successful working with C-Level executives!
The Sales Manager’s Dilemma
Sales people report to you. Some are new, some are seasoned. Some are struggling, some do well, and some need help. You have a training budget, but it’s limited and you want to use it wisely. You want the most bang for your buck, but you are not sure what to do or how to go about it. Who needs help? Who does not?
Selling isn’t easy. It can be even more difficult to determine why a salesperson or sales team, is not performing at peak levels. Most managers believe traveling with their salespeople can uncover areas of concern. But for an objective review of a salesperson’s capabilities and skills, other tools may be more effective. We are a licensed distributor for TTI Success Insights™ assessment tools. Many of our customers use these assessments to identify needs and develop training for their teams.
For example the Success Insights™ Sales Skills Index evaluates sales people’s abilities in six areas.
- Prospecting
- First Impressions
- Qualifying
- Demonstration
- Influence
- Closing
It has been our experience that the majority of sales managers believe that Closing is the most common area where sales people struggle. It’s astonishing how many times we have heard sales managers tell us “Our people know how to sell, they just don’t close!” What we have found is that weaknesses become visible at the closing so it is natural to assume this is where the problem is. However, after collecting years of data from these assessments, a common thread we see across the board is that inexperienced and experienced sales people alike, share a weakness in areas other than closing.
Please contact us if you are interested in assessing your team.
An Email From A Customer
We hope you’ve never lost business like this:
Joe:
Since we are old friends, I want to explain why I think your company lost our business. Joe, please do not feel that it was due to any lack of representation by your company and product. Certainly, it was not because you did not present yourself as a professional, or that you did not present your company’s product as a great solution, or that you did not know your product inside-out. Joe, you are, of course, a top-notch salesperson. I really wanted to buy from you.
Unfortunately, Mr. Topranking, Executive CEO, was impressed by Connie Competitor and her expertise in the Everything Line. Honestly, I am surprised she won the business. Ms. Competitor’s presentation was of a completely different nature than yours. In fact, she did not present at all. Instead she asked a bunch of questions and then she just sat back like a bump on a log and listened to the answers. Moreover, she was obviously not as prepared as you. She had to make several trips back to us in order to supply Mr. Topranking with more information.
Really, Joe, it was not your fault. It was just that the more Ms. Competitor listened and the more Mr. Topranking talked, it became apparent to everyone that what Mr. Topranking really needed was not the product you were selling us at all. In fact, we were not even aware until yesterday that your company carried a comparable product.
Anyway, just wanted to express my condolences and assure you that you did a fine job. Great Presentation!
Fondly,
Rich Client
Any Business, Inc.
Sales Concepts Postscript: What went wrong? Joe may have been selling too low in the organization. He apparently did not keep up with the critical business issues or industry trends. And Joe certainly did not ask the right questions.
Is there someone like Joe on your sales team? We can help.
What Motivates You?
Many times in the course of everyday life when I travel, attend a business conference, or some other type of function, I am often asked what I do for a living. When I tell people I work with a company that provides training for people who work in sales and customer service, people usually respond by saying; “Oh, so you do motivational type stuff?” “Well…” I respond, “not exactly.” Then I am usually greeted with a blank stare, a look of bewilderment, or some other awkward state of confusion.
Why is it that as soon as I utter the words sales training people think about motivational stuff? I did say sales training, did I not? If I said we provide training for people who repair computers, or drive tractor-trailers people would not respond in the same manner. Why is it when I say sales training people automatically assume sales people need to be constantly motivated?
Many of us in sales forget, or take for granted, that selling is a skilled profession, and an honorable one at that! Why do people who aren’t in sales think we have to be motivated all the time? Don’t truck drivers get discouraged? I can hear it now “Gosh, another 1,500 miles to go. I don’t know if I can do this or not.” What so many people who don’t sell for a living overlook is that to succeed in sales you must have command of some critical selling skills.
I think the reason people on the outside of our enlightened profession believe sales people have to be continually motivated is because we have to overcome enormous amounts of so-called rejection. My retort for this is, “Who doesn’t?” Don’t baseball players go through slumps? Don’t writers sometimes suffer from writers block? Yes, it may be true that after ten or fifteen fruitless calls life can seem a little bleak. This challenge is the hidden gem that makes selling so compelling.
Think about it. After fifteen calls without the sound of the pen hitting paper, a sharp look in the eye, a firm handshake and a smile of approval, even the most seasoned sales professional can get a little dejected. Remember though, this is where the real magic is. Selling is still a numbers game. So, what motivates you to make that sixteenth call? If you have been trained well in effective strategies and tactics, you will eventually come upon someone who buys. This seems to happen just about the time you wonder when you are going to close your next deal. So, if you are hitting that proverbial dry spell, more business could be just one call away.
“Few things are impossible with diligence and skill” – Samuel Johnson
