Dave Mather's Blog

Selling Dimensions - What is Your Natural Selling Style? Part II

2010-04-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

We instinctively sell the way we buy. However, to reach higher levels of sales performance, it's necessary to sell the way our prospects buy.

In this series, we'll specify various selling styles based on the work of John G. Geier Ph.D and Dorothy Downey M.S. Their DISC model, widely copied but rarely matched in quality, is a terrific place to begin when attempting to up our game and increase our sales.

Our second category is based on the "High Amber" profile.

Selling Profile #2: The Crowd Pleaser

Here is a brief description of their behavior in various phases of the sales process.

Product knowledge: Assumes it is more important that people like the product (and the salesperson)than it is for them to know how to use it.

Opening: Relax the customer by talking and joking; create an environment where unpleasant issues are unlikely to arise.

Handling Objections: Avoids objections; tells the prospect it's not important or it's better to set it aside for the moment and work on it later.

Customer Knowledge: Displays a sincere interest in hearing about the other person's thoughts, attitudes, and opinions.

Persuasive techniques: Keeps the visit a friendly one; emphasizes the positive.

Dealing with conflict: Avoids it.

Listening: Interrupts - often excited.

Crowd Pleasers will undoubtedly be with us for all time. They are viewed by others to have a superficial knowledge of the products/services they sell. They may pick up too many tabs for lunches and dinners thinking that's what it takes to build business relationships. However, the approach used by some Crowd Pleaser salespeople becomes tarnished by broken promises. Service providers get irritated at following up the over-promising style of Crowd Pleasers. They are friendly and fun to be around. It is important that Crowd Pleasers adapt to today's requirements where logic and reason enter into many buying decisions.

If they are not careful, customers may become dissatisfied because a genuine working relationship may require a balanced approach.
Another descriptive term for this selling style could be: Inducer or Persuader.

We'll continue with other styles in subsequent posts.

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Selling Dimensions - What is Your Natural Selling Style?

2010-04-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

Our first category is based on the "High Red" profile.

Selling Profile #1: The Dominator

Here is a brief description of their behavior in various phases of the sales process.

Product knowledge: Displays impatience with having to learn all the facts of the product/service they sell. They tend to become an expert only in part of the overall offering.

Opening: Tend to rush in with a hard driving approach.

Handling Objections: Perceive the prospect's questions as a signal for the contest to begin.

Customer Knowledge: Makes a quick judgment about the prospect. Relies mostly on their own intuition.

Persuasive techniques: Seeks to cultivate an impressive appearance in look, voice and mannerism to give weight to their presentation.

Dealing with conflict: Welcomes it.

Listening: Thinks ahead of the speaker. Is often inattentive.

Dominators are not overly concerned about the customer as an individual. They are there to compete. They avoid taking no for an answer. Their goal is to keep talking and leave little, if any, opportunity for the prospect to ask questions or make comments. They attempt to wear down the prospect's resistance and often succeed.

If they are not careful, customers may become dissatisfied because a genuine working relationship may not have been cultivated. Dominators relish the new and different and love to be seen as a leader.

Another descriptive term for this selling style could be: Jungle Fighter.

We'll continue with other styles in subsequent posts.
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Sell the way they buy - part four: GREEN

2010-03-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

Introduction: In the 1970’s I met two people who had a profound impact on me - John G. Geier, Ph.D. and Dorothy E. Downey, M.S. Their Personal Profile System is accurate, inexpensive, self-scoring and fun. Their four categories of behavior – D, I, S, and C are often referred to as DISC (pronounced like a computer "DISK")
In a follow-up study, Geier surveyed 100 males and 102 females ranging in age from 22-60 years with a mean age of 32.4. They fell into these categories of behavior.

High C behavior (I call this behavior grouping GREEN) – They are represented by those scoring at the top end of the C scale:

This behavior is described as:

Male: immovable, hopeful, satisfied, self-controlled, watchful, protective, logical, defensive, and realistic.

Female: watchful, uncertain, wishful, patient, satisfied, immovable, self-controlled, stubborn, probing, and cautious.

Low C behavior (Low GREEN) - represented by those scoring at the bottom end of the C scale:

Male: initiating, expansive, individualistic, absent-minded, affectionate, trusting, humourous, and ingenious.

Female: resourceful, persistent, vigorous, eager, forgiving, and rebellious.

Very few people separate male from female in these studies, which is a mistake.

According to Dale Carnegie, it is important to “talk in term of the other person’s interest.” It's important that we as salespeople sell the way others prefer to buy. Unfortunately, most salespeople sell as if they are selling to a mirror image of themselves. They aren't. By doing so, they are mismatched with their buyers almost 75% of the time.

Geier and Downey suggest a negative trigger for the HIGH GREEN buyer is attempting to use excessive charm and a sweet-talking approach. If we operate as if they will buy from us because they “like” us, we are mistaken. They value facts and data and are suspicious of opinions only. They trust statistics and data-based facts.

These social tendencies are quite easy to identify. We’ll look at nuances in subsequent blogs. For now, let's just say these types of buyers dislike social chit-chat, and use an analytical, investigative approach. They like salespeople they feel have done their homework. It’s best to emphasize quality over quantity, and provide validated studies, descriptive materials.

To decrease their fear, think and express yourself in terms of re-shaping and finding the value in slow, methodical changes.

They make choices based on thinking more than on feeling.

Granted, this is high-level material not suited to everyone with these behavioral tendencies. However, it's a start, and opens our eyes to seeing the world as others see it.

Give us your feedback – let’s make this a dialogue.

Please join us as a follower and post your feedback. It will be read.

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Sell the way they buy - part three: BLUE

2010-03-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

Introduction: In the 1970’s I met two people who had a profound impact on me - John G. Geier, Ph.D. and Dorothy E. Downey, M.S. Their Personal Profile System is accurate, inexpensive, self-scoring and fun. Their four categories of behavior – D, I, S, and C are often referred to as DISC (pronounced like a computer "DISK")

In a follow-up study, Geier surveyed 100 males and 102 females ranging in age from 22-60 years with a mean age of 32.4. They fell into these four categories of behavior.

High S behavior (I call this behavior grouping BLUE) – They are represented by those scoring at the top end of the S scale: This behavior is described as:

Male: protective, probing, wishful, stubborn, satisfied, pessimistic, suspicious, and logical.

Female: probing, wishful, self-controlled, protective, patient, defensive, dependable, practical, determined, and clear-thinking.

Low S behavior (Low BLUE) - represented by those scoring at the bottom end of the S scale:

Male: eager, opportunistic, optimistic, humorous, resourceful, adaptable, wide-interests, and trusting.

Female: expansive, initiating, imaginative, spunky, and rebellious. Very few people separate male from female in these studies, which is a mistake.

According to Dale Carnegie, it is important to “talk in term of the other person’s interest.” It's important that we as salespeople sell the way others prefer to buy. Unfortunately, most salespeople sell as if they are selling to a mirror image of themselves. They aren't. By doing so, they are mismatched with their buyers almost 75% of the time.

Geier and Downey suggest a negative trigger for the BLUE buyer is attempting to group the prospect with others. If we say, “Everyone’s buying this . . .” this is a turn-off to them. They value the fact that they are a unique individual. They have a small circle of close associates and friends and they trust their judgment.

These social tendencies are not as easily identified as RED or AMBER, but the BLUE style is more inner-directed than the previous styles. We’ll look at nuances in subsequent blogs.

For now, let's just say these types of buyers dislike social chit-chat, and often like to set their own pace and stick to it. They like one-on-one conversations and are distrustful of group decisions.

It’s best to emphasize your stability and stress the credibility of your suggestions. They like it when salespeople give them time to comprehend technical data and appear thorough in their efforts. To decrease their fear, acknowledge their possible concerns regarding change. They respond with a deliberate choice of words and resort to a safe position when conflict arises. They don’t mind eating alone and value their privacy and independence.

Granted, this is high-level material not suited to everyone with these behavioral tendencies. However, it's a start, and opens our eyes to seeing the world as others see it. We’ll continue with the other three categories in subsequent blogs.

Give us your feedback – let’s make this a dialogue.

Please join us as a follower and post your feedback. It will be read.

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Sell the way they buy - part two: AMBER

2010-03-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

Introduction: In the 1970’s I met two people who had a profound impact on me - John G. Geier, Ph.D. and Dorothy E. Downey, M.S. Their Personal Profile System is accurate, inexpensive, self-scoring and fun. Their four categories of behavior – D, I, S, and C are often referred to as DISC (pronounced like a computer "DISK")

In a follow-up study, Geier surveyed 100 males and 102 females ranging in age from 22-60 years with a mean age of 32.4. They fell into these categories of behavior.

High I behavior (I call this behavior grouping AMBER – (At first, we called them YELLOW, but they didn’t like it.) – They are represented by those scoring at the top end of the I scale:

This behavior is described as:

Male: enthusiastic, resourceful, expansive, alert, appreciative, vigorous, optimistic, adaptable.

Female: persistent, discontent, vigorous, resourceful, expansive, adventurous, sharp-witted, informal.

Low I behavior (Low AMBER) - represented by those scoring at the bottom end of the I scale:Male: apathetic, satisfied, watchful, patient, worrying, withdrawn, hopeful.

Female: uncertain, wishful, modest, complaining, realistic, protective, watchful, quiet, reserved, defensive.

Very few people separate male from female in these studies, which is a mistake.

According to Dale Carnegie, it is important to “talk in term of the other person’s interest.” It's important that we as salespeople sell the way others prefer to buy. Unfortunately, most salespeople sell as if they are selling to a mirror image of themselves. They aren't. By doing so, they are mismatched with their buyers almost 75% of the time.

Geier and Downey suggest a negative trigger for the AMBER buyer is attempting to provide a systematic structure. If we say, “This is the logical choice or, we have a proven system. . .” this is a turn-off to them. They value opinions and want interaction with others. They relish the relationship and social aspects of purchasing.

These social tendencies are quite easy to identify. We’ll look at nuances in subsequent blogs. For now, let's just say these types of buyers like social chit-chat, often like brainstorming ideas, skim rather than read detailed reports, and prefer unique, colorful and stylish items. They are willing to take time for conversation but can be delayed in buying while they seek out other’s opinions. It’s best to bring opinions with you in the form of testimonials where clients talk about their relationship with you and your team or clients. They welcome alternatives and enjoy “playful” exchanges.

To decrease their fear, develop ways for them to show-off their choices. Back up their imaginative ideas with practical implementation in which you do the detailed work.

They show readiness to help others with a problem and expect the same from us. Gravitate to social solutions and face-to-face meetings – often over a meal. They hate to eat alone.

Granted, this is high-level material not suited to everyone with these behavioral tendencies. However, it's a start, and opens our eyes to seeing the world as others see it.

We’ll continue with the other three categories in subsequent blogs.

Give us your feedback – let’s make this a dialogue.

Please join us as a follower and post your feedback. It will be read.

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Sell the way they buy - part one: RED

2010-03-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

In the 1970’s I met two people who had a profound impact on me - John G. Geier, Ph.D. and Dorothy E. Downey, M.S. Their Personal Profile System is accurate, inexpensive, self-scoring and fun. Their four categories of behavior – D, I, S, and C are often referred to as DISC (pronounced like a computer DISK)

I was reluctant to label a person’s style with one-word, a common mis-interpretation of Geier’s work, so I suggested the primary colors as categories of behavior. Since then, others have gone down this path. Geier is often plagiarized, but his work is still the best application of the DISC material. His profile, Behavior Indicator, makes it clear we are measuring Behavioral Characteristics, not personality traits.

Geier's inspiration came from the work of Psychologist William Moulton Marston who helped invent the polygraph test, and, since he felt young women in the 1930’s needed a role model similar to those written for young boys in comic books, he created the comic book character Wonder Woman. Marston was disenchanted with the Freud emphasis on deviant behavior and wrote a book called The Emotions of Normal People. His contention was that we should study “normal” behavior and draw conclusions from that rather than using deviant behavior as the focus of our studies.

Geier often told me, “A person is much more than an example of a style.” When someone suggested she did not want to put people in “boxes” Geier answered, “I don’t put people in boxes – I find them there.” He also contended, “People do not have weaknesses. A weakness is an over-extension of a strength.”

In a 1977 follow-up study, Geier surveyed 100 males and 102 females ranging in age from 22-60 years with a mean age of 32.4. They fell into these categories of behavior.

High D behavior (I call this behavior grouping RED) - represented by those scoring at the top end of the D scale:

This behavior is described as:

Male: initiating, daring, forceful, opportunistic, adaptable, confident, poised, inventive, assertive, and enterprising.

Female: expansive, eager, optimistic, initiating, confident, active, adventurous, and opportunistic.

Low D behavior (Low RED) - represented by those scoring at the bottom end of the D scale:

Male: anxious, moody, preoccupied, satisfied, protective, aloof, and indifferent.

Female: self-controlled, hopeful, honest, realistic, methodical, reserved, inhibited, and patient.

Very few people separate male from female in these studies, which is a mistake.

According to Dale Carnegie, it is important to “talk in term of the other person’s interest.” It's important that we as salespeople sell the way others prefer to buy. Unfortunately, most salespeople sell as if they are selling to a mirror image of themselves. They aren't. By doing so, they are mismatched with their buyers almost 75% of the time.

Geier and Downey suggest a negative trigger for the RED buyer is attempting to group this person with others. If we say, “This is the most popular model, everyone is buying them, we can’t keep them in stock . . . etc.” this is a turn-off to them. They want something unique and results-oriented according to their gut-feelings and first impressions. They relish the new and different.

These behaviors are quite easy to identify. We’ll look at nuances in subsequent blogs. For now, let's just say these types of buyers speak at a fast-pace. They are typically loud and respond quickly, often sharply. They sound authoritative and want to be seen as being in command of the situation.

To decrease their fear, project your ideas as an extension of their thinking. Get to the point and speak quickly and firmly. Offer firm conclusions in contrast to tentative suggestions. Keep discussions focused on their objectives and, remember, they are not interested in being a team player, they see themselves as leaders.

They expect others to listen carefully and respond in a timely fashion. Suggest options (no more than 2-3). They like to be in control of the decision.

Granted, this is high-level material not suited to everyone with these behavioral tendencies. However, it's a start, and opens our eyes to seeing the world as others see it.

We’ll continue with the other three categories in subsequent blogs.

Give us your feedback – let’s make this a dialogue.

Please join us as a follower and post your feedback. It will be read.

Find Me On LinkedIn: Click Here

Consultative Selling

2010-03-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Most companies pay lip service to "consultative" selling. I can't tell you how many times I've heard managers tell me they want their salespeople to be this way - but are unwilling to do what it takes to get there.

One manager told me he wanted his salespeople to become business advisors to his clients. When asked, "Are they qualified to do that," he though for a moment and replied, "Not really." Huh?

Order taking, product peddling salespeople have jaded buyers into treating all salespeople as vendors and beating them up on price and specifications.

That said, what a pleasure it is meeting with prospects who actually know how to buy and want a consultative approach. It amazes me to hear salespeople and their managers claim they sell "solutions" but obviously do not. They pitch a generic "solution" and get upset when the prospect is unwilling to pay for their "value-added" (translate: "expensive") services.

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck - it might be a salesperson masquerading as a consultative seller.

For further insights and instructive videos take a test-drive of the Dale Carnegie Secrets off Success app for itunes Click Here

I appreciate the visits from England, Ireland, Africa, Australia, Egypt, Russian Federation, Germany, Barazil, India and the Middle East to this blog as well as our participants from Ontario and colleagues from the United States.

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Speak For Yourself

2010-03-12T13:39:00.000-08:00

A common habit in our business culture is the habit of what I call, universal speaking. This is the bad habit of including everyone in our conversations as if they are the same as us.

For example, "When you get up in the morning you need that first coffee...

When you meet a new client, you have to establish rapport ...

When you hear more than seven no's, you get discouraged..."

Harmless? I think not.

This habit actually serves to distances ourselves from our commitments and others. By including everyone in the universal "you," we imply that everyone has the same experience as we do. We also cut ourselves off from others by closing the door to the possibility that other's do not have our experience with life or shares our values and viewpoints.

You don't speak for me and I don't speak for you. Speak for yourself and invite others to do so. This is particularly important in a sales encounter where we are attempting to connect with prospective clients and do business with them.

If your doubt this contention, go to a movie and listen for reactions to it. Different people experience the movie differently. Yet they sat in the same theatre watching the same movie.

Ask yourself, "What's it like to be the other person? What do things look like from their viewpoint?

For further insights and instructive videos take a test-drive of the Dale Carnegie Secrets off Success app for itunes Click Here

I appreciate the visits from England, Africa, Australia, Egypt and the Middle East to this blog as well as our participants from Ontario and colleagues from the United States.. Please join us as a follower and post your feedback. It will be read.

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What buyers want and what they get from most salespeople

2010-03-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

What buyers want:

Products and services that generate or save real dollars.

High value contact time with salespeople who create genuine value before signing agreements.

Accurate, unbiased and plausible business cases for their purchase decisions.

What buyers typically get from most salespeople:

Salespeople selling the wrong products and services for the wrong reasons on price alone.

Salespeople asking irrelevant questions followed by an obvious generic sales pitch.

Little, if any, connection to the buyer’s specific needs or wants.

Generic, boiler-plate proposals or spec sheets.

80% of most organization’s sales are still booked by the less the than 20% of salespeople who do not fit the above sales model costing both the seller and the buyer millions.

Quick-fix, technique based seminars or complex strategic approaches miss the target. Some organizations have long ago given up in frustration trying to elevate their salespeople’s competency. Others know what they are doing misses the target, but what choice do they have? Plenty, and here are a few suggestions.

Study the buyer, not the product.
Know the application of products and services, rather than specs alone.
Listen from the buyer's perspective.
Listen for aspirations and values as well as product needs.
Give no prescription without diagnosis.

Take a test-drive of the Dale Carnegie Secrets off Success app for itunes Click Here

SANDI

2010-03-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

Years ago, an experienced sales manager told me, "Dave, remember SANDI - Salespeople Always Need Daily Inspiration." This reprint from Dale Carnegie's book is a terrific affirmation for salespeople as they end their week.

Just For Today
From Dale Carnegie's How To Stop Worrying
and Start Living

1. Just for today I will be happy. This assumes that what Abraham Lincoln said is true, that “most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Happiness is from within; it is not a matter of externals.

2. Just for today I will try to adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my family, my business, and my luck as they come and fit myself to them.

3. Just for today I will take care of my body. I will exercise it, care for it, nourish it, not abuse it nor neglect it, so that it will be a perfect machine for my bidding.

4. Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

5. Just for today I will exercise my soul : I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out.

6. Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress as becomingly as possible, talk low, act courteously, be liberal with praise, criticise not at all, nor find fault with anything and not try to regulate nor improve anyone.

7. Just for today I will try to live through this day only, not to tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do things for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to keep them up for a lifetime.

8. Just for today I will have a program. I will write down what I expect to do every hour. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. It will eliminate two pests, hurry and indecision.

9. Just for today I will have a quiet half-hour all by myself and relax. In this half-hour sometimes I will think of God, so as to get a little more perspective into my life.

10. Just for today I will be unafraid, especially I will not be afraid to be happy, to enjoy what is beautiful, to love, and to believe that those I love, love me.

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Take a test-drive of the Dale Carnegie Secrets off Success app for itunes Click Here

The Olympics are about losing too

2010-03-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

I watched this year's Olympic Games more than any other year. I watched Canada snag gold in events I've never watched before and loved it.

I saw Canadians win and lose. I watched a bobsled crash before my eyes, and two women pop up okay. (If you consider having painful friction burns as being okay.) I watched the United States hockey team win a silver medal - or did they lose the gold to Canada? I'll let you decide.

I watched hockey teams shake each other's hand after a hard-fought game, a tradition I've loved to watch for years. I watched athletes wave to the crowd after hard falls and crashes.

One of my early sales mentors warned me about my mindset towards winning and losing. He said, "Anyone can be enthusiastic when they win. The true sign of character is how you act when you lose."

He also told me he was a successful failure; his closing rate was 1 out of five presentations. "Dave," he said, "I see five people a day while many others see 5 people a week or less. I hear four "no's" a day. They hear four "no's" a week. That's one of the secrets to success. How many "no's" can you handle?” Tolerance for hearing "no", or handling the disappointment of losing, is a little-recognized secret to success.

Would you hire a silver or bronze medalist? I would - in a heartbeat. The Olympics are over in a flash, but the character, dedication, and commitment it takes to get there lasts a life-time.

Don't misunderstand, I love to win and hate to lose. But I also know that every hockey player on the losing team has been on a winning team and vice-versa.

Yes, you win some and you lose some. But losing is part of winning.

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Take a test-drive of the Dale Carnegie Secrets off Success app for itunes Click Here

Sales Intelligence

2010-03-01T13:03:00.000-08:00

Aberdeen Research* released a new report around the theme of Sales Intelligence-preparing for smarter selling.

The one big challenge and requirement for sales data mining is still an inability to identify the most likely buyers of our product or service.

Maybe it's time to revisit our popular "What does a moose look like?" post.

Click here

The Aberdeen report* goes on to say that the bottom 30% of aggregate performance scorers have 74% of their salesforce falling short of annual quotas! Whew! In contrast, the top 20% of performing companies have 48% hitting quota.

This is a horrible track record, even for the best organizations.

I wonder if sales organizations will ever wake up to the sales their people leave on the table? Every time we work with salespeople on their performance, they increase sales from 12 - 80% or more. This indicates that sales left on the table is still an issue ignorded by most managers.

Here's a tip: If salespeople say "these leads are no good" re-visit their competency in converting leads to sales. It's also a good idea to re-visit your customer profile and determine how to get connected to the high-value prospects in your market.

If your organization requires salespeople to find new business, then you need people who love to uncover opportunities and are not afraid of making "cold-calls." New business development calls should be called "gold" calls, not "cold" calls!

* Link to Aberdeen Report Click Here

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Take a test-drive of the Dale Carnegie Secrets off Success app for itunes Click Here

You Tube video highlights Dale Carnegie Principle

2010-02-25T14:04:00.000-08:00

Salespeople often say they are genuinely interested in others, but many still violate this key Dale Carnegie principle.

Click below to view a brief video highlighting the wrong way / right way to express this key principle.

http://www.youtube.com/user/pal8583#p/u/3/AaEmUXyWVMA

Click below to see Warren Buffett telling us about a diploma hanging on his office wall. Hint, it's not his college diploma.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7gXaPY524I

The First 90 days

2010-02-19T13:05:00.000-08:00

The first few years of a person’s life have a huge impact on their future. Many of our values, instinctive behaviors, and responses to our environment begin to develop before we are six years old. For example, under pressure, some people “freeze” while others get “hot under the collar.” This dates back to when we were infants and kicked off our blankets in the night. We began to get cold and fearful. Others had experiences where their mothers tucked in the blankets and we were unable to kick them off, resulting in us becoming hot and scared. We have no cognitive skills, so our panic is embedded into our body responses. We’ve all seen others behave in what appears to be “childish” behaviors when they are under pressure.

The first 90 days of a person’s employment with a company is equivalent to their first few years as an infant. Under pressure, we revert back into these early responses to outside stimuli. Surprisingly, most organizations “ease” people into new positions. They give people material to study; send them to seminars, company orientations, and visitations of various departments in the organization. This all seems constructive, but with what result?

When a person receives only classroom training during the first few days of their “life” with the organization they eventually reach a point of stress and revert back to this early behavior. We hear feedback like, “I wish my manager would spend more time with me,” or “We need more training around here,” or “How do they expect me to sell this new line with no training?”
To avoid this trap, ask yourself, “What behaviors do we want people to demonstrate when sales are down or we are under pressure?”

As a manager, I developed a training system that produced spectacular results even years later. We want salespeople to prospect for new business when their pipeline shrinks. Therefore, I had new salespeople calling 200 potential clients in their first few days with the company. Of coursed they were unable to sell our products and services at that point, so we had them promote a low-cost preview session. They learned to call a high volume of prospective customers in a short period of time. They asked for money, albeit small amounts. In essence, they began their careers calling potential customers and selling them something from day one. They learned the value of massive action. Several things happened. One salesperson quit before the end of their first week. We uncovered a hiring mistake in less than seven days – a valuable lesson, inexpensively learned.

The remaining salespeople became very good at using the telephone. They also began their “life” with us developing skills that would serve them well when hard-times hit in the future. Months later, these salespeople were producing sales, even in slow periods. They instinctively picked up the phone when the pipeline was light with prospective customers.

Suggested action: Review your on-barding process. Is it designed to entrench behaviors people will require when times are tough or the pipeline is almost empty? If not, well you know what to do.

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Ask for our fr.ee report: Filling Your Pipeline, for 13 different ways to kep the pipeline filled. Email me at: dmather@dalecarnegie.ca and request the report by name.
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We are teaching Sales Advantage February 24 and 25th.

Are salespeople made or born?

2010-02-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

Well, yes we were all born - but are future salespeople born with natural sales talent?
I asked this question to over 60 Realtors and their answers surprised me. Over 64% of them felt that salespeople were "born." It's as if they felt that you either had sales ability or you didn't. Wow!

In his book, Talent Is Overrated, Geoff Colvin makes a strong case that our culture vastly over-rates the significance of "talent." He goes on to say, ". . . many people not only fail to become outstandingly good at what they do, no matter how many years they spend doing it, they frequently don't even get any better than they were when they started. . . In field after field, when it came to centrally important skills . . . people with lots of experience were no better at their jobs than those with very little experience." Scary thought!

But wait, there’s more …he adds, “Occasionally people actually get worse with experience. More experienced doctors reliably score lower on tests of medical knowledge than do less experienced doctors . . . research confirms that merely putting in the years isn’t much help to someone who wants to be a great performer.” Whoa!

A hall-of-fame Canadian football player told me, "Don't let comments about 'natural' talent fool you. When a player weighs over 260 pounds and is coming after you, the natural reaction is not to block and tackle. It takes hours, months, years of practice to instictively react in productive ways."

So what’s an ambitious salesperson to do? After 37 years of making sales calls and coaching others to high-performance, here’s what I see.

Techniques of selling can be learned, but we cannot teach others to want to sell. People have aspirations that are inexplicable to others. Why some people get a “charge” out of creating sales from nothing is a true mystery. But it’s visibly evident.

Selling is as much an art as a science. As a matter of fact, an overly granular approach to sales may be counter-productive. That said, I’m amazed at most salespeople’s lack of fundamental knowledge of their craft.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. Well yes, but in the words of Charles “T” Jones, “You can put salt in his oats and make him thirsty.” Within minutes, I can tell if a person is truly interested in elevating their competencies or simply looking for “tips and tricks” to part people from their money. Frankly, I find the former much more challenging and rewarding than the latter.

Selling is less about “gift of gab” and more about listening and connecting. When a prospective customers says to themselves, “He gets my situation and he gets me (how I think - what’s important to me..”), then we’ve done our job well.

Selling is more about finding a fit between what we offer and what a prospect wants and needs and is less about pitching a canned “solution” or spouting generic features and benefits.

Going back to our headline – we’re actually born selfish and narcissistic. If we weren’t we’d probably die. Babies seem oblivious to anything but being hungry, smelly, or wet. However, once we reach 2 or 3, it’s time to reach out and interact with others. After 19 or 20 years it’s probably a good idea to get over ourselves and try to do what Dale Carnegie suggested, “Become genuinely interested in other people.”

Who can resist a smile like this one?

“Become genuinely interested in other people” is easy to say, and most of us probably think we are that way. Over the years, I’ve been more manipulative and shallow than I’d be willing to admit at 25. Life is more fun, for me, when I challenge myself to be more skilled than yesterday and find opportunities to practice my craft. Selling is, to me, a profession requiring skills, knowledge and a healthy dose of self-awareness.

Download our e-book: Make 2010 your best year ever - the year of the customer. We have one version for owners, executives and managers and a special edition for individuals.

We appreciate any feedback you give us and promise to listen and respond.

Click here: e-book - year of the customer

Click here: Be your most amazing in 2010
(for individuals)

Email Me your Comments or observations: Click Here

Sales Wisdom - I challenge you to guess the source (Revealed Below)

2010-02-10T13:48:00.000-08:00

“In every sale you are dealing with people. Fundamentally, they all buy the same things, for the same reasons, and in the same way, regardless of whether they are buying automobiles, clothing, or soft-drinks. When you know the what, why, and how of buying, you will be able to help your prospects buy, which is the easy way to sell!
The four buying motives on which all buying is based are as follows:

1. Gain and protection
2. Economy
3. Comfort and convenience
4. Satisfaction of pride

While all four of the buying motives influence the sale of all products and services, all prospects do not buy for the same reason. . . . A good salesperson in my opinion has to study buymanship just as much as salesmanship. After all, a salesperson who knows what prospects buy, why they buy, and how they buy, can sell and serve them better than a salesperson who just understands their product and has a good sales talk." *

The reason most prospects object or throw up a self-defense of sales resistance is because they want more information. When they say "No," they often mean "I don't know." So tell them more.”

These quotations came from a sales manual written for salespeople in 1946, the year I was born. Of course selling has changed since then. We have the internet, global competition, many more choices, and sophisticated buyers and sellers. However, we are still selling to people.

In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, solid principles of selling and persuasion are still required. Dale Carnegie's advice, "Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view" is still ignored by the vast majority of today's product-peddling salespeople. A few, very few, highly principled and practiced salespeople connect with prospects every day and sincerely help them buy. We all feel lucky when we find such a salesperson. They are rare.

Selling skills are learned. According to Canadian Author Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours of focused-practice to master a skill. Over the years I've been privileged to work with rare salespeople willing to do what it takes to genuinely help their prospects make the best buying decision.

I'm thankful for that, and continue to seek out salespeople willing to go that extra mile.

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* These quotations came from a sales manual written for salespeople in 1946.

Management Wisdom

2010-01-29T07:26:00.000-08:00

You cannot motivate other people. What you can do is provide a motivating environment in which they motivate themselves.

People do things for their reasons, not ours.

People always pursue personal pay-offs.

(The above comes from Dr. John Geier PhD., author of the Personal Profile System.)

Lack of motivation is usually a response to a feeling of hopelessness.

Much of what sales managers do with salespeople is de-motivating not motivating.

Salespeople are not lazy – they’re just scared.

We offer the above as thought stimulators. Challenging our thinking helps us stay open to changing ideas and knowledge. An old philosopher said: "The mind is like a parachute, it works better when it's open."

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Facts and Fallacies About Selling - Fallacy #9

2010-01-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

Young people do not want to enter selling as a profession.

Reality:

Few professions offer earning above-average money and building a reputation for fair and considerate treatment of customers as sales. It is important we clearly communicate this opportunity to our rookies. The hard truth is that, in sales, we all need to earn our keep.
Since the bulk of salespeople are marginal, average incomes seem low.

When asked, “What does your average salesperson make?” We answer, “Are you planning to be average?” We’re serious. It’s not uncommon for highly competent, professional salespeople to earn six figure incomes. Selling at the highest level of competency is one of todays most secure and well-compensated career opportunities. Organizations are desperate for salespeople who consistently seek out and do business with new clients. Getting clients to switch from doing business with competitors is a necessary competency in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace. Simplistic selling skills are not enough.

Our new generation of young people are competitive, yet team-players. They can be self-reliant, but want to work as part of a team to achieve something bigger than themselves. They want, and require direct, clear, and specific feedback. They are not afraid to practice core skills, but are suspicious of simplistic theories about sales and often resist obviously manipulative tactics.

The want tips, but lose patience when other drone on about the past.

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Welcome to 2010 - How's it going so far?

2010-01-15T11:41:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of each year, many business people commit to worthy sounding resolutions. Others have given up on this practice since they tend to disappoint themselves by January 31. New Year’s Resolutions have fallen into disfavor based on many examples of broken promises such as the crowded health club parking lots in January that quickly thin out as fitness resolutions die a quiet death. Here are several suggestions to increase the probability that 2010’s business resolutions will stick.

We invite you to make 2010 the year of the customer

If you don’t do this, your customers will! We’re fascinated listening to business people who say they are customer focused or customer driven, while their business models are focused on internal issues or self-oriented profit needs.

Years ago, focusing on customers didn’t really seem to matter. I know
this sounds bizarre, but customer demand was higher than capacity and the seller was in the driver’s seat. In those days, organizations set their business goals based on their targeted profit margins.

Whether we recognize it or not, the customer is clearly entrenched at the centre of our business universe. Incidentally, organizations that ignore or deny this reality are in deep, fundamental trouble. (We’re sure you can name names.)

It seems we’ve been deluded into thinking that simply improving products or services, lowering prices, or aggressive marketing is the answer.

Please don't skim over this assuming you are customer-focused or customer-centric. You may be, I don'y know you so I cannot tell from here. However, our experience with local and name-plate customers is that they are rarely as customer-centric as they claim. When surveyed, customers often rate organizations lower by 60-80% than they rate themselves.

It's a new year in a new landscape

Typically, we design products (services) that we think serve customer’s needs, and then aggressively take them to market using traditional, mass-market or direct sales techniques. Invariably, the market responds with apathy, strong resistance, or resounding silence other than a giant sucking sound as they take their money elsewhere. Today’s business climate is unforgiving. This old business model will not work and it could lead to your organization’s demise. Innovation is critical, but blind guesswork or arrogant product development is the kiss of death. A large global, ex-giant corporation in the latter part of 2009 proudly declared, after some of the biggest losses in their history, that they have finally decided, as a last resort, to actually listen to their customers.

We hosted our annual goal-setting workshop in Toronto. We had a record crowd - thank those who attended. Here are links to the two e-books we offered at that meeting. We have booked several on-site workshops as well.

Download our e-book: Make 2010 your best year ever - the year of the customer. We have one version for owners, executives and managers and a special edition for individuals.

We appreciate any feedback you give us and promise to listen and respond.

Click here: e-book - year of the customer

Click here: Be your most amazing in 2010
(for individuals)

Email Me your Comments or observations: Click Here

What's Next for Your Business

2009-12-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

Traditional growth tactics have run out of steam. Cost-cutting is a temporary fix, at best.

Most organizations cannot sustain market share with simple innovation. Mergers and acquisitions rarely pay off in genuine business growth mostly due to misdiagnosis of current reality and/or poor execution of clear strategies.

Simplistic “quick-fixes” (including hit and miss sales training) fizzle out. A clear winning strategy includes a balanced approach with specific sales strategies clearly linked to an overall mandate; rigorous attention to maximizing selling time; a team approach using inside and external resources; aggressively developing required selling competencies; technology that supports (rather than drives) a clear sales effort; and a compensation system that shares created wealth rather than attempting to bribe performance out of people.

Key Components:

• Taylor your offering around creating customer value and serving their future needs rather than executing a demographic focus

• Ensure that your offering is clear, distinct and based on a one-to-one model rather than “one size fits all”

• Design your skills development around creating the results you want, rather than the latest fad, or a generic strategic selling model

• Determine which product offerings merit time and resources and rigorously focus your efforts in their direction

• Measure What Matters. Average salespeople engage in a flurry of unfocused prospecting activities. When faced with a “qualified” prospect they typically turn them into dissatisfied customers. Highly productive professional salespeople consistently and methodically invest ten to fifteen percent of their selling time on new business development.

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Differentiate Your Organization

2009-11-26T20:11:00.000-08:00

Differentiate your Company from the Competition

To differentiate ourselves in acrowded, competitive marketplace, we need to be unique with excitingapproaches to solving buyer’s problems. We also need to be present in away that builds credibility and makes people want to buy. One of themost effective ways to do this is to build value in the solution of thesale. What we present and how we present it is critical to thebuying/selling process.

Creative ideas result in new discoveries, better ways of doing things, reduced
costs and improved performance.
Do your research to ensure that you’ve covered all bases and thought about all options.
Provide your client with the benefits of each solution.
Follow up by painting a word picture of your buyer using your solution, enjoying it, and benefiting from it

This is from the Dale Carnegie blog click here

Check out Erin Treleaven's slides on time management - they're terrific. Click here

Facts and Fallacies About Selling: Fallacy #7: Incentives increase sales

2009-11-23T08:25:00.000-08:00

Fallacy #7: The way to increase sales and motivate salespeople is to offer “incentives” in money and merchandise.

Reality:

Such schemes entice ineffective salespeople to put unnecessary pressure on prospective buyers. Short-term increases are the worst thing an incentive system creates.

For example, salespeople may delay processing an order or promise something sooner than they can deliver just to earn an “incentive.” These falsely created sales can seriously jeopardize an organization’s long-term viability and undermine customer satisfaction.

Poorly designed incentives temporarily mask incompetence and have a tendency to bring out the worst, not the best in people. No matter how cleverly disguised, any carrot and stick based process produces questionable long-term, sustainable results.

With competent salespeople, there is plenty of money to go around.

Manipulating behavior by offering reinforcements is a sound approach to training your pet beagle, but it may not bring out the best in salespeople. We realize this is an unconventional position, but there is current, sound, and factual evidence to support it.

If you’re curious about this subject, email me at dmather@dalecarnegie.ca and I’ll point you to the appropriate data.

Current Reality(?)

2009-11-11T15:30:00.000-08:00

• Technology does not, and cannot, replace a professional salesperson
• Old-time salespeople and dated sales “techniques” are obsolete
(this has been true for years)
• Prospects don’t have time to meet or listen to every salesperson
• It is difficult to find and connect with qualified prospects
• Professional selling is not obsolete – it’s just rare
• Non-commodity purchasers need help from professional salespeople

A memo to today's sales organizations:
If your customers need genuine help making their buying decision, you need a strong sales force of highly trained, competent professionals. If your sales-people look and sound like all the rest, you’re in fundamental trouble. If how they explain your offering is vague or hard to follow, your market share and margins are probably shrinking.

On the other hand, if your salespeople have the technical expertise your customers demand, and sales competence on behalf of a killer sales strategy, you might be invincible and probably have an expanding market share, high margins, and a loyal client base willingly giving you a steady revenue stream.

Never in history has there been so much researching, probing, and testing of salespeople and their work. In our opinion, most of this information creates confusion. A balance of strategy, technology, and highly professional salespeople consistently out-performs conventional cold-call salespeople, order-takers, product-peddlers, and/or technology or marketing driven initiatives.

Despite the controversy surrounding selling, one fact stands out clear and strong — the final responsibility for making sales still rests firmly on the shoulders of today’s salesperson.

Is this true - or not?
Please add your comments below.

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Follow The Money

2009-11-07T09:24:00.001-08:00

Virtually all executives we interview complain that their margins are shrinking. This is a concern since our market is a global, hyper competitive commodity and price driven, margin battering place. How you made money last year may not make you money this year.
We’re fascinated when we hear business people say they are customer focused or customer driven, yet their profit models are focused on their needs rather than creating genuine wealth for their customers and sharing that wealth. Even their business structure tends towards an “inner” view.

Thirty years ago the customer didn’t really matter. I know this sounds weird, but it’s true. Customer demand was higher than capacity and the seller was in the driver’s seat. They set their business goals based on their targeted profit margins. Today our capacity to produce is greater than demand and, unless you have a distinctly innovative product or service, the customer has a confusing amount of choice. Rarely can we set our own prices in a business climate filled with hungry competitors. Protecting margins involves much more than increasing prices and/or tinkering with administrative costs. In reality, the customer is now at the center of our business universe.

Dale Carnegie said: “Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.”

It’s time to scrutinize whether we actually live this principle or just pay lip service to it.

Unfortunately, traditional market research is of little help since it uses what we call a “rear view mirror” approach. Usually customers are given a series of multiple choice questions. Even when augmented by interviews, the questions often do not get at clients’ genuine future issues. Why is thinking from the customer’s point of view so hard? Mostly it’s because we’ve been trained to continually focus on improving our products or services. An all too common model is designing a product (service) that we think serves a need and aggressively taking it to market with traditional techniques. Invariably the market responds with apathy, or strong resistance. [Do you remember Crystal Pepsi?]

As an organization grows, the natural, organic flow is away from customers. A recent survey indicates that senior managers spend seventy percent of their time dealing with internal issues, and a high percentage of the remaining thirty percent involves dealing with non-customer issues. Believe it or not, the best customers or prospects with whom to invest time are the ones most demanding, difficult, or dissatisfied.

Over 20 years ago, a successful retailer taught me to actively pursue complaining customers. “Dave,” he said, “a complaining customer is doing you a favor. They are telling you they want to do business with you, but they’re frustrated or irritated at something. They represent at least fifty other customers who, for whatever reason, are reluctant to bring their complaints to your attention. The best ideas to dramatically improve my business came from complaining customers.” He taught us the direct, inexpensive customer focus process we still use for both ourselves and our clients.

Asking the right questions is critical. It is important to uncover our most demanding client’s needs, aspirations, and future business focus. Just asking them how they like our service is vague and weak. Asking them about their “needs” is not enough. Prospective customers usually don’t know their future needs. They operate in the same dynamic business climate as the rest of us.

Ineffective, order-taking salespeople, for example, contend that they do think from the customer’s viewpoint. They tell us, “All our customers care about is price. The customers don’t want what we sell; there is no demand for it.” History gives us many examples of the flaw in this mindset. Years ago, vacuum cleaners were unknown and, when approached, retailers claimed there was no demand for them. However, once a few early-adopters began using the contraptions they purchased from a direct salesperson, demand increased. Now, almost every major retailer carries vacuums. This tells us is that “demand” is after-the-fact and often ineffective in capturing future opportunities.

Suggestion: Seek out forward-looking customers. Listen carefully to their viewpoints and visualize the picture they communicate.

No one can predict the future, but these rare visionaries see what others do not see until it’s a commodity. Find out what books they are reading and read them yourself. Look for industry shaping publications, not “faddish,” rearview mirror-type books. Once a topic becomes trendy, bookstores are flooded with a wave of rehash publications that are of little value in uncovering potential future profits.

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Don't BUT heads with prospects

2009-11-07T08:12:00.001-08:00

It’s sensible to avoid arguing with customers...but . . .

Customer objections can become stepping stones towards a sale or stumbling blocks.Many salespeople fall into the “yes but” trap which weakens theirnegotiating position and could blow the sale.

Infective salespeople typically follow a variation of the following:

Prospect: “Your price is too high...”
Salesperson: “Yes but considering all the features this is a great deal.”
Prospect: “I’m not prepared to pay that much...”
Salesperson: “Perhaps we would be willing to... (Value-added).”
Prospect: “That’s nice, but I think I’d like to think about this some more.”

Replacing ‘but’ with ‘however’ or ‘and’ is cosmetic at best, and does little to close a stalled sale.

SELLING PRINCIPLE: When a prospect objects, find a point of agreement.

Applying this principle is not as easy as it seems. Phrases such as “Iknow how you feel” or “I can appreciate that” or “I’m glad you broughtthat up,” are weak, slick, and come across as insincere - mostly because they are insincere or trite.

Let’s analyze the price objection and develop a point of agreement,which positions us as an assistant buyer, not a product peddler.

Prospect: “Your price is too high...”
Salesperson: “We’re not cheap.” or “This isn’t the cheapest system on the market...”

The use of cheap is deliberate here. It changes the emphasis from‘too high’ to ‘not cheap.’ Cheap implies poor quality, minimumfeatures, or a stingy buyer. Few prospects want the cheapest system;they want the most features for the least investment and they want a better deal.A select number of high ego buyers want the “finest system money canbuy.”

There isn’t just one price objection,since several issues revolvingaround price. Does the customer feel the system is not worth theinvestment, or do they feel it is beyond their means? Do they believethey can get it elsewhere for less, or are they simply trying to putyou off?

Clarifying the objection is up to the salesperson and, effectivelyexecuted, closes sales. (Ask the customer for clarification if you areunsure.)

Salesperson: “Just to clarify my thinking, are you concerned thissystem is not worth the investment, or are you not sure how you canhandle it?”

This salesperson changes price to investment which appeals to thecustomer’s sense of value and implies a longer-term benefit rather thanshort-term savings. By asking the customer to clarify their concerns,you allow them to answer their own objection. In addition, how yourespond to “I don’t think it’s worth it” is distinctly different thanhandling the “I don’t believe I can afford it” objection.

Prospect: “I don’t believe I (we) can afford to spend that much...”
Salesperson: (Point of agreement) “I can appreciate why you wouldhesitate if you were concerned about the investment, in addition to thebudget issue, is there any other reason that might cause you tohesitate?”

Caution: A sales script often sounds insincere, cold, and generic. Their effectiveness relies on the salesperson's capability to isolate a prospects genuine concerns and deal with them effectively. In the hands of a professional salesperson, the above process is a masterful way of helping prospects make the best and most informed buying decision as quickly as possible. The process is not manipulative; some salespeople are manipulative. As Stuart Chase contends, "Meaning is in people, not words."

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Facts and Fallacies About Selling: Fallacy #6: How salespeople learn

2009-11-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

Fallacy #6: Salespeople can learn to effectively sell by reading books, watching videos, on-line learning, listening to experts, or simply emulating high-producers.

Reality:
Many of us grew up with comparisons to a perfect model. An accusatory “Why can’t you be more like (your sister, brother etc.) ” still rings in our ears. Trying to live up to a perfect model is an impossible dream. The implication is that there is a “right” way to sell. Searching for this elusive “right” way undermines an individual’s capacity to think for themselves. There is no “one size fits all recipe for success.”

Rookie salespeople and "wanna-be" athletes spend thousands of dollars on videos hoping professionalism will somehow rub off on them. They rarely watch the whole program. If you doubt this, visit a used book store or yard sale and notice how many self-help books, videos and CD’s are in pristine condition. Incidentally, individuals who actually put these tools to work would not let their dog-eared books or worn out videos out of their personal library.

Only by thinking through their own selling issues and applying sound principles do salespeople (and athletes) dramatically improve their performance. This process requires high-level teaching and coaching skills – a rarity in today’s quick-fix, "personal coaching" environment.

Few salespeople put into action what they see, read, or hear. Each salesperson is an individual and, as such, cannot hit aggressive targets by simply aping top producers. At best, they gain a few “tips” to incorporate into their current (ineffective) approaches. Lectures and videos about how selling “should be” are visually impressive, but are ineffective in creating blockbuster sales increases.

Short-term, "motivational" seminars have their place; but the danger is a person who actually believes these sessions have a long-term, competency improvement effect. Habits are formed one way and one way only - repetition. Repeatedly selling ineffectively simply entrenches ineffective selling habits. Watching the pros is helpful, but at some point, salespeople need to learn their craft by actually applying what they've learned.

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Facts and Fallacies About Selling: Fallacy #5

2009-10-27T19:40:00.001-07:00

Fallacy #5: The law of averages – making a maximum number of daily sales calls is the biggest factor in selling success.

Reality: This was never true.

The ability to qualify a prospect, and engage in a conversation that inspires and motivates them to buy sooner rather than later (if it is in their best interest to do so), is a professional salesperson’s most valuable asset. The average salesperson says, “These prospects are not interested.” A professional says, “I failed to interest them.”

If a salesperson’s activity level is so low that it is impossible for them to hit targets, then we recommend increasing their activity levels. However, increased activity alone cannot produce sustainable blockbuster results. Increasing the activity levels of ineffective salespeople may produce a small up-tick in sales, but at what cost?

Companies would be wise to analyze the cost of lost sales due to lack of sales competency. Most salespeople increase sales from 15 – 80% by increasing their sales effectiveness through proper training and coaching*. Hence, without improved sales skills effectiveness, if they make 20% more calls, the organization loses even more productivity and could lose potentially profitable customers forever.

Ineffective salespeople making more sales calls could mean you'll lose potential customers faster.

* Knowing how to sell is not enough. Many salespeople are good conversationalist about selling techniques, but are not skilled enough or in the habit of applying these principles in their day-to-day selling activities. For example, most sales managers and sales people agree that finding out what the customer wants/needs and what would motivate them to buy from us is critical in securing and keeping profitable customers. However, on sales calls, salespeople behave in a distinctly different way. They may say the sell "solutions", but their questioning and listening skills are minimal and basic, so they tend to default to "selling" a solution" with ineffective or no diagnostics at all. Others wast prospects time and resources conducting drawn-out or ineffective "needs assessments." In today's market, prospects expect easy to execute, customized solutions that are cost-effective and well articulated by product advocating salespeople.

Effectively executed, the questioning phase is revealing for both the potential client and the salesperson. Then, in the all-important conviction step, salespeople clearly and specifically explain their offering in concrete terms. We contend that, if talking with a salesperson has no value in-and-of itself, salespeople can be replaced by a well-crafted web-site. If all they do is recite facts, features and generic benefits, they are wasting our company's money and our prospective customer's time. However, most of our clients need and want professional help in making a wise buying decision. That is the job of today's professional salesperson and clients invite then in with open-arms once they sense their value.

Motivation is woven through the buying process. In our sales calls with salespeople who sell both tangible and intangible products/services, we see them try to create an artificial "sense of urgency" and, in the process, miss the client's real sense of urgency. Their tactics are transparently manipulative and create more doubt than reducing doubt in the min of the prospect.

As Dr. John Geier Ph.D., co-author of the DISC Behaviour Indicator Profile says, "People do things for their reasons, not ours. Each of us has our own private logic and everything makes sense to us no matter how bizarre our actions seem to others."

Advice From The Pros

2009-10-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

We spent some time last night with our local professional football team general manager and several players. They have come from a season where they lost all but two games to a 50:50 record. Quite a feat. Here is some wisdom from them that I believe relates to business success. These are quotes from memory - not a transcript of a taped interview.

General Manager's Comments

You've got to be careful what you say after a game both to the press, players, and coaches. It's important to review the game tape so you’re addressing what really happened, not what you "thought" happened. The emotion of the moment often interferes with your objectivity.

We're always choosing between short term success and the long-term viability of the team. Fans want us to send in the best players on every play and we do that most of the time. However, we need to give our young players enough playing time for them to develop. Right now we're in a building mode so we tend to default to the long-term objective.

Rookie quarterback's comments

When I play badly I try to live in the moment, acknowledge what happened, learn from it, and move on.

After this meeting, I read an article entitled "Attitude Is Everything." What a contrast. Professional athletes acknowledge "attitude" as a factor, but they focus on competencies and dealing with objective reality rather than speculation or wild "optimism." Football is a poor analogy for business since players practice more than play the game. However, there are some parallels. Preparation, coaching, competency development, and attitude control are all factors but no one element, including "attitude" is the "secret."

Don't you just love it when commentators say, "They wanted it more than the other team." Pardon? Are you suggesting the losing team wanted to lose or, more accurately, didn't want to win badly enough? If wanting it badly and visualizing success really worked, both teams would win!!! Wake up! Football, like business, operates with a deadline - and there is competition claiming they are as good as or better than you are. The saddest commentary I've ever heard is a professional player contending, "We won the first half." OOPS - they lost the game and the championship that day. Even professionals, who should know better, can fall in the trap of denying reality.

Let's take some advice from a fictional character, Dr. Gregory House. "People don't get what they deserve, they just get what they get and there's nothing we can do about it." If you know the character (he is a diagnostician) this is not a fatalistic approach to life. Dr. House deals with reality by taking action rather than worrying, stressing out, over-thinking, or engaging in irrational, wild behavior.

When a distraught father asked House if he was sure a treatment the doctor recommended will work, House answers, "I will be when he (the patient) responds to the treatment."

We could use more of this kind of thinking in business. Rather than contending that we're sure something will "work", why not emphasize our commitment to do it, then make our judgment after we've taken the prescribed action? This is how the Dale Carnegie process works. We get people in action, then evaluate the results (quickly) and take new actions based on what we've learned - in reality.

This is similar to the 15-second conversation in a football huddle. "What happened? What's next? Who's doing what? Let's go!" You can see that being clear about what happened and having choices around what's next and having the competency to complete the assignments are all critical factors in creating the results we want to create.

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Facts and Fallacies About Selling Fallacy #4

2009-10-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

Fallacy # 4: Some salespeople are good at selling but they can’t “close” the sale.

Reality: Effective selling includes securing the business. There are no slick closes ineffective salespeople can pull out of their bag of tricks to get unconvinced prospects to sign. Knowing when to ask for the business and asking with skill and confidence is only part of the selling process. In our view, selling is not a battle with prospective customers; it is a battle with competitors.

For example:
“While people liked my work when I first showed it to them they had a lot of questions about why things were the way they were. Their questions indicated that my design was not what they had in mind, and as a result, I would spend countless additional hours redesigning pieces to fit what I thought they were looking for or asking them irrelevant questions that would not move the sale forward.

Slick closing techniques would not help this designer to secure more business for herself. Here's one component she focused on to increase sales through effective selling competence.

I increased my sales 234% by asking more pertinent questions and listening to what would actually motivate the client to buy now.” [Graphics Designer]

I know this sounds hard to believe, and there is more to it than noted here, but plenty of salespeople leave business on the table and this has little to do with their ability to "close the sale."

In the eighties, one prominent publisher said they would never publish a sales book without the word "closing" in the title. Thank goodness those days are almost over! ABC (always be closing) is an antiquated theory based on ineffective sales managers transposing their theories onto our fine profession. Closing is a logical conclusion to a fine sales conversation.

There are competencies in closing that salespeople need to learn and practice. But the best “close” applied to the wrong prospect in the wrong way at the wrong time will not “motivate” the prospect to buy.
Order-takers pride themselves in saying “I’m not here to sell you” or “I’m not trying to sell you” as if the very reason they are there is invalid or somehow wrong.

Prospects don’t mind talking with salespeople, as a matter of fact, they want to talk with salespeople who bring real value to the conversation and can help them make an informed buying decision. What is offensive is ineffective salespeople trying to deny their profession. I don’t need another “buddy.” What I want is relevant information presented in a reasonable way to help me make the right choice. I want someone who is willing to explore the fit between their products and service and what I am motivated to buy and am willing to pay for in money and other resources – including time.

I am okay if you ask for the order. I’m just irritated when it’s done in a sloppy way for all the wrong reasons.

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Accountability

2009-10-06T17:11:00.001-07:00

A recent article accused businesses of being far too passive-aggressive and went on to explain how unhealthy this is for our business future. I’ve often thought that many people seem to have an imaginary umbilical cord searching for a place to plug it back in. This is not only unhealthy for the individual; it drains our resources, and saps our organization’s vital energy.

If you doubt this, an on-line survey of 50,000 individuals from profit and non-profit organizations around the world revealed that, based on seven distinct organizational factors, China scored highest and Europe was a close second. Only three countries scored lower than the U.S. and they were Japan, Canada and Australia. The profiles examined an enterprise’s decision rights, information flow, motivators, and structure.

All of these realms are the responsibility of management, not individuals. Managers are constantly trying to improve productivity through “accountability”, so let’s scrutinize what accountability is and what it is not.

Accountability is not an outcome or goal.
Accountability is not abdicating responsibility for results.
Accountability is a concept and as such – people can’t “do” accountability.

We constantly hear the following statement from managers when they are speaking to direct reports... “I’m holding you accountable for this.”

Let’s parse this sentence. I’m holding you” – [Translated: "This is about me and I have all the power – you have none."]

“Accountable” – [Translated: "I don’t trust you to be responsible enough to do this on your own, so I’m going to treat you as a child." ] Whooh!

I know, most managers don’t mean this, but I respectfully suggest that this is the thinking this phrase represents even when it’s sugar-coated. As a manager, you are not a person’s mother or father and they don’t need another parent to hold them accountable for their actions.

How to achieve true accountability

Effective management is not sexy – it’s a set of repeated, often boring habits. Most effective managers meet weekly (in some cases bi-weekly) with their direct reports. Managers have varied styles and personality traits, but conducting effective one-on-ones is a habit developed by a high percentage of effective managers regardless of their "style."

The difference between effective and ineffective managers is not in the latest management books – it’s what the effective manager does and does not do. It’s not what they know, it’s about whether or not they repetitively display core competencies. By engaging in similar behaviours over time, effective managers master the fundamentals and one of the most important competencies is effectively conducting weekly one-on-ones with direct reports.

One-on-one’s are not just “talking” to people. It is a clearly structured process designed to produce predictable outcomes. It maintains robust communication between a manager and his/her direct reports.

The way you stop putting out fires is to schedule and effectively engage in these focused conversations. Almost immediately people stop bringing small issues to you on a regular basis. They know they have a specific time with you weekly in which they can ask questions of you.

The one-on-ones we suggest are more formal than informal. Experience tells us that if they are left informal, they lose their effectiveness. Some people try to keep their conversation records on a computer, we strongly recommend against this at first. You'll prepare faster and in a more focused way with a paper notebook or binder for each salesperson.

Most people are not that good at communicating what they are doing and how well they are doing it. This one-on-one framework is designed to bring to the surface work issues and what we can do about them together.

NEVER MISS a one-on one. Reschedule if absolutely necessary, but do not cancel the conversation. Part of this process is sending a genuine message to each person that they are important to us and to producing desired results together. Please don't whine about not having time to do this. You have all the time there is and effective managers treat their time as a precious resource. Once they do an honest time-log to determine where their time goes, most managers reveal a great deal of “reactive” rather than “pro-active” activities. What else could you do with your time that would produce more value than focused, results-oriented on-on-one's with your direct reports?

Having the "right" attitude?

In coaching for performance, focus on behaviours, not attitudes. Yes, attitudes are important and vital part of a person’s success (or lack of it). However, we cannot actually see an attitude. We only see behaviour. The organization has every right to request certain behaviours of the people representing them. People can adjust their behaviour, and, when they do, this often impacts their attitude. However, if you begin by focusing on “attitude”, you are subject to speculation, interpretation, miscommunication and strong push-back.

For example, an employee was accused of being “aloof".. She denied this, and clearly stated she did not feel she was above everyone else. However, others saw her this way and this perception was effecting performance. When her manager described the behaviours that seemed to cause others to make this assumption, and gave her specific alternate behaviours that clearly represented her genuine personality, she immediately made the adjustment. Imagine the disastrous effect of her manager trying to "change her attitude?"

The lesson here is clear; to dramatically improve performance, coach for adjusted behaviours, not attitudes.

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Culture Change - Mind-shift

2009-10-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

In almost every conversation with executives and senior managers, we hear a desire to shift mind-sets or change the organization's "culture." When we drill down, they tend to express little more than vague hopes and longings. For example, "We want salespeople to become proactive; we need our salespeople to collaborate with clients; our supervisors need to step up and coach people; and we want a culture of collaboration and involvement." (You get the idea.)

Executives and business owners seem to know what they want, but struggle to effectively influence other's mind-sets or change their organization's underlying "culture." There is no shortage of information, since a search for "culture change" on Yahoo produced an astounding 88,100,000 hits! (Whew!) Let's cut through this mass of information and focus on what truly matters. Much of what you've read or heard about culture change is, to be blunt, wrong.

Our worldview colors our thinking, but we are often unaware of their specific influence. For example, if we believe people fundamentally resist change, our actions reflect that belief. As a result, we design strategies and take actions to deal with the resistance we caused. This sets in motion reactions to our actions which seem to confirm our beliefs as we filter out evidence that may disprove our worldview.

Culture lives in conversation and conversations are created by people with deeply held worldviews.

The assumption that others will automatically resist is self-defeating and self-fulfilling. We are swimming upstream here, since plenty of literature implies that resistance is primarily the "fault" of the resistor. But what if the ideas presented are poorly conceived or presented? How are differences of opinion dealt with in the organization? Are "resistors" chastised, ostracized, booted out, put down, and/or given a platform on which to speak? Do executives quickly get defensive at so-called "negative" feedback? If there is an open-door policy, do people walk through the door and what do they tell (or withhold from) executives? Are we genuinely stimulating dialogue at our company or simply reinforcing a climate of power and control?

The following from Noam Chomsky, in the Montreal Serai [Vol. 13, No. 3, Autumn 2000], is lengthy, but hang in there with it, it's quite sobering and highly relevant to this conversation.

If we consider the likelihood that as humans we have an instinct for creativity and moral instincts . . . that has problems. For one thing it means that you will encourage challenge of authority and domination. It will encourage questioning of powerful institutions. The fact of the matter is that honesty, integrity, creativity, all these things we're supposed to value, all run up dramatically against the hierarchic, authoritarian structure of the institutional framework in which we live. . . . Behaviorism is very popular among the managerial classes, for not surprising reasons. For one thing, it gives them a moral right to control and dominate people. If people have no intrinsic nature, then there is no moral barrier to control or manipulation of them - in their own interest, of course. . . Behaviorism gave the perfect intellectual justification for it; it didn't matter that the intellectual foundations were ridiculous. It served a function so it survived. And the parts of the society that need that, they still believe it--in fact, believe it more than ever.

Taking a stand for freedom and choice is largely unpopular in spite of the rhetoric professing otherwise. Our behavior often exposes a basic desire to control the uncontrollable - other people.

Stand #1: "You cannot motivate others."

(We resist the temptation of "proving" our point, a common diversion initiated by those looking to avoid the issue that much of what we do is clearly an attempt at command or control, or more simply put, manipulation.)

Taking a stand is distinct from "core beliefs." There is an implication that in order to perform at a high level, others need to share our beliefs. Perhaps, but this contention also takes us down the road of "selling" others on believing what we believe, which often deteriorates into "selling" them on our worldviews. People with distinctly different belief systems can, and do, achieve spectacular results together without ever changing their individually held beliefs.

Stand #2: "All motivation is intrinsic - from within, not without."

We base this on our experience in hundreds of meetings backed up by a 19 year study quoted in Fast Company Magazine involving 356 companies by Paul C. Nutt, a professor of management at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business. According to Nutt, "Most (executives) pushed their decisions through, either by persuasion (41%), or by edict (40%)." Each approach is a formula for failure. Persuasion failed 53% of the time; edicts failed in 65% of the cases. "The typical problem", Nutt says, "isn't just that decisions lack merit. It's that staffers resent these heavy-handed tactics and thus resist or undermine bosses who resort to them."

A better way is to clearly articulate goals or outcomes using visual language. Ensure that your outcomes are not just knee-jerk reactions to circumstances, and clearly place a "stake in the ground." Those who truly care about the viability of the enterprise will embrace changes clearly on behalf of something more important to them than the discomfort of change. Creating something of genuine personal value is distinctly different than "buying-in" to something the organization is "rolling out."

One example is an organization whose owners expressed a desire to "drive out waste." More than 90 managers and 300 employees engaged in the initiative with a dramatically different approach. For two hours, managers grappled to change the "make waste go away" (seek and destroy) into a "turning waste into profit and sharing the wealth." This is more than a semantics exercise. It is a distinct shift in perspective and way of thinking. These managers engaged others in a project that supported their spirit of fun, commitment, and creativity. Each member of the project shared in the profits and helped the enterprise add money to its bottom-line. There was virtually no resistance. Young, part-time students (millennials) gladly engaged in the fun and shared in the results. Senior managers were in shock, since these same employees resisted similar initiatives. Clearly the employees were no different than before. A different approach created a dramatically different outcome. A distinction made to owners and managers was that the "sharing the wealth" component was not an "incentive program," instead it was an invitation to be part of a genuine creative process.

[Call Dave at 905-826-7300 if you believe they are one in the same.]

If you're up for facing reality with courage, listen for how many times you inadvertently shift into a manipulative mode.

Are you trying to produce an outcome, or simply get your way?

Are you trying to get others to "buy-in" to your worldviews or are you listening for differences and commitments that bring fresh views to the table?

Are you trying to get others to "believe" something, or accomplish something? (There is a distinct difference.)

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Facts and Fallacies About Selling: Fallacy #3

2009-09-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

Fallacy: Salespeople can learn to sell simply by reading books, watching videos, taking on-line courses, listening to experts, or aping (benchmarking - copying) high-producers.

Reality: Few salespeople put into action what they see, read, or hear. They cannot hit aggressive targets by simply modelling top producers. At best, they gain a few “tips” to incorporate into their current (ineffective) approaches. Lectures and videos about how selling “should be” are sometimes impressive, but ineffective in creating blockbuster sales increases. Trying to live up to a perfect model is an impossible dream. The implication is that there is a “right” way to sell. A search for the elusive right way undermines an individual’s capacity to think for themselves.

There is no “one size fits all recipe for success.”

Rookie golfers and athletes spend thousands on videos somehow hoping professionalism will rub off on them. Many don’t even remove the shrink-wrap on the DVD or simply watch it once. Those that do, rarely watch the whole program. If you doubt this, visit a used book store or yard sale and notice how many self- help books, videos, and CD’s are in pristine condition. Incidentally, those rare individuals who actually put these tools to work would not let their dog-eared books or worn out videos out of their personal library. Only by thinking through their own selling issues and applying sound principles as a yardstick, do salespeople (and athletes) dramatically improve their performance. This process requires high-level teaching and coaching skills – a rarity in today’s quick-fix environment.

There are those who call themselves “coaches”, but a simple reality check tells a different story. Few of them can resist the temptation of turning an elegantly designed coaching process into a "perfect model" comparison. Most educational, and knowledge-based seminars follow this "success formula" model. That’s why common feedback about conventional training is, “Great stuff, but it’s hard to implement and even harder to sustain.”

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Facts And Fallacies About Selling

2009-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Fallacy 2: Years of selling experience,a good selling record, or professional “designation”, qualifies a salesperson to be recognized as a professional.
__________________________

Reality: Most salespeople end their careers without becoming true professionals. Hanging in for a few years, taking a couple of courses, or applying for a professional “designation,” does not guarantee entering the ranks of true professionals.

By default, salespeople typically become professional visitors, product peddlers, or simply hard working order-takers. They rarely achieve their true potential. Less than twenty five percent of today’s sales population produces between seventy-five and, in some industries, as high as ninety percent of sales volumes. This remains unchanged in spite of giant leaps in technology. Incidentally, most organizations accept this as the norm, a mistake that costs them millions.

Product knowledge or industry expertise is no longer a strong competitive advantage. Executing core competencies sets today’s professional apart from average or medium producers.

Clients are impatient when salespeople are little more than talking brochures. Today's customers demand interacting with salespeople with high-level listening skills. Salespeople need to feed-back to the prospect a clear summary of what they heard, what is the fit between their offering and this prospect's needs/wants, and be able to secure a commitment based on that fit rather than the old "ABC of selling" - Always Be Closing. Good luck with using the ABC's, prospects are on to your tactics and they don't like it!

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The Reality of the Marginal Salesperson

2009-09-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Vice Presidents of Sales and/or Sales manager’s success rests on salespeople’s success, so let’s take a closer look at today’s typical sales force.

Many organizations equip salespeople with basic sales aids, and CRM software supported by marketing and/or advertising campaigns.

More often than not, we discover that a company's typical sales education includes these vague concepts:

• Know our product(s) well
• Work hard, make lots of calls to earn incentives
• Get the order, but use a “consultative” approach
• Open new accounts

Marginal salespeople say: “You get me in front of a good customer and I’ll make the sale every time.” In reality, they consistently miss their organization’s sales targets. Their response is, “These targets are unrealistic” or “these sales leads are no good.”

Based on our five levels of sales competency model, sixty to eighty percent of the salespeople we’ve observed are at the marginal level of competence.

[Request our short profile to determine the level of your organization’s competencies]

Most of the time, when marginal salespeople speak with a qualified buyer; they do not make a sale. To them, it’s a matter of luck or persistence. Within minutes, they are in a price conversation.

Each time they book $50,000 worth of business, you’ve invisibly lost at least another $50,000 in obtainable sales. This analysis comes from projects where we coach salespeople from the ranks of order-takers to becoming excellent product-peddlers, then becoming collaborative problem-solvers. Typically, they increase their sales by twenty to two hundred percent.

The remaining twenty to forty percent of medium to high producers produce the bulk of a company’s sales volume.

Their reasons for leaving business on the table include:

• New accounts are scarce and hard to develop
(They contend they are too busy with established accounts)
• They are secure and satisfied with their current sales record
• They don’t recognize the need for developing their sales competency
(They believe the problem is their company or the market)
• New ideas and selling methods are too much work and are not worth the effort

Medium producers tell us: “Give me a qualified buyer or a big, juicy problem to solve, and I’ll close the sale – every time. What we need around here is lower, more competitive pricing, better advertising, more qualified leads, and a better web site.”

The cost to their organizations is as high as twice their current sales volumes. Typically, they increase their performance between fifty to one hundred percent by moving from a friendly visitor, problem-solver, or technical advisor relationship with customers to one of genuine collaboration and, ultimately, becoming a sustaining resource. This peer-to-peer relationship to high level prospects makes it almost impossible for competitors to penetrate their accounts, even with slick marketing.

If talking to a salesperson has no value other than repeating product information and/or generic “solutions” or they simply re-hash general features and benefits, they bring no value to prospective clients.

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Facts And Fallacies About Selling - Falacy One

2009-09-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

Are these fallacies alive and well in your organization and how much money are they costing you in lost sales and burned resources?

Fallacy 1: Salespeople are obsolete.

Reality: Products and services where customers need genuine assistance require highly-trained, skilled sales professionals. Marketing and sales tools can only propose the sale – professional salespeople secure the business.

There are not enough high-performing, professional salespeople to meet today’s increasing demand. Most top performers have lucrative careers and are not easily lured away. Today’s companies need salespeople capable of persuading prospects to switch from a current supplier.

Average producers and hard-working order-takers are poorly equipped to find and secure these new accounts. Today’s sophisticated prospects reject back-slapping, talking brochures or slick, disingenuous, manipulative sales techniques. They do, however, invite professional salespeople into a mutually beneficial collaboration.

Firms with salespeople at this level of selling competence command margins between ten to fifteen percent higher than industry averages.

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What does a Moose look like?

2009-09-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

We regularly ask prospective clients, “Who is your target prospect? What do they look like?” Some executives take up to two weeks to give us a straight answer. If you’re hunting moose (even with your new digital camera) it seems obvious to know what one looks like. Today’s salespeople waste time “pitching” unqualified prospects and regularly fail to create and nurture potentially profitable relationships. To maximize the value of your selling time, we recommend this multi-pronged approach.

Strategically guide your sales efforts towards a genuine specific market
Carefully scrutinize your complete sales process (adjust it where needed)
Ensure that you engage your prospects with a specific and tailored approach
Provide value-creating contact with your key customers

In other words, have something to say, say it often, say it effectively to the right people securing their business in such a way that you keep your competitors out.

After scrutinizing hundreds of strategic sales plans, we’ve discovered that most of them are articulated intentions, rather than clear strategies. They lose momentum in the all-important execution stage.

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More sales competencies

2009-09-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

• Organizing time, territory, and sales presentation

• Discipline to engage in pre-call planning and practice

• Accessing a prospective buyer and quickly qualifying them

• Using technology as a tool to increase sales

• Converting mildly interested prospects into paying customers

• Distinguishing your product/service from the competition

• Communicating peer-to-peer with high-level prospects

• Gaining the trust of skeptical prospective buyers

• Uncovering genuine needs and offering a customized solution

• Penetrating existing accounts

• Effectively presenting to small or large groups

• Boardroom presence - comfortable in a corporate conversation

Everyone has their pet theories, but we’ve found that most of today's conventional wisdom is more convention than wisdom.

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Levels of sales competence

2009-09-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

Many salespeople rely on their relationships to make sales. We’re not against relationships, our founder, Dale Carnegie wrote the book How To Win Friends and Influence People, but in today’s competitive, global marketplace relationships are not enough to hit sales targets. When commercial visitors lean on relationships here’s what they hear, “we like you, we like your company, and we think your products are good … but …”

The next level of selling competency is the salesperson that becomes alert only when the customer says “sign me up – I want it.” But in this market, sales-people are required to take business away from competitors. Prospects are not saying, “Tell me what you’ve got and if I like it, I’ll buy it.” They are comparing your offering with many others. Order takers tend to return from sales calls professing, “We’re not price competitive, we need different features, our customers are looking for. . .” (Specific feature or discount).

There are salespeople genuinely excited about their products and services and enthusiastically give their pitch of generic features and benefits. These product-peddlers deal with plenty of price and specification issues. They ask, “How can I handle this objection ... the customer wants to know about this ... what do we say about that?” These salespeople regularly miss sales forecasts and work too hard for the volumes they book.

Another type of salesperson we’ve observed is the problem-solver. The closer they get to solving the customer’s problem, the desire to work with them goes down not up. They need to engage and connect with their customers in such a way that their value expands rather than shrinks.

The highest level of relationship with clients is a sustaining resource. The end of the “locked-in contract” road is client resentment. We want our clients to choose to do business with us and inoculate them against our competitors’ steady attacks.

[Request our short profile to determine your organization’s sales competence]

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Get in to see high-level buyers; keep competitors out of your accounts

2009-09-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

Today’s conventional salesperson is under attack. Sophisticated customers demand a collaborative or consultative approach. Time with prospects is invaluable, and limited. The prohibitive cost of today’s sales call makes conventional approaches obsolete. Organizations are scrambling to pry loyal customers away from competitors.

We’ve been close to sales managers and salespeople for over 80 years. We know their hopes and fears, their abilities, their frustrations, their problems, their feelings of victory and defeat. We’ve worked side-by-side with salespeople selling every conceivable product or service.

Based on our on-going research and direct contact with sales organizations, we see plenty of inefficiencies getting knowledgeable, well-prepared salespeople face to face or on the telephone with enough qualified prospects to hit ambitious sales targets.

Fundamental Truth's About Selling:
• Old-time salespeople are obsolete (this has been true for years)
• Prospects don’t have time to meet or listen to every salesperson
• It is more difficult than ever to find and connect with qualified prospects
• Technology does not, and cannot, replace a professional salesperson
• Professional selling is not obsolete – it’s just rare

If your customers need genuine help making their decision to buy, they demand highly trained, competent, sales professionals. They have plenty of choice so if you look and sound like competitors, you’re in fundamental trouble.

On the other hand, if you have the technical expertise the customer requires, and technical sales competence on behalf of a killer sales strategy, you might be invincible and probably have an expanding market share, high margins, and a loyal client base willingly giving you a steady revenue stream.

A balance of a strong sales strategy, wise use of technology, and highly professional salespeople consistently out-perform conventional “cold-call” salespeople, order-takers, product-peddlers, and/or technology or marketing driven initiatives. The responsibility for making sales still rests firmly on the shoulders of you, the professional salesperson. Your job is to connect with tough-minded prospective buyers by:

• Accessing a prospective buyer and quickly qualifying them
• Communicating peer-to-peer with high-level buyers
• Quickly and clearly distinguishing your product/service from the competition
• Organizing your time, territory, and sales presentation
• Having the discipline to engage in pre-call planning and rehearsals
• Knowing when to talk and when to shut up
• Listening to the prospect’s wants/needs and clearly connecting your offering to them

However, unless you can get in to see a qualified prospect, everything else is of no real value. Your job is to think like a potential buyer and create value for them in the first minute of your sales conversation.

Here’s a transcript of a salesperson tightening up his attention-getter under the guidance of a Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage Coach.

Coach: What do you specialize in?

Salesperson: A lot of our competitors are service companies whereas we deal specifically in providing solutions not just service.

Coach: Who is the target customer?

Salesperson: Business to business. Multinational. Very capital intensive, lots of equipment. Low margins. Extremely competitive, diminishing market.

Coach: What level do you typically call on?

Salesperson: Technical manager, technical director. They are the ones who get the ball rolling. We’re kind of like a technical consultant because we have decades of experience around the world customers are able to ask our opinions and exploit all the information that we’ve gathered and we have a very extensive R&D and product development group so they’re able to make use of all that.

Coach: What does that do for them?

Salesperson: This builds a comfort level for them. Knowing that they’re dealing with us, they are dealing with a company that has a good track record and has done their own homework and not just selling the latest fad as far as products are concerned.

Coach: How does that impact their business?

Salesperson: It gives them a competitive advantage over their competitors.
Now we help him or her fashion a specific attention-getter that takes the prospect’s mind off what they are thinking before the salesperson called, on to the purpose of the call – in less than 60 seconds. From this attention-getter, the salesperson secures an appointment.

Coach: Let’s try this: “We specialize in working with organizations such as yours to hang on to their valuable customers; to protect margins that are shrinking and under attack; and enter potentially profitable markets at a relatively low risk.”

Salesperson: This is [name] with [company] I know you’re probably busy so I won’t take up a lot of your time. We specialize in providing technical solutions ….

Coach: Don’t tell them about your solutions yet – what do you really do for them?

Salesperson: We specialize in helping companies like yours retain their valuable customers, protect their margins and, possibly assist them in penetrating new market at a relatively low risk.

At this point the salesperson secures an appointment. Statistically, salespeople increase their call to appointment ratios from 20 to 50% as a result of this structured approach.

Please note, we’re not advocating a canned sales pitch. Instead, the salesperson tailors three blanket benefits to each targeted prospect.

Old: “We are a technical consultant because we have decades of experience around the world, customers are able to ask our opinions and exploit all the information that we’ve gathered and we have a very extensive R&D and product development group so we’re able to make use of all that. This builds a comfort level for you. Knowing that you’re dealing with a company that has a good track record and that has done their own homework and not just selling the latest fad as far as products are concerned.”

New: “This is [name] with [company] I know you’re probably quite busy so I won’t take up a lot of your time."

"We specialize in helping companies like yours retain their valuable customers, protect their margins and, possibly assist them in penetrating new markets at a relatively low risk."

If you were the prospect, which approach would you prefer to hear?

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"You Talkin' To Me" Part II

2009-09-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

The most common mistake we see is a shift from desired outcomes to problem-solving and trying to re-stimulate momentum or keep morale high. Low morale and momentum are symptoms of a poorly designed organizational structure.

The structure gives rise to behaviour.

Let's move on to execution.

Executing clear strategies is the "fun" part for some of us. Employees do not need to be "sold" on a strategy; they want to be connected to it. Hearing their connection to the strategy comes from listening, not presenting. Each individual broadcasts their commitments loud and clear. But, just like radio waves around you, until you tune-in to their frequency, they're invisible to you.

Using this approach to connecting and engagement, we've seen an executive's jaw drop as they experience a surge of energy from their people like never before. Tapping into intrinsic motivation has a much stronger track-record than artificially "pumping people up" or manipulatively "persuading" them of our viewpoint. After all, you cannot motivate another person. [We'll save that discussion for another time.]

Creating a structure in which the path of least resistance serves individuals highest aspirations and deepest values as they create what is truly important to their organization is "magic" to those unaware of the simplicity of its power. There is no magic. Playing the piano is not magic. Writing a powerful essay is not magic. Effective salesmanship is not magic. Designing and executing a strategy is not magic either.

If your strategy does not create a path of least resistance toward doing what moves you forward, then any attempts to get people to do what is required will have a high rate of failure. Scrutinize your strategy. Put it on trial. If your strategy is a sacred cow, you're in fundamental trouble.

Rather than "selling" each other, why not engage, listen, and connect with reality based on a composite view? After all, the real competition is not internal, it's external.

Ask yourself:

• If an outside person reviewed our strategies, are they so clear and logical that they would support them without question?
• Do we often accuse others of not "getting it?"
• Do we shoot the messenger? [Come on now, fess up!]
• Is there a lot of talk around strategy and little action?
• Do our actions move us forward?
• Do we sometimes charge forward, and then slide back?

All the above are symptoms of a weak strategy.

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"You Talkin' To Me?"

2009-08-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

It’s Nobody’s Fault

As a youngster, when my mother or father asked my brother and I, "Who did this?" We'd answer, "Nobody." "Mr. Nobody" was accused of causing plenty of damage.

In business conversations with owners, executives, managers, and employees, I track how many times "Mr. Nobody" is at fault. For example, one owner said he'd like to talk to us about turnover in a particular job function. Later he told us, "Our operations people could use some help with customer service." Then he added, "And the salespeople need to be able to consult with clients as a partner."
Many organizations engage in similar circular conversations. Owners or executives tell us, "I know we need to improve around here and we're all for it, and the problem is the [department]. We speak with people in that area and they say, "We totally support any change effort, but the real problem is [job function or department]". We visit them and hear, "The real problem is management." Now we're back to management telling us the real problem is people that aren't engaged, don't align with the business strategy, and aren't willing to take ownership or responsibility. My parents would say that's "Mr. Nobody" at work.

Strategyy is management's responsibility. Unfortunately, boards and executives often inadvertently "delegate" responsibility elsewhere. Our most common response from the executive suite is, "Our strategies are great - people just don't execute." However, what passes for strategy is often little more than a wish list or taking last year's numbers and adding 10 or 15 percent. More often than not, data is contaminated with speculation, hypotheses, and opinions. The underlying assumptions behind many strategic plans we review are clearly flawed.

Of course future projections are, by definition, speculative and unproven. However, if strategies do not obviously sit on a framework of reality, trying to execute them is frustrating at best.

Here are a couple of examples:

Stated Strategy: Increase sales by 32% in X market.

Question: Where did the 32% come from? Why not 29% or 35%?

Answer: [After questioning] It's what we need to cover our costs and protect our margins.

Stated Strategy: Penetrate a new and different market with our products/services.

Question: What is your value-proposition?

Answer: [After questioning] We think we can do a better job than others in the market. We have added-value.

Question: What are you bringing to market that is distinct from what's already available? What's your offering?

Answer: We are customer-focused, high-quality, committed, flexible, and willing to go the extra mile.

Question: : Who else can say that?
[Note: Not, "Who else can do that?"]

Answer: Uh, well, I guess everybody else. [OOPS!]

Sorry if this sounds harsh. Reality is an acquired taste!

It is possible to separate strategy issues from execution issues. For example, if the contrast between current reality and the desired future is unclear, most action steps are speculative at best. This requires a high degree of "buy-in" and burns valuable resources of time and money. When the contrast is clear the path of least resistance is towards what you are building not away from it.

End of Part 1

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Is social media a fad? (Video)

2009-08-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

Some people think social media will replace traditional selling. Hardly. More than ever, salespeople need to bring real value to the table beyond describing the features and benefits of their products and services.

Click Here, or on the picture above, to view the video

An unapologetic rant - save your money!

2009-08-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Recently, we received a request for proposal from a global organization requesting training for 200+ professionals. The learning objectives were quite clear and specific. There was obviously some good thinking on the part of the executives at the organization regarding their needs. I was impressed.

Then I read further. Their budget for 200+ professionals was … wait for it …. Less than $126 per person. This is not a joke.

It’s wrong to speculate or assume something you don’t know. However, what are the possibilities here?

a) They really believe this is possible
b) The have such a low regard for training that they are paying lip-service to it
c) They’re naive about what it takes to achieve their objectives
d) They’re trying to trap someone into responding

… or any number of alternative possibilities.

I almost forgot the kicker, – “All additional costs (such as vendor travel and accommodation) must be included.” Thanks!

If this was an isolated example, I’d just smile and move on. But, this is an alarmingly common request. I’m all for getting the most for less. I believe in minimalism – what’s the least we can do to create the biggest result. But this request is flat out ridiculous.

If you genuinely want to produce sales and business results, here are some caveats:

a) Translate behavioral goals into tangible outcomes.

i.e. Instead of: “We want salespeople to become more proactive,” use: “Our goal is to open xxx new accounts by XXX date. We expect to open these accounts by and through our sales force.”

Now you can decide what behaviors/skills/competencies are required to achieve that outcome. Incidentally, instead of asking for “more-better”, specifically quantify desired outcomes.

b) Decide if you want people to “learn something” [i.e. learning objectives] or want people to perform at a higher level. These two outcomes are not synonymous. Assuming that “knowing” automatically translates into “doing” is incredibly naive.

c) If you’re not willing to take responsibility for performance improvement – keep your money. No training can replace a manager’s responsibility for the team’s performance. If you want support in helping people increase their skills and results – fine. But sales results from training rests clearly on your shoulders as a manager. With a manager’s engagement and support, effective training increases its result by over 80%. [Yes, we can substantiate this with research and we did say EIGHTY percent.]

d) Don’t fall for a trainers pitch on how effective they are [were] as a sales person. The issue is how good are they today at coaching others to improved their performance. Metrics should not be passive. i.e. Sales went up during the training/coaching, therefore the training/coaching created that increase. Not true. The question is, “To what extent did this training/coaching directly contribute to this result?

e) Be relentless about sustainability. Don’t expect any training/coaching to last forever, but be aware that most standard training programs wear off in 90 days or less. This means that results will be worse after 90 days, people are fundamentally unchanged and you may become, with them, skeptical of further training/coaching initiatives.

f) Don’t buy into the hype on CRM. It’s a necessity for sales in today’s market. However, 65% or more of CRM installations are unsuccessful. We’ve heard horror-story after horror-story about disappointing results from technology that can, when implemented correctly, dramatically increase sales results. A clue here – it’s the sales process, not the technology that’s critical. Don’t let the software train you. Don’t let over-priced “experts” sell you a “customized” solution until you’re clear on your sales process, and have a good idea as to the level of competency of your sales force. Then, and only, then can you choose software that suits YOUR needs. One size does not fit all and [the dirty little secret] the best solution is rarely the most expensive.

A Short, true story: “Like most women, my wife buys nail-polish remover. She always bought the most expensive under the impression she was buying quality. Then she learned that the cheapest nail-polish remover came from the same batch as the most expensive. She was actually shown the line at the manufacturer. You guessed it, she now buys the lowest-priced product. This is not illegal – just buyer beware and do your homework."

It’s a minefield out there with everyone making claims. [i.e how many “Canada’s [America’s] top sales trainers” can there be? [Answer: One] But how many books, seminars and websites make this claim? I rest my case.

We’ve prepared a report on what questions to ask when seeking training/coaching to improve performance. It’s yours for the asking.

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2009-08-27T10:48:00.001-07:00

Follow The Money - Part Two

We pick up from where we left off giving specific action steps to follow.

Suggestion: Seek out forward-looking customers. Listen carefully to their viewpoints and visualize the picture they communicate. No one can predict the future, but these rare visionaries see what others do not see until it’s a commodity. Find out what books they are reading and read them yourself. Look for industry shaping publications, not “faddish,” rearview mirror-type books. Once a topic becomes trendy, bookstores are flooded with a wave of rehash publications that are of little value in uncovering potential future profits.

Aggressively uncover your client’s business model – how they make money and what they truly value. We ask our clients to review how their organization's make money. One CEO told us, "There are about 5 people here who actually know how we make money. That's a bit scary."

Be cautious about excessively fixating on market share. Some nameplate market share leaders are no longer making money. Some are money-losers and have sunk into bankruptcy or are undergoing massive restructuring. Collaborating with customers to anticipate and create genuine future value is a stronger profit model. This customer focused approach requires a detailed understanding of how profits are created for your customers. It also requires tough choices based on a sharper focus on where profits will be created in the future. Consider, for example, the downward spiraling profits in computer hardware and the increased profit potential in providing genuine, cost-effective service to executives dissatisfied with their investment in technology. A “market-share” mentality may move you away from mining potential future profits.

Questions to ask include:

“Who are our most profitable clients?”
“Who are the clients best poised for future growth?”
“Within that group, which have the highest potential for growth?”
“What mix of products or services could best serve their future needs?”
“Are we pushing products (services) or genuinely assisting clients in identifying and helping them solve problems to create future profits?”

The latter question is the most challenging for businesspeople. In our work, we conduct a “Reality Check” that, in a surprisingly short time, reveals often hard to accept realities. For example, a group of owners in a well known, and highly successful retail chain, discovered that as much as they “talk” about the importance of their customers, their business is actually designed around internal factors. Becoming more efficient with their current business model obviously is a low-return pursuit. The opportunity for profit growth is in a greater share of wallet based on seeing things from their customer’s perspective. When they walk into their own stores they see and focus on things that are of little value to their customers. They invest inordinate amounts of time on these internal issues. Together we are searching for, and creating, a new business model that creates genuine value for customers and positively impacts the retailer’s profitability.

Key Questions:

“What do our customers value?”
(Clue: It’s not always the lowest price, even though price is a factor.)

“What will they value enough to allow me to make a profit providing it?”
(Clue: There is value in relationships and customer knowledge as well as in
competitively priced products.)

“What can I create that “inoculates” my customers against the competition?”
(Clue: It’s usually more than an ‘innovative’ product.)

“How do I move towards providing future customers with what they will want
and need without adding additional costs to my product or service?”

Of course we are only scratching the surface here. We invite you along this road less traveled. Let’s leave behind those tinkering with their costs, products, and services and move into the true future profit zone. Follow the money!

What are the initiatives at your organization that require a shift in thinking?

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2009-08-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

Follow The Money - Part One
When asked, virtually all executives we interview complain that their margins are shrinking. This is a concern, since our market is a global, hyper competitive commodity and price driven, margin-battering place. How you made money last year may not make you money this year.

We’re fascinated when we hear business people say they are customer focused or customer driven, yet their profit models are focused on their needs rather than creating genuine wealth for their customers and sharing in that wealth. Even their business structure tends towards an “inner” view. Thirty years ago the customer didn’t really matter. I know this sounds weird, but it’s true. Customer demand was higher than capacity and the seller was in the driver’s seat. They set their business goals based on their targeted profit margins. Today our capacity to produce is greater than demand and, unless you have a distinctly innovative product or service, the customer has a confusing amount of choice. Rarely can we set our own prices due to increased, hungry competitors. Protecting margins involves much more than increasing prices and tinkering with administrative costs.

In reality, the customer is now at the centre of our business universe. It's about them finding you, not you marketing to them.

Dale Carnegie said: “Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.”

It’s time to scrutinize whether we actually live this principle or just pay lip service to it.

Unfortunately, traditional market research is of little help since it uses what we call a “rearview mirror” approach. Usually customers are given a series of multiple choice questions. Even when augmented by interviews, the questions often do not get at clients’ genuine future issues.

Why is thinking from the customer’s point of view so hard? Mostly it’s because we’ve been trained to continually focus on improving our products or services. An all too common model is designing a product (service) that we think serves a need and aggressively taking it to market with traditional techniques. Invariably the market responds with apathy, or strong resistance. [Do you remember Crystal Pepsi?]

As an organization grows, the natural, organic flow is away from customers. A recent survey indicates that senior managers spend seventy percent of their time dealing with internal issues, and a high percentage of the remaining thirty percent involves dealing with non-customer issues.

Believe it or not, the best customers or prospects with whom to invest time are the ones most demanding, difficult, or dissatisfied. Over 20 years ago, a successful retailer taught me to actively pursue complaining customers. “Dave,” he said, “a complaining customer is doing you a favor. They are telling you they want to do business with you, but they’re frustrated or irritated at something. They represent at least fifty other customers who, for whatever reason, are reluctant to bring their complaints to your attention. The best ideas to dramatically improve my business came from complaining customers.” He taught us the direct, inexpensive customer focus process we still use for both ourselves and our clients.

Asking the right questions is critical. It is important to uncover our most demanding client’s needs, aspirations, and future business focus. Just asking them how they like our service is vague and weak. Asking them about their “needs” is not enough. Prospective customers usually don’t know their future needs. They operate in the same dynamic business climate as the rest of us.

Ineffective, order-taking salespeople, for example, contend that they do think from the customer’s viewpoint. They tell us, “All our customers care about is price. The customers don’t want what we sell; there is no demand for it.”

History gives us many examples of the flaw in this mindset. Years ago, vacuum cleaners were unknown and, when approached, retailers claimed there was no demand for them. However, once a few early-adopters began using the contraptions they purchased from a direct salesperson, demand increased. Now, almost every major retailer carries vacuums. This tells us is that “demand” is after-the-fact and often ineffective in capturing future opportunities.

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How To Lose Your Best Employees or High Producing Salespeople

2009-08-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Here are 7 ways to get rid of your best performers:

1. Do not talk specifically with them about their performance. Simply tell them you’re happy or unhappy with their work.

2. Spend all your time working on problems and leave top performers alone.

3. Invest 80 – 90% of your time trying to make marginal employees productive.

4. Spread renuneration around like peanut butter – evenly distribute it over everyone.

5. Design and conduct contests to “motivate” people to perform at a higher level.

6. Avoid having performance conversations with anyone.

7. Follow every fad going – regularly give people a new, hot book to read.

A manager was extremely distressed when their best employee unexpectedly resigned. In an exit conversation the employee felt there was no challenge in their work. Another employee became enraged when the executive to whom she reported gave her an annual “review” by simply saying, “You’re doing great work keep it up.” The employee quit immediately saying, “If that’s all he can say after a year working for him, I’m out of here!”

High performers love feedback on their performance. They want consistent, constructive, feedback. If you doubt this, scrutinize top performers in any field – especially the arts. They constantly review how they’re doing relative to desired outcomes. They actively seek out coaching and respond best to specific, performance-based feedback.

Taking an employee from a 3 to a 4 on any scale, takes more effort and produces significantly less than taking an employee from an 8 to a 9. The former is approximately a 14% improvement while the latter is 50%. Despite this, many managers invest excessive time and energy working with so-called “non-performers.”

Remuneration is a contentious and fuzzy subject. In a recent meeting with 26 up and coming leaders, the topic of “incentives” raised its ugly head. It became clear to us that these young managers believe that “incentives” work. Their question was, “What is the incentive to get people to work on these projects? How can we motivate others to make a contribution?”

There is NO evidence that incentives produce long-term results and there is strong evidence that an incentive-based system actually lowers performance. Once high performers reach a certain level their motivation is intrinsic, not extrinsic. With low performers, incentives actually mask incompetence. Even if incentives work, the results are related to the “bribe” rather than improved competency.

Yes, a person’s compensation is important to them and it’s imperative that it is tied in some way to performance. However, trying to bribe performance out of high performers drives them out the door. Incentives rarely motivate low performers. During a flashy roll-out of a sales contest I heard one person mumble, “That prize will look good in Charlie’s [the top producer] living room.” By conducting regular one-on-one’s, your “Charlie’s” can buy their own big screen TVs.

Fads. What a subject! How many times have we heard groans from people as they mumble about a new book the boss is reading? They see no relevancy to their business or day-to-day activities. He or she rushes from one “hot” idea to another with no apparent strategy or structure. Most business books are still three to five years behind current reality. Books are a great resource but, like every other tool, they are often abused. If there is no clear strategy in place, applying the “latest” management theory will have little, if any, effect.

Action Tips

In contrast to our opening tongue-in-cheek list, decide what results are most important to your business future.

o Connect others to two or three key strategies.

o Engage in performance conversations around competencies and performance.

o Give your direct reports regular feedback about their contribution to the overall strategy.

o Design your organization or department around creating what you want rather than reacting to circumstances or applying the latest fads.

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. However, if you don’t create what is truly important, you have nothing to measure or manage.”

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The role of "Culture"

2009-07-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

On another site, a person asked the role of "culture" in an organization. I've often heard owners, sales exdecutives and managers refer to a "sales culture." In my view, culture is a conversation. Listen to the conversation and you hear the culture - explicit and implied.

After 37 years working with organization, some that work, others that don't, it appears to me that a focus on culture deflects people away from the business at hand. What is the purpose of the enterprise, in addition to making money? The culture issue only answers one question, "How do we choose to operate?" The future of the enterprise rests on the answers to other, less internally focused issues. “Do we have a viable offing to our market? Who is our market and what are they motivated to buy? What are we doing to make it easy to do business with us? What is irritating or frustrating to our prospective clients?” etc.

The implication that a particular “culture” will take care of all this is dangerous. I realize this is not the intent of those who focus on culture, but it is implied.

My cynical side is looking for a website where a company has integrity as a value and then, in all honesty, clearly states: "We don't care about our people – they are a "disposable resource" [Human Resource] to us. We do everything we can to get money from our clients and work towards having them think we are better than we are. We lie when it's convenient and could care less about our customer's issues or problems. So what if we're late in deliveries or our products don't work they way they should? Buyers beware. Etc. etc. Unfortunately, I've seen all these behaviors in organizations that have incredible vision - values statements.

A case in point, people with integrity rarely speak of it. It's just who they are. A high percentage of liars speak incessantly about "honesty", "integrity" and act highly insulted if you imply they are less than honest. Fortunately, most people are fundamentally honest. Values are in people, not organizations. Meaning is in people, not in words.

Executives have vision and core values. When they leave the organization and others take over with different values – almost overnight the culture will change since the conversations will change.

If we desire a particular culture, then it is imperative that conversations align with that culture. Inconsistencies give clues. Is the inconsistency just sloppy speaking, or does it represent the "real" beliefs of the people expressing it?

I'm a bit soft on pursuing "culture", but know its significance. However, once a person with incongruent values begins to "talk" about the culture - it is destroyed.

Culture matters, but excessive focus on it can destroy its impact.

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Sales scripts in today's business climate

2009-06-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

This post is in response to a suggestion that "sales pitches and scripts are a thing of the past." I think not.

Years ago, I developed a system I called "The selected use of pre-memorized language." I discovered that successful salespeople in the same company had evolved to fundamentally the same words but, strangely, they had never talked with each other about it. This gave me a clue that "words mean things" and certain phrases were more persuasive than others.

I'm suggesting a mindful process whereby the salesperson connects with the prospect through listening, then "selects" phrases that resonate with the client. Again, a computer cannot do this - yet. The scripts are designed to describe certain aspects of the offering.

In contrast, salespeople without a script tend to ramble on or simply give the whole "pitch" without considering the prospective customer. I just had a travel agent give me five options for dining on a cruise I'm booking. I finally had to say, "I'm looking for advice - suggestions, not a list of benefits. I can get that on the web." However, when she describes the offering, I'd like it to be tight, well thought-out and clearly descriptive of what I can expect.

Where I use a script is describing the typical clients we have to ensure the prospective client can relate to this description - or not. Where I use a script is describing the typical clients we have to ensure the prospective client can relate to this description - or not. I want each client to hear it described clearly and concisely.

I worked with a salesperson who insisted she did not, and would not, use a script. I followed her around all day and was able to cite her script almost verbatim. She was unaware of her natural tendency to use similar phrases over and over. She became much more effective when she did this mindfully, rather than unconsciously.

The art is in hiding the art. If it sounds memorized or "canned" - you're an amateur. The pro can say the same thing over and over with the same energy and enthusiasm as well as personalizing each conversation to each prospective client.

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Building a world-class sales organization

2009-06-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

Most sales teams are under-performing. The shift in our markets and buying patterns is frustrating many organizations. Sales in most sectors are down. Even where sales are up, there's a gnawing feeling that it may not last. Increasing sales often mans taking business away from competitors and takes more than "differentiating" ourselves or "making more calls."

In the past two months I learned of organizations that have invested in technology (CRM, automated marketing etc.) to the tune of several million dollars and are wildly dissatisfied with the outcomes. One organization invested over 2 million dollars over a two-year period and just shut the whole project down. It's over - done. No increase in sales, no account penetration, no time saved for salespeople, no maximized time in front of qualified prospects, no shorter sales cycle. . . OOOPS!

The sad truth is that this was avoidable and unnecessary.

Building a world-class sales organization requires a synchronized approach using three main components - People, Sales Process, and Technology. Failure rates of CRM installations is as high as 50%. Organizations buy the software, install it and try to get salespeople to "buy-in." They are often faced with sales pitches on the technology that over-promise and under-deliver. It's the human factor that baffles technology types and technology baffles the people or process types.

The good news is that it's possible to synchronize all three components, at about a half to one-third of the cost most people invest in technology alone. While it's not easy to implement [if it was, everyone would be doing it], but it's simple to do. The major errors are simple to fix, but I warn you, this approach is counter-intuitive. Don't be fooled by its simplicity. A warning, it does require focus and discipline, but successfully building a world-class sales organization is actually easier than what it took to be in the 50% failed installation group.

We're not going to hold anything back here - we'll put it all on the table!

Click here to hear Part 1: Building A World-Class Sales Organization

Reality of Change Management Part I

2009-06-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

A week does not go by without hearing the word "change" or "culture change." Owners, managers, and executives seem to constantly want things and people to be different. Unfortunately, most of the desired changes we hear are based on conclusions about reality rather than a clear description of what's going on, what changes are required, and how those changes actually advance a clear strategy. For example, here's one executive's contention, "We need to change our culture. It does not support what we're trying to achieve."

When asked, "What is the current culture?" this executive replied, "People aren't proactive enough. They don't understand where we're going and are unable to get buy-in from the people that report to them. We need people to step up and take more initiative."

Notice he adds the "problems" of "being proactive" and "taking initiative." This conversation is going nowhere and represents a common pattern in today's business discussions.

Many of today's managers and employees are cogs in obsolete machinery. The corporate death rate is increasing. In the near future, perhaps as many as half the nameplate companies of today will no longer exist.

Here's the dilemma of change. Today's business owners and executives are tasked with increasing today's level of performance while simultaneously making radical changes. This involves two conflicting forces - optimization and growth. This can be a deadly conflict as the organization oscillates between a desire for change and the tendency to seek balance, predictability, and equilibrium. The mental models of most executives come from their experience, yet many organizations have been ruined by executives clinging to their "proven" assumptions that are no longer valid. Outsiders are better equipped to detect and challenge such deeply held beliefs. Unfortunately, some outside consultants bring their own obsolete assumptions to the table further clouding the waters.

For example, in most organizations IT is an integral component in any change effort. Even the smallest upstarts are required to invest in technology. In spite of this, in one Canadian corporation, business management referred to IT people as "Martians" who ask questions with an astonishing lack of knowledge about our business. Another referred to IT as a "black hole" that sucks up our resources.

Large corporations regularly spend a fortune on computer systems and programs to reinforce obsolete corporate structures and work routines. For example, a recent report by ESR Research, a firm that focuses on studying sales effectiveness, states clearly that "CRM systems may, in fact, hamper the effectiveness of a high-performance sales force."

Today's business models require joint creativity between business processes, technology, and people. Changing technology alone is doomed to fail. Process reengineering is initially attractive, but often fails to hit sustainable gains. Reengineering, according to its creator Michael Hammer, had a 70% failure rate. Failures occur when a sledge-hammer approach is used to change corporate culture. Executive's attempts at creating their desired future by asking others what they think "we should" do often create more confusion than clarity. Even asking customers what they want, while important, does not give an organization much more than ideas to retool past processes.

For a change effort to be successful it is critical that a crystal clear view of reality be connected to a strong vision of what the enterprise aspires to become. This includes accepting brutal truths about reality and uncovering deeply held, but flawed assumptions about change. In addition, it's critical to connect people's deepest aspirations and values to the aspirations of the enterprise.

Click here for Dave's 7 minute presentation on Change