7 Reasons Why Your Sales Results Suck
7 Reasons Why Your Sales Results Suck
First of all, let's face it, I use that word to get your attention and now that I have it let me explain. When any frontline sales professional in your company does not produce the results needed to pay for all the overhead, benefits, pay, education and everything else needed to pay for there fair share of these expenses, then they are "sucking" these valuable resources at the expense of other employees who ARE pulling their weight.
There is an imbalance at many companies that is created by some of the sales team performing at a high level while others do not. Many perceive this as just a fact of life and refuse to believe that EVERYBODY could achieve profitable numbers and reach their goals.
A company in the new millennium cannot sustain this type of imbalance for very long before a financial toll is paid. This will result in fewer profits and ultimately less benefits and pay for all the employees. Many companies have high performers who cannot receive raises because others are not performing and therefore suck the resources from everyone.
That is what makes my job so much fun. Getting people to realize that this thinking is flawed logic and that there ARE companies out there where everyone makes money. When I can get the whole company to think this way, some pretty great things happen for them.
What are the reasons that these "money-suckers" exist?
Without further ado, let me share the 7 reasons why your sales suck:
Low Expectations - Most of the poor performers have a chromosome missing when it comes to believing that most people given a choice would PREFER to pay more for great service. Don't believe it yourself? Find the finest hotel in your city and try to book a room the same day. You will find it is filled. The Motel 6? Always has a light on for you. How about the best steakhouse in town? Try to walk in on Friday night around dinner time. It is packed even though the average meal is over $50 per person. The Denny's restaurant across the street has a 21 ounce T-Bone steak for only $9.99 and you can walk in anytime and get a seat. Why do we prefer the top-of-the-line services and products? Because in this service economy of ours we ALL work too hard and so when we do buy something for ourselves or our family, we want the best because we deserve it.
They don't know what service means - Poor performers rarely treat themselves to the finest service because they are usually too broke to ever experience it. Therefore, they don't know what it is. Great service is defined by its' root word. To serve. Those that suck, never offer more service. They only offer the minimum needed to get the problem solved today. No more service for the future and no packaging of a more complete solution that will more permanently solve the problem as well.
They try to sell what is already sold - Selling a solution for a problem that the customer has called you for should be the easiest thing to do. After all, the customer wouldn't have called you if they didn't want it done. You can assume then that the only reason they would change their mind is something the tech said or did. What is it they are saying to screw it up? These techs feel they are "educating" customers when they explain a problem. What they are really doing is "boring" them. Describe what the parts do, not what they are.
They create problems with no solution - There have been many studies on creating dissonance with buyers to get them to act or purchase. This does work, however when creating or explaining problems the solution must IMMEDIATELY follow the explanation of this trouble. Techs that suck explain the problem to the customer way too early before they have found a solution. They go into a diatribe about the lack of maintenance and all the problems with the system and then tell the customer they need to figure a price for all of this. Don't describe the problem until you have priced it first. Dissonance followed by solution immediately.
They disconnect from customers - Hard to believe but true. Poor performers LOVE to leave the customer in the home while they go back to the truck to figure out the price. This is the "kiss of death" to a service sale. Why? Because after the tech has explained the problem he MUST create a solution immediately after the problem is stated. A customer left with no solutions to the problem you have found has no choice but to search for a solution. Where? Well in most cases they are looking through the phonebook for another answer while the tech sits in the truck. Stay in the home with the customer while you price your options.
They freeze when confronted with the least resistance - Many customer say no as a subconscious reaction to your price presentation. Poor performers do not realize that the slightest resistance you give a customer when they throw an objection at you can turn the sale around from no to yes. Question the situation when you are losing the job. Ask the customer why their way of buying is the best way. Taking responsibility by asking the customer where you went wrong is another tactic. One thing for sure. Standing there dumbfounded and then leaving when faced with a "no" or a "think it over" will never get it done. Say something.
They sell to Americans like a communist - That's right, poor performers are not "on code" with the average American when they choose only one repair and then present it to the customer. In the days of the "iron curtain" in communist Russia, the people would stand in line for hours for a loaf of bread. In those days, there was no choice. Only one kind of bread was given to all people. Our country was built on freedom. Tao give only one choice restricts people and makes them feel as if something is not right. Show your customer the best option that is the most premium and cost the most. Then show them the options in the middle that have less warranty, service and complete repairs. Then show them the "least" that you can do get it running. We love choices. Don't stand in the way of freedom.
These are the top seven reasons why your sales results suck. What can you achieve? It's your choice. Do what you do now and lose, or change and reach greatness that is reserved for the few who dare to want more.
by Joe Crisara
7 Reasons Why Your Sales Results Suck - To learn more about this author, visit Joe Crisara's Website.
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One of the more fun parts of my job is talking to service managers who refuse to admit that the results that their salesforce get on their calls indeed "suck." What do I mean by this statement?
First of all, let's face it, I use that word to get your attention and now that I have it let me explain. When any frontline sales professional in your company does not produce the results needed to pay for all the overhead, benefits, pay, education and everything else needed to pay for there fair share of these expenses, then they are "sucking" these valuable resources at the expense of other employees who ARE pulling their weight.
There is an imbalance at many companies that is created by some of the sales team performing at a high level while others do not. Many perceive this as just a fact of life and refuse to believe that EVERYBODY could achieve profitable numbers and reach their goals.
A company in the new millennium cannot sustain this type of imbalance for very long before a financial toll is paid. This will result in fewer profits and ultimately less benefits and pay for all the employees. Many companies have high performers who cannot receive raises because others are not performing and therefore suck the resources from everyone.
That is what makes my job so much fun. Getting people to realize that this thinking is flawed logic and that there ARE companies out there where everyone makes money. When I can get the whole company to think this way, some pretty great things happen for them.
What are the reasons that these "money-suckers" exist?
Without further ado, let me share the 7 reasons why your sales suck:
Low Expectations - Most of the poor performers have a chromosome missing when it comes to believing that most people given a choice would PREFER to pay more for great service. Don't believe it yourself? Find the finest hotel in your city and try to book a room the same day. You will find it is filled. The Motel 6? Always has a light on for you. How about the best steakhouse in town? Try to walk in on Friday night around dinner time. It is packed even though the average meal is over $50 per person. The Denny's restaurant across the street has a 21 ounce T-Bone steak for only $9.99 and you can walk in anytime and get a seat. Why do we prefer the top-of-the-line services and products? Because in this service economy of ours we ALL work too hard and so when we do buy something for ourselves or our family, we want the best because we deserve it.
They don't know what service means - Poor performers rarely treat themselves to the finest service because they are usually too broke to ever experience it. Therefore, they don't know what it is. Great service is defined by its' root word. To serve. Those that suck, never offer more service. They only offer the minimum needed to get the problem solved today. No more service for the future and no packaging of a more complete solution that will more permanently solve the problem as well.
They try to sell what is already sold - Selling a solution for a problem that the customer has called you for should be the easiest thing to do. After all, the customer wouldn't have called you if they didn't want it done. You can assume then that the only reason they would change their mind is something the tech said or did. What is it they are saying to screw it up? These techs feel they are "educating" customers when they explain a problem. What they are really doing is "boring" them. Describe what the parts do, not what they are.
They create problems with no solution - There have been many studies on creating dissonance with buyers to get them to act or purchase. This does work, however when creating or explaining problems the solution must IMMEDIATELY follow the explanation of this trouble. Techs that suck explain the problem to the customer way too early before they have found a solution. They go into a diatribe about the lack of maintenance and all the problems with the system and then tell the customer they need to figure a price for all of this. Don't describe the problem until you have priced it first. Dissonance followed by solution immediately.
They disconnect from customers - Hard to believe but true. Poor performers LOVE to leave the customer in the home while they go back to the truck to figure out the price. This is the "kiss of death" to a service sale. Why? Because after the tech has explained the problem he MUST create a solution immediately after the problem is stated. A customer left with no solutions to the problem you have found has no choice but to search for a solution. Where? Well in most cases they are looking through the phonebook for another answer while the tech sits in the truck. Stay in the home with the customer while you price your options.
They freeze when confronted with the least resistance - Many customer say no as a subconscious reaction to your price presentation. Poor performers do not realize that the slightest resistance you give a customer when they throw an objection at you can turn the sale around from no to yes. Question the situation when you are losing the job. Ask the customer why their way of buying is the best way. Taking responsibility by asking the customer where you went wrong is another tactic. One thing for sure. Standing there dumbfounded and then leaving when faced with a "no" or a "think it over" will never get it done. Say something.
They sell to Americans like a communist - That's right, poor performers are not "on code" with the average American when they choose only one repair and then present it to the customer. In the days of the "iron curtain" in communist Russia, the people would stand in line for hours for a loaf of bread. In those days, there was no choice. Only one kind of bread was given to all people. Our country was built on freedom. Tao give only one choice restricts people and makes them feel as if something is not right. Show your customer the best option that is the most premium and cost the most. Then show them the options in the middle that have less warranty, service and complete repairs. Then show them the "least" that you can do get it running. We love choices. Don't stand in the way of freedom.
These are the top seven reasons why your sales results suck. What can you achieve? It's your choice. Do what you do now and lose, or change and reach greatness that is reserved for the few who dare to want more.
by Joe Crisara
7 Reasons Why Your Sales Results Suck - To learn more about this author, visit Joe Crisara's Website.
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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