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Guest post by: Andrew Wall
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You Talk Too Much!

When on a sales call, do you hear your voice more than the prospect’s? Do you find yourself explaining and educating to establish your credibility and expertise? Are you displaying your knowledge in the hope of generating interest and enthusiasm? Are you discussing the features and benefits of your company and your product or service? If you answer "yes," you talk too much!

Who’s Your Competition?

Competition is the reason your salespeople and many of your company’s other employees have work to do. If it weren’t for competition, businesses would lack the strongest incentives for change – new products, new processes, new markets, new strategies, new organizations, etc. Competition also encourages companies to introduce innovations that benefit their customers. And changes often mean new work and new opportunities for employees.

What Am I Doing Here?

All too often, salespeople find themselves doing battle with unworthy opponents, only to discover too late the time invested was really time wasted! How did they get there? Why didn’t they recognize where they were? And, why did they stay so long?

Selling to a Group – Make a Dry Run

If your salespeople are making a presentation to a group, they must conduct a dry run or practice of the presentation ahead of time. A dry run is a more elaborate version of the planning meeting held by a selling team. In addition to the members of the selling team, you (the sales manager) and other salespeople should attend the dry run to act as a coach and audience.

Forming a Successful Sales Team

Perhaps the greatest change in organizations today is the shift from independence to interdependence, from individual efforts to teaming. Teamwork is having a profound impact on selling. Many companies today leverage the synergy of teams by sending two or three team members to sell an account. This is especially true when accounts represent significant revenue or when the team will be cross-selling various products. If you're thinking about bringing in a selling partner, or if a sales team is about to be formed, consider these ideas when setting up the team:

Focus on Five Areas Today to Close Business Tomorrow

All too often, salespeople focus on the wrong elements in their attempt to increase sales. They turn their attention to the features, benefits, and value-added aspects of their product or service in an attempt to differentiate it from that of the competition and ultimately convince prospects to buy. While these elements may eventually play a part in the presentation (more on that later), it is not the place to start.

You Can't Sell Anybody Anything… Until They Discover They Want It!

Despite what most traditional sales trainers tell us, it’s very difficult to convince people that they want or need something that they're not already asking to buy. Our experiences at Sandler Sales Institute have demonstrated that when we try to force-sell our products or services, all we do is evoke feelings of defensiveness in our prospects. Unconsciously, the prospects "defend" whatever it is they already own or use. Under those circumstances, prospects won't make a "new" decision.

The Thermometer Close

While it’s important not to rush the Fulfillment Step, it’s important to finish as quickly as possible and still get the sale. The sooner you successfully seal off this compartment [of the Sandler submarine], the sooner you’ve got the sale. However, it’s not always easy to know when to conclude your presentation.

Managing Conflict on Your Team

Conflict among members of any group is inevitable. While you might prefer to avoid conflict by ignoring it, you do so at great peril. Avoiding conflict instead of managing it will contaminate the team’s functioning. That’s why effective managers harness the creative power of difference and manage conflict.

Formula for Sales Templating

Sales templating is a technique that can help you develop a consistent sales process regardless of the background of your individual salespeople. What is sales templating? It is the technique by which you document the steps of the ideal typical sale. Sales templating allows you to capture the best practices and nuances of each of your salespeople to create a model sales process that all of them can follow. In addition to making your job as manager easier, sales templating will improve the performance of your sales force. By creating an overt, step-wise sales template or process, you give the salesperson the means to maintain control of the sales situation.

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About the Author: Andrew Wall

RSS for Andrew's articles - Visit Andrew's website
Sandler Training is a Global Strategic Management and Sales Training organization. With over 220 training centers around the world, hundreds of thousands of individuals and thousands of companies have embraced the Sandler Training Strategic Management and Sales principles to take their business to the next level. Sandler Training works with clients that may be as individual as entrepreneurs to global corporations to provide a “breath of fresh air” to their Business Development and Management activities. Andrew Wall is the owner of the Milton Sandler Training center. Sandler Training Canada recognized Andrew’s business with the Award of Excellence 2007 for Canada. If you are serious about embracing new Behaviors, Attitudes and Techniques to catapult your business to the next level, then contact Sandler Training at 905-864-9915 or visit www.wall.sandler.com.
Click here to visit Andrew's website.

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Increasing Sales in a Sluggish Economy
When to Send Literature
Prospecting with a Plan

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