Tweet

Making the Internal Sales Call Easy!

Written by: Peter deLisser

Article Overview: The Challenge of Making the Internal Sales Call. After a sale is made, sales people have to justify results with internal lawyers, house physicians, and financiers.

Making the Internal Sales Call Easy!

I was initially surprised when an international pharmaceutical company asked me to individually coach 4 of their best National Accounts Sales People. It didn't take long to discover why. They had to make the same sale twice - once to their external customer, once to their internal customer. The Challenge of Making The Internal Sales Call

They made the initial sale to a multiple external customer staff which included a physician, lawyer, financier and operations executive. Once the external customer agreed to the sale, the sales person made the second sales call to the internal multiple customer staff that included an in-house physician, lawyer, financier, marketer, and operations executive. This second group expected structure, order, policies, procedures and profit - the antithesis of a creative, flexible, and persuasive sell the first group expected. Needless to say, when excited, happy sales people are confronted by an unhappy internal customer team, their disappointment at having to make the same sale twice gets reflected in their communications.

Communication Habits Reflected In Second Sale

Each of their four best sales people demonstrated in their internal sales calls unacceptable communication habits because of their disappointment with internal criticism and perceived lack of respect.

#1) Impatient, demanding, of internal people - Doesn't ask for big R.O.I.

#2) Doesn't provide sufficient internal feedback - Responds defensively

#3) Provides infrequent feedback - Sells too hard internally

#4) Talks over people, doesn't listen - Goes to bottom line too quickly

Coaching Successful Sales People Is Quick

They already know the skills needed to sell - Get Attention, Sell Benefits, Anticipate Disagreements and Ask for the Business. They just forget to use them when confronted by their own company executives demonstrating lack of interest and perceived disrespect.

I asked them one question, which started us on the road to success.

"Would you ever talk to one of your external customers the way you talk to internal customers?" The light goes on! Their answer is obvious. So is my next statement:

"Make Every Conversation A Sales Call and particularly to the internal customer staff."

3 Coaching Concepts Needed To Make Every "Internal" Conversation A Sales Call

1) Make Respect of Self/Others The Foundation Of Every Inside Sale

A sales person's job is to sell. The internal customers' jobs are to make sure the company doesn't get sued, to insure the balance sheet is balanced, to be able to design marketing materials, to increase market share. The foundation for coaching successful sales people is the completion of a substantial communication style Personal Insight Inventory, an in-depth, visual diagnostic tool which uniquely translates the sale's person's strengths and vulnerabilities into colors -

The strengths of the pharmaceutical sales people were ACTION (quick results) and IDEAS (creative ideas/information). The strengths of internal customer staff leaned toward STRUCTURE (implemented policies/procedures). The challenge of our sales coaching was to help the sales people have the second sales call be successful by learning to speak and listen in a STRUCTURED language, the language of the internal customer staff.

2) Practice Expected Disagreements from the Internal Customer Staff

Sales people routinely practice how to listen to and answer standard disagreements given to them by external customers:

"Your price is too high", "Doesn't meet our requirements", "Need to consult with associates", "We love the competitor".

What we did in our sales coaching was to determine AND practice responses to the expected disagreements they received from internal customer staff members:

" These numbers have not been proven"

" The regulatory commission will disavow this sale"

" You sold something we have never marketed before"

" The details make distribution impossible"

By practicing these internal staff disagreements we reduced the sales peoples' reactions to disappointment and lack of respect. They learned to expect them as the natural reactions of their "own" internal customer staff.

3) Master The Listening Skills of Responding To "Emotional" Reactions

Most conversations between sales people and external customers are rational exchanges of needed information on both sides, exchanges of a mutual need and respect. However, many conversations between sales and internal customers become emotional exchanges. The sales people get emotional because they expect the internal customers to live with the completed agreement. The internal customers get emotional because they are asked to agree to a sale they may not believe they can implement. Every emotional conversation takes longer and leaves scars unless the sales person has special listening skills to defuse emotions and refocus conversations.

Coaching Sales Executives To Make The Internal Sales Call Easy

After Sales People make the external sale, they can complete the internal sale by:

- Making Respect of Self/Others The Foundation Of Every Internal Sale

- Practice Expected Disagreements from the Internal Customer Staff

- Master The Listening Skills of Responding To Emotional Reactions

When they have mastered these three fundamentals, making the internal sale IS easy!

 

Related Articles
  Internal Linking in your website
  Your Internal Board of Directors ... Part II: Red Flags, Green Lights and Wisdom
  Why this Common Sales Mistake is Costing You More Sales than You Realize
  Prepare to Coach Like You Prepare to Sell - Medical Sales Training
  Unlock Your Natural Abilities to Increase Sales

Article Tags: Communication Habits, Internal Sales Call, Sales Conversations



Related Forum Posts
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing
Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz] I second the request...
Making Money in 2011 - Hello forum members! As we draw closer to the new year I thought it would be appropriate to change the title of our forum category "Making Money in 2010" to "Making Money in 2011" - I'm looking forward to some interesting discussions and wish everyone a prosperous New Year!
Magnetic Ads - Biz Idea - Attn Young Entrepreneurs looking for a Business Idea. This came to me while sitting in Traffic for about 1 hour while looking and laughing at ridiculous bumper stickers. Note: this idea is rough but will help get the idea-momentum going. Idea: Sell advertising on the back of cars in the form of reusable magnetic signs (about the length of 2 or 3 bumper stickers) Most people shouldn't have reservations to participating if they get a cut of the monthly fee you charge the company advertising and it doesn't hurt their car. An example of a Magnetic Ad: Geico: I saved 15% on my Car Insurance. Call 1-800-U-SAVE-15 You don't have to pay the cost associated with creating the Magnetic Ad because you will advise the company that this belongs to them and you can get them in touch with someone who created reusable magnets. So your basically managing two sides: 1. Company's that want to advertise 2. People in your neighborhood (to start) who will put the ads on their car. Bigger cars can have more than one ad. Happy Money Making!
Re: e-Commerce and e-Payment providers - When I came back to Japan in 1999 I sometimes used to ask my students if they would buy anything on the Internet and at that time most thought it was too risky. I'd encourage them to try by using well known sites such as Amazon.co.jp and also pointed out that using a credit card on a reputable site was safer than using it at a restaurant. I can't remember the last time I had that discussion or when the "tipping point" occurred in Japan. To answer your other question, I use Paypal for several reasons: 1. Brand familiarity 2. Easy to use 3. Free to withdraw 50,000yen+ to my Japanese bank account - a huge benefit (but maybe other systems also offer that...?) 4. Easy to cancel subscriptions On the down side, their transaction fees are quite costly, they are difficult to contact and when disputes arise you can sometimes lose even when you can prove via your tracking service that the disputed item was "delivered" to the customer's address!


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Starting a Business with Bad Personal Credit

Maximum Impact Restaurant Greening

Fear Factors in Small Business: Sales & Marketing

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.