ARE YOU MISSING OUT ON SALES THAT SHOULD BE YOURS?
ARE YOU MISSING OUT ON SALES THAT SHOULD BE YOURS?
MOMENTS OF TRUTH
Every time a customer or a potential customer communicates with your company a "Moment of Truth" occurs. It's an opportunity for them to have either a positive experience or negative experience. It's also a "Moment of Opportunity to either build this relationship or sadly, destroy the relationship.
LOST OPPORTUNITIES WHEN YOUR PHONE RINGS
What makes the difference, are the skills and attitudes of all of your people who have customer contact.
One of the most neglected "Moments of Truth" for many organizations is that initial point of contact, when the telephone rings.
Some companies spend "mega-bucks" on advertising to get their telephone to ring, and then spend "micro-bucks" training their people to handle this first vital "Moment of Truth". A moment when an enquiry can either be turned into a sale or an appointment to discuss this inquirer's needs, or a moment when this enquiry will be lost to the "Twilight Zone". That "I'll-think-it -over-and-get-back-to-you" zone from which most enquiries will never return.
So how well are you and your support people handling this "Moment of
Truth"?
QUOTE GIVERS DON’T ADD ANY VALUE
One retail cellular telephone chain that we worked with a while back discovered that 86% of their sales people were great at giving out information and offering discounts over the telephone (actually a very dangerous practice) but very poor in gaining the enquirer's name and phone number, asking needs revealing questions, gaining agreement for the enquirer to visit in person, and gaining the business.
In excess of 67% of their enquiries exited into the "Twilight Zone" never to return. Clearly much of their massive advertising budget was being lost by handling this vital "Moment of Truth" badly.
How well do you and your team members handle telephone sales enquiries?
Do they answer the customer's question which is generally price oriented, give out lots of information which is often irrelevant to the customer's real needs, and then send out a brochure?
GOOD INTENTIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH
Don't get me wrong now, people who do this generally have good intentions.
However in reality, they aren't really all that helpful to the customer, and sadly these actions often lose sales every day in business. Perhaps even yours.
So why is it that some business operators are prepared to spend thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars on advertising every year, but don' bother to invest anything into training their people in how to professionally handle that critical "Moment of Truth" when the phone rings?
It's a mystery to me, but here's what 29 years of training sales people has taught me.
If people aren't trained how to convert telephone enquiries into telephone sales or face to face visitors, they'll make it up as they go along like everyone else does!
THE 5 GENERATIONS OF SALES PEOPLE
As a consequence opportunities will be lost as they become either...
1. The "Quote Givers" whose major focus is price.
2. The "Product Oriented Peddlers" who simply bombard callers with an avalanche of product information. Or if the customer absolutely insists, and asks to buy, they will then become...
3. The "Order Takers".
We do a great deal of training today with business operators who realise that to succeed today you really need to be different to your competitors, particularly at this critical "Moment of Truth".
These operators realise that today, customers are looking for a new breed of sales person. They are looking for...
4. The "Problem Solver" Sales Person who is equipped with the professional skills necessary to;
* Ask questions to identify needs
* Really listen and understand
* Build trust, confidence and rapport, and then...
* Solve each customer's "problem" with exactly the right solution to meet that client's needs.
Now this approach might seem obvious, but it doesn't come naturally.
In the last 12 months we've worked with travel agents, tyre retailers, insurance companies, and even one of Australia's most exclusive hotels training their people in how to do this. In less than 30 days these companies improved their conversions ratios anywhere from 100% to 400%.
5. The "Friend In The Business" Sales Person
This is the ultimate positioning for a sales person. To be seen by customers as their “Friend In The Business”. The person they always call whenever they need expert advice from someone they trust and will ultimately do business with every time. To achieve this positioning takes skill.
How To Become A Top Gun In Sales – Learn how to dramatically increase your sales by becoming a 5th Generation consultative sales professional.
So how do you and your people measure up? Here’s the first step to understanding and also to dramatically increasing your sales.
TRACK YOUR CONVERSIONS
If you are not doing so already, begin to measure your current results. By this I mean keep statistics. Keep an accurate count of just how many telephone enquiries you and your people process each day, week, month etc. Then track what happens to each enquiry. How many are converted to sales, how many are not? Work out your ratios.
By the way, when we ask most business operators what their conversion ratio is, they feel that it's not bad. They suggest it is somewhere between 60% -80%. However, when they measure it they discover it's more like 20% - 30%.
16 VITAL TELEPHONE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Introduce a set of mandatory "Telephone Performance Standards". Rules for everyone who answers the telephone in your business. A set procedure for handling this vital function.
Although it varies a little from business to business, we've identified 16 vital performance standards, which are universal and should be used in your organization. Space here prevents me from detailing them, but we are happy to provide details if you’d like to contact us. This training is available to you on line.
You Are The Weakest Link – Good bye!
If you believe that you and your organization are missing out on sales that should be yours, then resolve to do something about eliminating this Weak Link in your sales chain. Make it the strongest link, and one that will set you apart from your competitors, because you and your team add value immediately someone phones or walks into your business with a “problem” to be solved.
Have a great week. Make it a great week!
Wayne Berry
ARE YOU MISSING OUT ON SALES THAT SHOULD BE YOURS - To learn more about this author, visit Wayne Berry's Website.
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ARE YOU MISSING OUT ON SALES THAT SHOULD BE YOURS?
MOMENTS OF TRUTH
Every time a customer or a potential customer communicates with your company a "Moment of Truth" occurs. It's an opportunity for them to have either a positive experience or negative experience. It's also a "Moment of Opportunity to either build this relationship or sadly, destroy the relationship.
LOST OPPORTUNITIES WHEN YOUR PHONE RINGS
What makes the difference, are the skills and attitudes of all of your people who have customer contact.
One of the most neglected "Moments of Truth" for many organizations is that initial point of contact, when the telephone rings.
Some companies spend "mega-bucks" on advertising to get their telephone to ring, and then spend "micro-bucks" training their people to handle this first vital "Moment of Truth". A moment when an enquiry can either be turned into a sale or an appointment to discuss this inquirer's needs, or a moment when this enquiry will be lost to the "Twilight Zone". That "I'll-think-it -over-and-get-back-to-you" zone from which most enquiries will never return.
So how well are you and your support people handling this "Moment of
Truth"?
QUOTE GIVERS DON’T ADD ANY VALUE
One retail cellular telephone chain that we worked with a while back discovered that 86% of their sales people were great at giving out information and offering discounts over the telephone (actually a very dangerous practice) but very poor in gaining the enquirer's name and phone number, asking needs revealing questions, gaining agreement for the enquirer to visit in person, and gaining the business.
In excess of 67% of their enquiries exited into the "Twilight Zone" never to return. Clearly much of their massive advertising budget was being lost by handling this vital "Moment of Truth" badly.
How well do you and your team members handle telephone sales enquiries?
Do they answer the customer's question which is generally price oriented, give out lots of information which is often irrelevant to the customer's real needs, and then send out a brochure?
GOOD INTENTIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH
Don't get me wrong now, people who do this generally have good intentions.
However in reality, they aren't really all that helpful to the customer, and sadly these actions often lose sales every day in business. Perhaps even yours.
So why is it that some business operators are prepared to spend thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars on advertising every year, but don' bother to invest anything into training their people in how to professionally handle that critical "Moment of Truth" when the phone rings?
It's a mystery to me, but here's what 29 years of training sales people has taught me.
If people aren't trained how to convert telephone enquiries into telephone sales or face to face visitors, they'll make it up as they go along like everyone else does!
THE 5 GENERATIONS OF SALES PEOPLE
As a consequence opportunities will be lost as they become either...
1. The "Quote Givers" whose major focus is price.
2. The "Product Oriented Peddlers" who simply bombard callers with an avalanche of product information. Or if the customer absolutely insists, and asks to buy, they will then become...
3. The "Order Takers".
We do a great deal of training today with business operators who realise that to succeed today you really need to be different to your competitors, particularly at this critical "Moment of Truth".
These operators realise that today, customers are looking for a new breed of sales person. They are looking for...
4. The "Problem Solver" Sales Person who is equipped with the professional skills necessary to;
* Ask questions to identify needs
* Really listen and understand
* Build trust, confidence and rapport, and then...
* Solve each customer's "problem" with exactly the right solution to meet that client's needs.
Now this approach might seem obvious, but it doesn't come naturally.
In the last 12 months we've worked with travel agents, tyre retailers, insurance companies, and even one of Australia's most exclusive hotels training their people in how to do this. In less than 30 days these companies improved their conversions ratios anywhere from 100% to 400%.
5. The "Friend In The Business" Sales Person
This is the ultimate positioning for a sales person. To be seen by customers as their “Friend In The Business”. The person they always call whenever they need expert advice from someone they trust and will ultimately do business with every time. To achieve this positioning takes skill.
How To Become A Top Gun In Sales – Learn how to dramatically increase your sales by becoming a 5th Generation consultative sales professional.
So how do you and your people measure up? Here’s the first step to understanding and also to dramatically increasing your sales.
TRACK YOUR CONVERSIONS
If you are not doing so already, begin to measure your current results. By this I mean keep statistics. Keep an accurate count of just how many telephone enquiries you and your people process each day, week, month etc. Then track what happens to each enquiry. How many are converted to sales, how many are not? Work out your ratios.
By the way, when we ask most business operators what their conversion ratio is, they feel that it's not bad. They suggest it is somewhere between 60% -80%. However, when they measure it they discover it's more like 20% - 30%.
16 VITAL TELEPHONE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Introduce a set of mandatory "Telephone Performance Standards". Rules for everyone who answers the telephone in your business. A set procedure for handling this vital function.
Although it varies a little from business to business, we've identified 16 vital performance standards, which are universal and should be used in your organization. Space here prevents me from detailing them, but we are happy to provide details if you’d like to contact us. This training is available to you on line.
You Are The Weakest Link – Good bye!
If you believe that you and your organization are missing out on sales that should be yours, then resolve to do something about eliminating this Weak Link in your sales chain. Make it the strongest link, and one that will set you apart from your competitors, because you and your team add value immediately someone phones or walks into your business with a “problem” to be solved.
Have a great week. Make it a great week!
Wayne Berry
ARE YOU MISSING OUT ON SALES THAT SHOULD BE YOURS - To learn more about this author, visit Wayne Berry'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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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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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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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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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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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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