Whenever I am asked to arrange training for a sales team, my first question is always the same: ‘What are the stories being sold to the market?’ In too many cases the answers reveal very weak or just ordinary marketing messages, so what good will sales training do?
For example, a company invited me to create a two -day sales training programme for their team. The company sold retail products for hairdressing salons to resell to their clients. I requested to see the products and then I asked this question: ‘If I was a salon owner, why should I make room on my shelves for these products, and why should I expect my staff to promote the products to my clients?’ Neither the marketing/sales director or managing director could come up with one decent point to answer my question! Imagine then the lack of enthusiasm at sales team level.
Companies either lead by taking seductive and productive stories to market, or they merely follow those that do…selling lesser offerings to take up some of the demand created by the seducers.
So instead of considering ‘sales training’ as a means of reversing poor sales performance, my advice is to construct more valuable propositions for customers. This is not a lengthy or expensive exercise, especially as ‘product changes’ are not the focus of corrective marketing activity. The changes are almost always directed at creating better ways for customers to succeed with your products (or services). This information is gained by learning from customers who currently enjoy the greatest amount of success with your products (the process is called a ‘success audit’), or it might come from customers who achieve success with a competitive product. The product is not the issue; it is the market’s need for higher productivity…which is a marketing mixture of good product, proven performance ideas and good sales people that will help implement and manage the ideas being offered.
Once you are in possession of productivity concepts, there is a need to train the sales team in two areas:
• How to influence prospects and customers to invest in the productivity concept, central to which is the product or service you sell. This involves the creation of sales strategy and selling ‘tools’
• How to assist customers to implement and manage the productivity concept, to the point of consistent success. This involves communication and control strategies
This form of motivation and education sees to it that the sales team is ‘sold on selling’ its special stories to the market.
Poor Sales? Bad Marketing! - To learn more about this author, visit John Lees's Website.
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Leanne Hoagland Smith
Are your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales success or one of the many who have failed to change? So what are you doing to change those results? Let’s be honest, with companies moving globally and at lightening speeds, the traditional business solutions are outdated and dead. My approach moves your business out of its comfort zone and secures your competitive advantage now. If you are seeking to increase sales, build customer loyalty, create a culture of great attitudes or just achieve some sleep filled nights, then we should talk because my clients have experienced exactly those types of results. Learn more about customer loyalty at http://www.processspecialist.com/customer-loyalty.htm Give me a call at 219.759.5601 for a free strategy session. P.S. If you are seeking a motivational speaker, sales trainer or small business expert that will leave your audience smiling and remembering, please feel free to contact me at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland Smith's Website |
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John Lees
(Visit John's Website)
Former director of marketing & sales for
Schwarzkopf in Australia and NZ, achieving
market leadership (against the giants
'L'Oreal and Wella) and best operations
internationally for the organisation. Then
worked as a consultant to the German
company in the US, Canada, the UK, South
Africa and leading Western European
markets. These days operates as a speaker,
trainer and consultant...specialising in
sales & marketing. Author of 10 books on
business development and a member of the
Institiute of management consultants.
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