Sales Simplified - The First Step in Selling
Sales Simplified - The First Step in Selling
Sales Simplified The First Step in Selling - To learn more about this author, visit Rick Leffke's Website.
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The First Step... As I conducted a leadership walk through a client's call center, I was asking the sales reps questions about how the they were enhancing their sales behaviors they had committed to work on. One of the standard and very important questions is... "How many dials have you made?" Simple, I know; by the way when I interview sales people to uncover what they think they need to improve on, over 83%, indicate they need to be a better "closer". My thought; "If you aren't prospecting for new customers, you needn't be concerned about closing." Most sales reps need to make 15 - 30+, depending on the business, telephone calls each day to hit their targets. Unfortunately, it's a daunting task for many sales reps to be on the phone this long. In fact, my own personal research, with 2,000+ sales reps, has found call reluctance holds more sales people back from earning what they're worth, than anything else! Most Sales Are Made After the 6th - 7th Contact. But Many Sales People Quit After The 2nd - 3rd "Touch" Call Reluctance Strikes Everyone: Men and women, young and old, new and experienced - reps in every selling field. It's as common as the common cold, but can be a lot more deadly - even killing sales careers. Research has found... 1. 40% of all sales reps suffer a career- threatening episode of call reluctance at some point. 2. 80% of all first-year sales reps that were fired failed because of insufficient prospecting. So, how does call reluctance start? What experiences can contribute to phone fear? What Causes Call Reluctance? Often, call reluctance is a learned behavior and certain forms of it are actually contagious within a sales group. Sales people can pick it up from managers, trainers or co-workers. Early, traumatic selling experiences can also contribute to call reluctance. What I have discovered: sales people need 6 things to reach super sales performance. 1. Block time (creating efficiency in activity) 2. Someone to monitor his or her sales activities. (Accountability) 3. Understand the concept of discovery, questions around the wants, interests and needs of the prospective client/customer (what the customer values.) 4. Ability to uncover the real reasons customers may not want to buy from them (you can't fix what is not true). 5. A strong coach to focus on/demonstrate the behaviors that create success. 6. A current and continually updated database to penetrate. How Does A Sales Person Get Past The Fear Of Making Prospecting Calls? 1. Set daily call goals: Decide how many calls you can reasonably make each day. Write down your call goals and post them in plain view on your desk. Reason: Setting goals and writing them down is the first step toward achieving your goals. You are mentally preparing yourself to make the phone calls. 2. Leverage your database: Before you leave each day, prepare a target list of calls for the following day. Be sure to keep notes, attached to the contact information, highlighting the reason of your call, along with the key points you need to cover. Using a CRM is a must! Stay ahead of this process by staying informed with brief, clear and concise notes. Reason: You will feel more organized and prepared when you start your calls. Your subconscious mind is set up to begin making telephone calls. 3. Set aside block-time: It is a proven statistic, when you focus on one activity, with no interruptions, you become three (3) to four (4) times more productive. Set aside at least one hour per day on making outbound, prospecting calls. Reason: You will be able to get more calls done with less effort. By not creating excuses, like "oh I will email them now", you will create a strong and deliberate call flow and find yourself in "the dialing groove". 4. Focus on success, not failure: Keep your mind off rejection. Think about the customers who love your products and service and who will recommend you or be a reference source. Reason: Remembering your successful experiences and happy clients will give you confidence and encourage you to repeat those good experiences. When you concentrate on past rejection and negative experiences, it's too easy to talk or think yourself out of making phone calls. 5. Avoid the avoidance behaviors: Did you ever notice how many different things you can find worth doing when you not doing what you enjoy? Find joy in discovering the prospects wants, interests, and needs. Reason: When you are interested in your prospects and not you or your quota, the conversation is so much more enjoyable. Sales is about meeting the wants, interests, and needs of the customer, not yours. The old Chinese Proverb about the journey of 1000 miles... you know it. There is a chance that each and every relationship we have with a customer or client started with a phone call. How many people have we not met yet that could benefit from what we do? “Go out and create your future, or it will be created for you.” - Rick Leffke
Sales Simplified The First Step in Selling - To learn more about this author, visit Rick Leffke'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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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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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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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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