The Low Down Ultimate Secret to Success in Sales
The Low Down Ultimate Secret to Success in Sales
If it almost seems that the textbook ‘selling process’ is only a small part of a bigger picture, you’re absolutely right. It’s madness. Coping with life demands outside of work and keeping a balance of home and work. It’s madness. Customer problems and complaints. Issues that have to be fixed right now…if not yesterday! There’s little leniency. It’s madness.
I think you see now the real, low-down ultimate secret to success in sales. It’s managing the madness. The person who can wrap their arms around the bigger issues and keep them together will find incredible success. The salesperson who can deliver outstanding customer service while consistently building new business while supporting the support staff and keeping their home life in line will find and incredibly rewarding career. In every workday, there are revenue-generating tasks, revenue maintenance tasks and time wasting tasks.
I had a rather lengthy phone conversation with a man who was getting frustrated with his middle-of-the-pack status in his company. I let him talk through all the usual excuses…the economy, bad territory, high prices (heck, I feel that I made up most of them myself, and should get royalties every time they’re used by someone else!). Then he brought up one more: time. “My manager wants me to both sell and service! They’re both full-time jobs! How can I be expected to do both?”
We’re most profitable to ourselves (and our company) we’re eyeball-to-eyeball with people who pay our bills.
I talk a lot about the importance of time management but, here in the real world, it’s just not that plain and simple. Stuff happens. Fires start. And interruptions? You know the drill. There’s always someone who needs a piece of your time….right away!
The inside staff. We want (no, make that demand) that the company’s support staff think, feel, breath and work as hard as we do….to be as committed to the customer as we are. They’re not necessarily going to share it. That’s not a criticism, just a fact of life.
That’s why it’s more important than ever for us to be great at managing the madness. Planning the Good Stuff, being on the lookout for Time Bandits (which EVERY company has) and having an Action Plan for keeping the revenue-generating activity first and foremost, no matter what.
Take a hard, cold look at daily activities. We must give awesome service to our current customers. BUT….low levels of future business development will eventually put you out of business. Be creative. Know when and how to delegate. Do what only you can do, first. Using technology to stay in touch and as a part of your customer service mix.
The madness of the demands on your time that will sometimes stretch into the evening hours (heck, once in a while, all night!), the madness of answering the bell every day, that means up in time, more than just a cup o’ jo for breakfast and leaving for the office before the absolute last minute.
This certainly does not mean let’s all pity the poor salesperson. Every job has taken on new dynamics. Fewer jobs are ‘permanent.’ More and more workers find that their job is there as long as the role they fill is needed and, when it’s gone, so are they. That’s the cold reality.
The Low Down Ultimate Secret to Success in Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Joe Guertin's Website.
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So you thought success in sales came from having terrific phone skills or being an ace closer? Sure, those skills are part of the complete skill package but, let’s face it, those elements are about as critical today as learning how to parallel park. The ultimate secret to success in sales, if you’ll pardon the expression, is all in your head!
If it almost seems that the textbook ‘selling process’ is only a small part of a bigger picture, you’re absolutely right. It’s madness. Coping with life demands outside of work and keeping a balance of home and work. It’s madness. Customer problems and complaints. Issues that have to be fixed right now…if not yesterday! There’s little leniency. It’s madness.
I think you see now the real, low-down ultimate secret to success in sales. It’s managing the madness. The person who can wrap their arms around the bigger issues and keep them together will find incredible success. The salesperson who can deliver outstanding customer service while consistently building new business while supporting the support staff and keeping their home life in line will find and incredibly rewarding career. In every workday, there are revenue-generating tasks, revenue maintenance tasks and time wasting tasks.
I had a rather lengthy phone conversation with a man who was getting frustrated with his middle-of-the-pack status in his company. I let him talk through all the usual excuses…the economy, bad territory, high prices (heck, I feel that I made up most of them myself, and should get royalties every time they’re used by someone else!). Then he brought up one more: time. “My manager wants me to both sell and service! They’re both full-time jobs! How can I be expected to do both?”
We’re most profitable to ourselves (and our company) we’re eyeball-to-eyeball with people who pay our bills.
I talk a lot about the importance of time management but, here in the real world, it’s just not that plain and simple. Stuff happens. Fires start. And interruptions? You know the drill. There’s always someone who needs a piece of your time….right away!
The inside staff. We want (no, make that demand) that the company’s support staff think, feel, breath and work as hard as we do….to be as committed to the customer as we are. They’re not necessarily going to share it. That’s not a criticism, just a fact of life.
That’s why it’s more important than ever for us to be great at managing the madness. Planning the Good Stuff, being on the lookout for Time Bandits (which EVERY company has) and having an Action Plan for keeping the revenue-generating activity first and foremost, no matter what.
Take a hard, cold look at daily activities. We must give awesome service to our current customers. BUT….low levels of future business development will eventually put you out of business. Be creative. Know when and how to delegate. Do what only you can do, first. Using technology to stay in touch and as a part of your customer service mix.
The madness of the demands on your time that will sometimes stretch into the evening hours (heck, once in a while, all night!), the madness of answering the bell every day, that means up in time, more than just a cup o’ jo for breakfast and leaving for the office before the absolute last minute.
This certainly does not mean let’s all pity the poor salesperson. Every job has taken on new dynamics. Fewer jobs are ‘permanent.’ More and more workers find that their job is there as long as the role they fill is needed and, when it’s gone, so are they. That’s the cold reality.
The Low Down Ultimate Secret to Success in Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Joe Guertin'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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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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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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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton'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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