What is Getting in the Way of Better Performance?

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As sales trainers, it seems like we’re always out there to “help improve skills.” Yet, after my conversation with Ralph Reiff, who oversees the St. Vincent Sports Performance Center in Indianapolis, he reminded me of something we often forget about in sales training.

When Ralph looks at an athlete to decide what kind of training he/she needs, he looks at “what is getting in the way of better performance?”

He claims there’s always something that if remedied/fixed/addressed would improve the athlete’s performance considerably.

What is Your Sales Distraction?

I equate that to some of the work we do in our work on sales strategy with clients. The bottom line question is: “What do we do that gets in the way of the sale?” Here are some thoughts that you can chew on.

  1. We talk too much. I’ve literally heard salespeople talk themselves out of a sale, because they don’t know when to shut up.
  2. We fail to uncover the hidden pain. It’s easy when you walk in and ask the prospect what their problem is and it’s on the table in front of you. But what if you have to dig a little bit? What if the problem they have is something they’ve lived with for so long that they don’t even see it as a problem.
  3. We forget to have the economics discussion (or more conveniently, we ignore it). The money discussion is hard to have, because it can be emotional. But you must have it up front to see what the prospect feels about paying a premium (if in fact your product sells for a premium), or at least how he feels about the financial commitment that he needs to make.
  4. We never show up in “get ready position.” Are you ready for anything when you show up at a sales call? Or, are you hoping that the prospect says and does the right thing based on your prompts? You have a long tedious future in sales if you’re not ready for anything the prospect says. The best way to be ready is to be “detached from the outcome.”
  5. We think old thoughts. The most common place this shows up is in prospecting. Continue to think that billboard advertising and cold calls are what are going to help you generate more business. The fact is, social media and the entire method prospects use to consume information has changed, and you’d better be attuned to it.

In conclusion, these are some things that you can either start doing or stop doing, depending on whether they’re getting in your way. Good luck!

Sales Strategies Vs. Sales Tactics

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How many times can we talk about the difference between sales strategy and sales tactics? Apparently, not too often because here I am talking about it again…

Your sales strategy should be really, really simple…the simpler it is to understand, the more likely your sales team will understand and execute against it. Are you ready?

Your sales strategy should be to educate the customer to the problems he has–and help him solve them.

Everything you do in the marketing/lead generation/sales process should have THAT as your end goal. The mistake most companies make is they make their strategy about THEM — not the customer.

I recently spoke to a group where I asked the question, “What is your sales strategy?” The answers I got indicated that they had done no definitive work on the subject. Isn’t that a bit absurd? With as much chatter as there is about the concept of sales strategy—to have done no work on it? None!

So, now that you have your new strategy, your sales tactics — and marketing tactics — should line up to support that. Here are some tips:

  • Maybe you publish an article about all the mistakes you observe people making in the process of solving problems.
  • Maybe you create a video where you interview a client about the problems they had they didn’t know about.
  • Maybe you create a speech that you deliver to groups in your area–your niche–where you discuss the Top 10 Problems people experience without your solution.

You get the idea. For God’s sake, do some work on strategy. And when you do, make sure your customer is at the center of it.

Should The ‘Butler’ Way Be ‘Your’ Way?

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Forgive me for indulging you in the conversation of basketball. But I think if you’ll read this closely, there may be a message for you.

Butler University is in the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tourney. And the beauty is they are also the host team (it’s played this year in Butler’s hometown of Indianapolis).

But the reason this is important to you is the light I want to shine on what’s called The Butler Way. And make the case that the Butler Way should be Your Way.

Teamwork. Preparation. Fun.

The statistic that you should care about is 10 of the 12 players on the team are homegrown…right in Butler’s home state of Indiana. They don’t need massive travel budgets…they aren’t looking for the most sought after kids. They look for kids with talent, integrity and a predisposition to team work. If they’re a little shorter, OK. If they play below the rim instead of above the rim, that’s OK too. Because the Butler Way isn’t about getting the best players. It’s about having the best team. A huge difference.

There’s a Lesson Here For Salespeople and Business Leaders

Get the fundamentals right. Get the thinking right. Get your mind right.

If you get those right, you don’t have the be the sharpest knife in the drawer. You don’t have to have the quickest wit in the room. You don’t have to say ‘everything right’ to close the sale or acquire a piece of business. You don’t have to wear the latest fashion so you impress your prospect…in fact you don’t even have to impress your prospect. And you definitely don’t have to have the best price—because it ain’t about price.

Butler Coach Brad Stevens

Because the Butler Way is not about impressing anyone. It’s about playing within yourself–playing your game, not the other guy’s game. Having a ball doing it. Never getting rattled. Being really, really smart on the floor. And it’s about  a player being OK with scoring 24 points one game and 4 the next…and not getting bent out of shape about it.

I don’t know whether Butler has a chance to win it all. I do know this: that the tide is changing in our world. It’s not about being the biggest and overpowering today (politicos will recognize this as “too big to fail”).

You don’t have to have the biggest marketing budget–or the biggest booth at the tradeshow to win business. In fact, I would suggest that you have an advantage if you AREN’T big. (I’m quite sure that schools like Butler use their size as a recruiting advantage.) Those are NOT the fundamentals of business.

Here are Six Fundamentals to get you started–and these should be Your Way:

  • Listen to your prospect. They’ll tell you what they really want and what’s important to them. In other words, stop talking and pitching.
  • Do what’s right in the process. If there is a wrinkle in your product or service, bring it up upfront. Don’t hide it hoping your customer never sees it. It’s not good for your Karma.
  • Be of “integrity.” Meaning, if you’re thinking it on the inside, then say it on the outside. When you begin holding things back, you lose.
  • Be who you are. Know what you’re really good at and don’t try to ‘make things fit’ just to make a buck. It always seems like a good idea at the time, but seldom is. I can’t tell you how many clients are looking to cut clients because the fit just isn’t right–and some of that business in unprofitable.
  • Care. Doesn’t sound like a Harvard Business School strategy does it? But it will make massively more successful than some academic marketing concept.
  • Finally, have some fun. How many times have you been called on by someone who just doesn’t seem like they’re having much fun? I have, often. Take a lesson from Butler, and have some fun. Laugh a little. Celebrate. Don’t get rattled. And do the fundamentals right—let the outcome take care of itself.

I Hope You Aren’t KEEPING Buyers From Buying – Like One BMW Dealership

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My wife really needs a new car. She just went back to work full time for her (telecom) company and she needs a new ride.

Since I have a BMW, I suggested she go and drive the X3 (small SUV).

We walked into the BMW dealership and asked if we could test drive one. We were told that our name in the database was assigned to a sales person who was busy with a prospect at the moment so we wouldn’t be able to drive one.

WHAT??!!!

“You  mean if I had $40,000 cash and wanted to buy that car, I couldn’t because “my salesperson” was busy?”

“That’s right, sir.” (And here I thought the auto market was struggling. Guess not). So we gave her our number and told her to have “our salesperson” call us. He never did.

So here’s my question to you: Do you practice “sales prevention” anywhere in your company? I know your answer will be a quick “NO!” But think about it for a moment. I’m sure the BMW dealer would answer “No”, too. But he actually does prevent sales…by his systems (or lack of).

Think about the following ‘points on the path to a sale:’

  • When the prospect first calls in to talk to someone….how does that sound? Does the prospect get “engaged” or just passed through? Does your voice mail system work to ‘help the caller?’
  • When you go out to the first call–do you send an agenda in advance? Do you have an agenda with you? Do you follow up with notes after the call? (I find most sellers fail miserably at these.)
  • When you come back to the office, so you take a few minutes to take notes so you don’t forget to follow up, or the important points?
  • When you go back out to meet with that person, do you lead with an ‘historical review’ of what you covered the first meeting–and any open items? Or do you just start in and hope you’re in the same place?
  • Are you constantly educating the customer as to where they are in your sales / their purchase cycle? Or, do you just assume he’ll follow you blindly?
  • And, when I go to your company website, does it help me sort out what I’m looking for…or give me mountains of links?

So, before you answer NO to my question above…answer those. I hope you’re practicing “Sales Facilitation” rather than “Sales Prevention.”

By the way, we ended up at the VW dealership, test drove a Tiguan (Oh, how I hate their model names) and she loved it. No X3 in her future.

When A Sales Person Gets Nervous, Bad Things Happen

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Had a frantic call from a client who had proposed a solution to one of her prospects. Earlier this week, she got an email from the prospect who “sounded like he was having second thoughts about the deal” she had proposed.

Luckily, she called me before she called him.

What I found was someone who was ATTACHED to a “Yes.” Not a good place to be.

We worked through the process and what had happened. His email sounded not like someone who was backing out–but as someone who was confused and overwhelmed.

My Recommendation

Call him and have an informal conversation with him—without trying to convince him — or defend your solution. Just talk.

Say, “Herbie, I received your email. Am happy to talk through some of your points. It sounds like I haven’t explained things very well to you. Is this a good time to talk?”

Very simple. Elegant. No pressure. No attachment. I’m all for being aware of yellow flags–and listening to what’s NOT being said as well as what’s being said– and addressing them, but sometimes you just need to relax.

Brooke’s Sales SheBang Conference Video

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How Adults–And Sales People–Learn (And Achieve)

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Not an especially sexy topic but one that every sales manager/ceo/leader should understand as we look to change results–and change behavior. (And for your extreme achievers, knowing how you learn might not be a bad idea).

In our sales training practice, we get asked in to companies to solve sales problems. That’s just what we do.

Every Sales Problem is a Behavioral Problem

But every sales problem (can’t get to the right person; can’t sell a premium price; can’t overcome the objections; can’t close; can’t prospect) all have to do with “behavioral issues.” And for behavior to change, you must understand how adults learn (to change their behavior).

Here are our findings:

  1. Relevancy. If you’re teaching someone, it had better be relevant to them. Ever sat in an all day training/presentation and been able to predict at 8:30am that it would be a total waste? Of course. It’s a waste because the teacher/facilitator never helped it be relevant. And it’s so easy for sales curriculum to be relevant. Just ask the learner, “What do you want to work on? What’s important to you?” Why is that question seldom asked?
  2. Problem-Focused. Every new piece of content you give to a sales person (or to yourself) had better solve a problem. And it’s more useful if there is a connection between the problem to be solved and the pain of the learner. How to do that? (OK, Sales Leaders here it goes- ASK! Yep, it’s that simple. Ask your team what they’re struggling with–and PRESTO, they’ll tell you.) Make sure that every core piece of curriculum you teach solves a problem.
  3. Technical. What I mean by this is that it has to be very tactical, technical and detailed. If you were teaching me how to post a blog, you wouldn’t just say, “Go get a blog and write.” There’s a lot more to it than that. Yet, when we’re teaching someone, we skip the details. Don’t skip the details. The learning is ALL IN THE DETAILS. When you’re coaching someone how to overcome prospect objections, don’t give them several one liners to combat it. Go through, in detail, how you would deliver the reaction–try out new words based on their personality.
  4. Attack The Real Resistance. This is a well-kept secret. It’s where most real income growth comes. It’s in the attention that should be focused on the thinking behind the actions–not just the actions. Sales is a thinking game. We call it the Inner Game–the emotional and mental constructs we’ve set up that limit our success. Unless you change an adults thinking behind the behavior, you will get only moderate change. (One example of this is our belief that the prospect should sell you. That’s a VERY different way of thinking. Yet, when you get that right, the words follow very easily.)
  5. Reinforcement. This is the #1 law of learning–the mother of all laws. Yes, Tiger Woods probably gets damn sick of practicing 6′ putts. But he knows that he’s made millions on 6′ putts. You probably don’t hear Roger Federer say to his coach “No, don’t need to practice that drop shot anymore. I got that one down.” You don’t hear that because great performers never stop practicing. What about you? How many hours have you practiced your Upfront Agreement in the last month? How many hours have you spent role-playing the handling of objections? How many hours have you spent practicing the asking questions in a way that allows the prospect to actually tell you the truth? (Here’s an idea no one will like: Spend less time making cold calls to people who don’t want to talk to you–and spend more time in the practice facility working on your game).

So now you have some idea of how adults (you) learn. If you’re a sales leader, keep this article next to you as you do your next sales meeting. If you’re spending all of your time on ‘Funnel Activity’ you’re wasting time. Work on these thing above–and you’ll be amazed at the invigoration of your team.

Adults do change behavior. We do have it in us. But stale PowerPoints don’t do it.

A Great Example of Accountability

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Cold-Calling

My friend Dan runs a restaurant equipment company. As you can imagine, they’ve gone through some tough times recently and he has had to lay off several people in his firm.

But his heart really broke when he had to lay off Marvin, a 26-year employee who had battled prostate cancer and other illness over the last few years. But there was just no place in the company for Marvin anymore. A few days after he let Marvin go, he got a phone call—Marvin asking to schedule some time with him sometime in the next couple of days. Dan agreed, and Marvin came in with a proposition.

Let Me Make Cold Calls

At that meeting, Marvin talked about his tremendous commitment to the company and how he loved the business and knew a lot of customers. He wanted to cold call past clients, inactive clients and new prospects to see if they were interested in buying equipment. But there was a catch.

Marvin didn’t want any money for it; all he wanted was the commission that came from the sales if he made any.

Now think about this. Marvin is a guy who’s never been in sales, never made one cold call, never went on one appointment, but willing to work for performance only.

Sitting around tonight complaining about the economy and how you’re going to have to bail out the at-leasters, think about Marvin. If we had three million Marvins, we just might not have the unemployment problem.