You Might be a Commodity if….

Posted by John on Dec 16, 2011 in A-Players, Best Practice, Change, Continual Development, Lead Generation, Motivation, New Contact Touches, S.I.T. Touch, Sales Superstars, Suspect/Prospect/ Customer Dynamic | 8 comments

Most of us remember Jeff Foxworthy’s famous routine “You might be a redneck if…”

• You think “loading the dishwasher” means getting your wife drunk.
• You ever cut your grass and found a car.
• You own a home that is mobile and 5 cars that aren’t.

Just a sample of his more memorable lines to jog your memory (and because I couldn’t resist).

Well, in sales, we have an affliction that is far less funny and much more tragic. When our customers think of us as a commodity they either can’t or don’t perceive the difference between us and our competition and/or they have ZERO recognition of the value of our product/service. I don’t know if there is a more deadly one two punch in sales.

So, in the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy here is a list of some of the most common and DANGEROUS signs of this affliction.

You might be a commodity if…

• After a lead generation campaign, when calling prospects, they don’t recognize your name or your company or worse when they hear your name you hear “UGH, oh Hi John…”
• If you try to set an appointment with a prospect and she says, “Tell you what call me back in a week and I’ll let you know what I want to do then.”
• After the initial discovery appointment the customer tells you thanks for your time and he’ll be in touch.
• During the presentation you ask your prospect what he likes best and he says “Good question” yet never answers you.
• You find yourself negotiating your price on 2 out of every 3 closing presentations.
• Before the presentation they told you they needed to make a decision by next week and now it is next month and you still have not been able to get them on the phone.
• After the presentation you attempt to schedule a next step meeting and your prospect says, “I think we have all the information we need.”
• Calling to schedule a next step meeting your prospect says “what was this about again?”
• You go to a networking function of 100+ people and you don’t come back with ANY actionable leads.
• The closest you get to an opportunity at a trade show is somebody who comes to your booth for the free candy and chotchkies.

We have a webinar coming up on Wednesday December 21st  that will offer some cures to this deadly disease and in the meantime, check you and your team for these symptoms. If  any of these have manifested themselves my prescription is to attend our webinar and call me in the morning.

You Train Animals, People Want to Continually Develop

Posted by John on Oct 13, 2011 in Best Practice | 3 comments

How are you ensuring continual growth and improvement for both you and your team?

Good performance can sometimes keep people from aggressively pursuing even higher levels of improvement and contribution to their companies, their customers, and even to themselves.

Good becomes the habit. Great becomes unnecessary. Or in other words, ‘Good becomes the NATURAL enemy of Great’ as Jim Collins says in his landmark 2001 book named aptly “Good to Great”

This is the problem, but why does it happen?

We all want to be good in sales; this is also my concern. We form habits that will keep us merely good.  We have to push past what we are currently doing if we want to reach the GREAT. The question is HOW and for some of us WHY.

First the How

We must CONTINUALLY lead our sales team to stretch their talents both in sales production and sales education. Bottom-line is if you aren’t stretching you aren’t leading. The good news is the top 7% of reps will be salivating at a chance to grow their skills and will welcome this formal opportunity.

The “good” to “average” reps might need some encouragement. The only way to do that is to KNOW your team and what are they capable of. You must know what motivates them, what will make them jump through fire to achieve. Then give them the nudge they need to go past their comfort zone by developing goals and business skill development tasks that will nurture the qualities leading to their personal growth and future success.

Remember you need to be their leader not just their manager. Get out in front of this effort by setting your own stretch goals and business development tasks. Sales people and people in general abhor those who don’t “walk the talk”. There is nothing more common than a salesperson “outgrowing” their sales manager because he simply stopped developing as a professional and can no longer keep up with them.

The best part of this initiative is its natural byproduct, improving the bottom line. And seriously, unless we improve what we are doing and how we are doing it we will remain “effectively stuck in neutral” and I promise, somebody or everybody will catch up and we will start to lose business, market share and maybe our career.

Now let’s talk about the WHY

We all go into sales for different reasons. For some it’s the ability to be compensated based on our performance. Others like the autonomy and still others see it as a fast track to management and beyond. But the bottom line is we all want to make more money than a simple base salary and that can’t happen unless we improve daily what we are doing and how we are doing it. I also don’t believe for a minute anybody who is TRULY a salesperson wants to stay status quo. That’s why you see so many athletes in sales, the competition to be the best, to keep their edge, can be the “juice” as well!

You see it’s been my experience that across the board REAL, TRUE salespeople are exactly the same. They are the richest, have the most connections and are the best in their respective “sales circle”. Here’s the twist though, in my classes I teach this caveat, “Customers don’t buy features, they don’t buy what the features do; they buy what the features will give them”. Or as Charles Revlon famously said “In the factories we make cosmetics and in the stores we sell hope”. So I don’t believe it’s JUST the accumulation of MORE money, it’s what the money will provide us. New car, boat, house payments, tuition and the peace of mind that we can PAY for all those things comfortably, that’s what money gets us.

The bigger reason I think is this; REAL TRUE salespeople are ULTRA competitive, they want to be acknowledged as the BEST but what they also want, if for only once in their life, they want to be part of something GREAT. They want to know that if not for their efforts that GREATNESS would not have been achieved. They want to be a difference maker, a game changer; the person that pushes whatever their endeavor to new heights.

 You see, GREATNESS stays with a person. It changes a person in every tangible and intangible way; how they talk, make decisions, heck, even live their life because they know they were an integral part of something GREAT. You’ll never go back to how things were before because now you know how things can be, and isn’t that what we all want?

That’s it for now and remember you can either make sales or make excuses but you can’t do both!

Instant Lead Generation: The Structure of an Effective Case Study

Posted by John on Aug 22, 2011 in A-Players, Best Practice, Change, Continual Development, Customer, Lead Generation, New Contact Touches, Prospects, S.I.T. Nurture Prospecting System, S.I.T. Touch, Suspect/Prospect/ Customer Dynamic | 9 comments

We all want to write about our successful exploits so potential customers may learn from what our established customers have experienced. The problem is we often lack the most effective way to get our message out. We also fall prey to the inability to explain the impact, results and ROI so value is immediately understood and ROI is instantly perceived.

Following the  Matrix Case Study Structure will ensure your potential customers understand the “story” while also realizing the TRUE ECONOMIC effect of your solution.

1) State the  Business Problem in plain language, the simpler to understand the better. Stay away from clever turn’s of phrase or industry specific vernacular (words like vernacular for example).

2) The Consequence of not fixing the problem MUST be stated ASAP, if not the question in the reader’s mind is “Why am I wasting my time?”

3) The Reward of the fixing problem must be stated IMMEDIATELY after the Consequence. Readers are tuned to radio station WII FM “What’s In It For Me?” 

4) Explain the specific results the customer received as a by product of the implementation, making sure you “speak” in dollars and performance as well as systematic/procedural improvements.

5) Discuss any business lessons learned through the prism of explaining the solution. Don’t leave out any “warts” in the implementation. This level of disclosure will establish trust regarding you personally and your results.

6) Wrap up with a CURRENT snapshot as to how well the current customer is doing (complete with dollar and systematic/procedural updates) or with a simple conclusion of the experience.

Some folks LOVE the Call to Action Premise, “If these are the types of issues you face and results you want please contact us at…” I tend to NOT use them because they are obvious. You should always be following up TELE-PHONICALLY when you are aware of somebody requesting/downloading etc., a case study so a call to action is moot if you are ON your game.

Each contact you make should be progressing the relationship just don’t forget to ask for feedback about the case study. If they were not compelled to contact you by its presentation why not?  What can you do differently? What are they looking for? Be responsive and listen to your customers and potential customers. Make your tweaks, rinse and repeat and start counting your cash….

Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Sales I Learned From the Movies: Monsters, Inc.

Posted by John on Aug 19, 2011 in A-Players, Best Practice, Change, Continual Development, Critique Session, Customer, Handling criticism, Hiring Dashboard, Lead Generation, Leads, Proposals That Sell, Sales Management, Simulations, Skill Sets, Suspect/Prospect/ Customer Dynamic | 115 comments

 3 Sales Management Lessons From

The Power of Practice

We all think we are sooooo great! Just wind us up, do a little preparation and let’s go talk to customers. Well the scary characters in Monsters, Inc. would tell you different. Scaring is critically important in their world because the “screams” that come from the children they scare power their city, lights, heat, cars you name it.

The first scene in the movie shows their training area where they practice “scaring.” They have a replica child’s room complete with a “little boy” robot. One of the “professional scarers” comes out of the closet to scare the little boy and he makes some serious mistakes. It is prime learning time for the all monsters on the team because they video tape the simulations. Now they can go back and coach/correct all the mistakes. It helps the individual monster making the mistakes and all the other monsters on the team.

Sound familiar? Folks you are making a gravely serious mistake if you do not conduct simulations with your team. Make them as real to life as you possibly can. Video tape them so you can document progress or regression. Make the simulations part of your weekly/monthly/quarterly sales meetings. Make them fun, have contests around them. But most of all DO THEM!

You should also practice presentations with every rep individually. Don’t leave anything to chance. Give your rep the best shot possible by running through the discovery/presentation/negotiation with them BEFORE they go to it. George Patton, one of our greatest generals of all time, said “Sure I am tough on them during training! I much rather they sweat with me than bleed on the battle field.” Well, I rather my sales people learn in an office from me so they are prepared to get the sale, than by learning a lesson with a client and losing the sale.

The Power of Naming  

About half-way through the movie there is a scene where the two main characters, Sully and Mike, are trying to send home the little girl who snuck into the Monster’s world. They are arguing about how to do it when Sully says that he has named her “Boo.” Well Mike is just livid at this development and he says, in a very angry voice, “You named it? You can’t name it; once you name it you get attached to it.” Exactly, once we take the time and effort to name something we begin to place value on that something. It is the reason why I tell all my clients that they should name their proposals.

What is special about an ‘Investment Analysis for ABC Company’ or what about ‘A Proposal for Electronic Payment Services Prepared by Joe Smith Company’? Answer: NOTHING. Both sound as generic as the proposal inside, I would wager. That is why I am amazed when sales management does not make formally naming proposals an air tight rule for every proposal that goes out the door.

The proposal is supposed to be a professional selling document not a glorified descriptive invoice. NAME YOUR PROPOSAL based on what the prospect wants as a RESULT of buying your products and services. A couple of examples I have used:

• “How to Improve your Sales Team While Increasing Sales Revenue”
• “Increase the Productivity of your Customer Service Team and Watch your Sales Soar”
• “Creating a Lead Generation System that Produces an Ongoing Stream of Quality, Qualified Leads”

Each one of the above Proposal Names tell the prospect EXACTLY what to expect from reading the proposal but more importantly each name tells THE VALUE that comes from implementing what is inside the proposal.

The Power of Laughter

Remember when I told you that a child’s scream was the source for power in Monster City? Well by the end of the movie Sully and Mike learn that laughter is 10 times more powerful than a scream so they completely re-engineer Monsters, Inc. Now each monster who visits a child’s room has to make the children laugh instead of scream and the result is a record breaking year for energy production.

Managers, find a way to make sales fun for your team. Have contests, pit individuals against each other, get your team to volunteer for community events or hold them yourself and ALWAYS celebrate victories with your team. Take them out for cocktails or dinner or both, take them bowling, take them to an amusement park, it doesn’t matter what you do, the effort here COUNTS, but try to have fun with your team.

I know you need to maintain a certain professional distance from the team. If you get too close it can cloud your judgment or worse cost you a great sales person or a big sale. I am also aware there is always going to be the need to be tough with your team. There will also always be the need to place corrective actions on 1 or more members of your team. That’s fine just don’t let your managerial brio get in the way of having your team enjoy themselves.

Remember laughter is 10 times more powerful than screams keep that ratio in mind and you will be amazed at the results.

Relationships, Slips and Dips

Posted by John on Aug 19, 2011 in A-Players, Best Practice, Communication Skills, Continual Development, Customer, Hiring Dashboard, Lead Generation, Leads, Motivation, New Contact Touches, Prospects, S.I.T. Blitz, S.I.T. Nurture Prospecting System, S.I.T. Touch, Sales Blitz, Sales Superstars, Simulations, Suspect/Prospect/ Customer Dynamic, Suspects | 7 comments

I was at a customer’s last week starting to dig into the Strategy Module for a S.I.T. Blitz we will be conducting the 2nd week in September. Working with the salespeople, we always go through a series of questions to understand their perception of the suspect/prospect/customer (SPC) dynamic which is so crucial when planning for a successful S.I.T. Blitz.

One of the key factors is knowing their standard for SPC communication in terms of frequency. During the course of questions one salesperson chimed in and said “I keep in touch with my suspects and prospects 2x a year, any more than that and I think it would appear pushy.”

Well after the black cloud and threat of lighting inside the building passed I asked him how often does he talk to his best friend? He said probably 2 times a week. Then I asked how often did he call his wife when they were dating? He said minimum 4 times a week. Then I asked him if he considered his relationships with his contacts as solid and he said yes, emphatically, I might add.

So I think you know where I was going with this line of questioning. My final question to him was how many times has he called one of his contacts only to find out that his contact person wasn’t there or there had been a drastic change in the company. His answer “John, more times than I can count,” and therein lies the ‘problemo’ my sales friend.

Believe it or not this happens to me about once a month; a salesperson who understands staying in touch with friends or girlfriends, but doesn’t have a clue what it takes to maintain a successful business relationship. Strangely enough, these same sales people will argue, ‘till blue in the face, they have a good feel for their customers.

I call the first level of this problem Relation-Slip behavior. The sales person “thinks” they know how to stay in touch with a contact. The problem is what they “thinks” has nothing to do with the facts, needs and wants of the suspect/prospect/customer so what winds up happening is a deepening chasm develops between sales and contact with sales being quite oblivious to it. There is a ALWAYS correlation with a drop in sales but the sales person is stuck scratching their head and wondering why this is happening to him.

The next level DOWN is Relation-Dip behavior. The sales person here doesn’t have a clue how to stay in touch with their contacts. They will never admit they have a problem, so they go the other direction and MINIMIZE contact to the point of neglect. You see, in their mind, by not “bugging them” they are maintaining a good relationship. These sales people are so afraid of experiencing the UGH Factor that they will stay away from the suspect/prospect/customer. My question is “If you stay away for long periods of time how will you know when they have become a ripe prospect?” Insert collective silence or righteous indignation ‘here. Then you add the precipitous drop in sales and you have yourself a major issue.

Like any problem in sales early recognition is key. If you are a sales manager WAKEUP! You should be tracking not just their sales production but their lead generation activities. Either one should give you enough of an alert to intervene before the behavior jeopardizes their career and your quota attainment.

If you are a sales person WAKEUP! Your sales are down! Either you don’t spend enough time staying in touch with your customers or you are doing the absolute WRONG things. You have to be self aware enough to say “I have to change what I am doing or this sucker is going down!”

All righty then…. that’s it for today! Next post I will be talking about the solution to Relation-Slips and Dips and the changing nature of the sales contact process.

Until then remember “You can either make sales or you can make excuses but you can’t do both…” I’m outta here!    

If you want more information about the S.I.T. Blitz and how you can have a “revenue raining, climate change” experience at your please call Matrix at 216 347 6729 or go to buildyoursalesmachine.com for more details!