Sales Coach Debi

Think about how you feel when someone recognizes your abilities. Does it make you feel good? The answer to that question is typically, yes! People are more willing do things that help them feel good, appreciated and accepted.  Praise and recognition when sincere and specific encourage a tremendous amount more positive productivity than criticism does. That is not to say, we don’t correct bad behavior. We certainly must and we must do so mindfully.

It is important to be selective when coaching bad behavior as well. This goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway.  Don’t publically criticize and never humiliate!  Also consider that every time you see an area for improvement in an employee, this may NOT necessarily be the time for coaching to improve the behavior, unless of course the behavior is one that could cause serious damage or harm.

Sometimes – thirty minutes to an hour of focused coaching makes more sense where multiple areas can be discussed and positives can be reinforced.

The alternative to this is continuous spot-check corrections throughout the day or at every observation. When spot-check corrections are overdone it can be viewed as nit-picky perfectionism or worst yet as negative reinforcement or nagging.

Employees should also be able to feel as though they are making some of the choices (that they have a say in the things that impact them).  Over-powering a conversation or situation for instance does not promote acceptance from others.  It is certainly possible that by overpowering and controlling an individual or situation the perpetrator will get temporary compliance, but this is not a long-term agreement.  Nor does it promote creative conversational interaction, idea sharing or empowerment.

For an employee to be truly persuaded they must believe in what you are asking them to do and they must feel that they have the ability to accomplish the task(s) at hand. Let them take responsibility and they will also take pride in accomplishing the task.

My favorite mentor once told me, “If you expect the best they won’t surprise you and if you expect the worst they won’t surprise you” Plain and simple – People want to feel that they are making a difference.  A Micro-managed employee is less likely to believe in themselves and over time, they will seek opportunities where they can feel valued and competent.

Keep in mind that seasoned professionals typically prefer not to be micromanaged. These are the very same professionals you want to hire into your organization. They want direction and goals and then they just need for you to get out of their way so they can get it done.

A Coaches’ - Notes to Self: “Attitude and confidence are everything – Especially in sales.”

To those who are coaching:  Take the “I” word out of your vocabulary as it relates to the employee’s work.  As an example, “I want you doing this”  Is about “you” the coach.  That’s not to say you shouldn’t define your expectations. You should and must define them – clearly.  Try framing expectations around the benefit to the employee for better engagement and results.

As a coach you are there to serve the employee – the employee is your customer.  Just as you would ask a customer to take action – Think about the benefit to your customer? Use “we” words over “I” words as often as possible.

Share your comments, stories or thoughts!

Russ Boreham of Chartered IT asked on Linked In:    Short and Precise Voicemails, Do They Work?:

The tried and tested method of leaving voicemails:

*Make sure they are under 30 seconds in length
*Be precise, state your name and why you are calling
*Give clear details of how to return your call
*Don’t give away too much information, entice the person to call you back.

But does this work? Why do the majority of messages fall by the wayside and go unreturned?

Does anyone have a better way of getting their calls returned on a regular basis?

There were many good answers – my answer is:

If you leave a voice mail: be brief, to the point and specific. And be certain the benefit to the person you are calling is stated in the first sentence. It must be a compelling WIIFM (what’s in it for me). In the end-repeat your phone number slowly and clearly twice.

” Russ, we met at XXX and as I am working with (recognizable name/same industry) on addressing the same concerns you are faced with in your industry, I wanted to to invite you to a joint meeting to see if we can help. Call me at ……………” again the number is…. Try it and track you stats. Then let me know how it works for you.

Happy Selling!

I found books with tag lines that read “Cold calling is dead” or “Master the art of cold calling” And naturally if you want them to tell you how to gain new business “without cold calling” or if you want them to tell you what the techniques are that will help you “master cold calling”, you’ll just have to buy the book.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about having reference material. But you might want to read it here for free – first.

During my direct selling days, I conducted seminars and invited C-levels from existing and potential target clients to attend. This was not a sales presentation.  Instead it was an opportunity for my target and existing clients to obtain new information that was pertinent and important in their industry.

It was also presented as an opportunity for them to meet and collaborate with other C-levels in their industry.  I always scheduled these free informational seminars on a Friday’s at 1:00 or 2:00 PM which gave my workaholic contacts an early – out of the office – on a Friday afternoon.

There is a little preparation involved and depending on what you are selling, there is also a way to have your partners/vendors pay for the facility and refreshments at your event. (Free details provided upon request)

To set this up you simple need to target your audience– selectively and carefully. Industry specific is the easiest route. Then you learn about the challenges in that industry and obtain the resources that can speak to those challenges. Remember – this isn’t about your products or services. It’s about an information exchange, helping your clients and target audience so that they will gain important insights. At the very same time these clients will also see you as someone that is resourceful, helpful and cares about their industry.

The first two or three industry challenges must be answered without bias to your products.  In general – these are the things your speakers/experts can provide credible advice on.  Two out of three challenges might very well be addressed by a solution you can provide, but your experts remain neutral. (There are a number of companies that provide these services/products, etc).  Your speakers may be instructed to engage the audience via open ended questions.  (further qualifying any immediate business needs.)

If you targeted well, the people in the room are qualified targets and / or great references or referrals that will keep your funnel full which of course can equate to ” No More Cold Calling”.

If you’d like more detail on how to pull this together:   make a comment, share a success, send me an email or just ask right here.

Another great story – 9 steps towards sales success

One sales person in Dallas last week discussed his success at a customer meeting. There are numerous factors that can make or break your success rate but the most important first steps – set you up for all the interaction that follows.

Preparation if done early and well can significantly increase your chances for success. This Dallas sales professional won the customer’s confidence and a sale that knocked out his entire quota for the year. The nine steps in preparation he completed before the very first meeting are as follows:

1. Thoroughly research the company and contacts
2. Determine pain points for that customer/industry
3. Decide and prepare your open ended general business questions 
4. Send your agenda and invite the customer to add others to it
5. Research the added participants for areas of commonality, roles and responsibilities
6. Ask yourself what each added participants cares about.
7. Decide how you will ask your open-ended questions ( see 11.5.09 blog)
8. Write the questions out with pen and paper or on a white board – ( helps you retain)
9. Find a coach, peer or family member and practice your questions for both probing and qualifying to disqualify. (more on qualifying to disqualify later)

Great preparation- early and completely sets you up for success and saves you from wasting time in the long-run on prospects that aren’t buying.

A Coaches’ - Notes to Self: “Attitude and confidence are everything – Especially in sales.”

To those who are coaching: Take the “I” word out of your vocabulary as it relates to the employee’s work.  As an example, “I want you doing this” Is about “you” the coach.

As a coach you are there to serve the employee – the employee is your customer.  Just as you would ask a customer to take action – Think about the benefit to your customer? Use “we” words over “I” words as often as possible.

Share your comments, stories or thoughts!

I spoke with a sales person this week that said,”I used LinkedIn with great success to get information about a large company I was targeting.”

As we all know sometimes finding out who to talk with in a large organization can be challenging.  Through social media, this sales person found several influencer’s and the decision maker. He also learned about the schools they attended and associations they belong to.

The sales person used this information to find areas of commonality and the pain points in this organizations industry. He then incorporated his new found knowledge into an opening for his call and email messages.

This sales person works for a little-known company yet he gained access to a large organization and he now has a 20K opportunity on the prospects planning table.

I already consider this a success. This seller did his homework. Being seen as an expert so that you can get to the customers planning table is a huge accomplishment.

I’ll keep you posted

How have you succeeded using Social Media?

Great Information from a Sales Training Camp and it actually reinforces the right Prospecting Formula of using real details to break self-involvement and build credibility.
Shortcut to: http://www.salestrainingcamp.com/salestipoftheweek_printer.html

A place to share your ideas and successes

Ask for or provide advice to others

I am a Corporate Regional Sales Trainer by day and a Blogging Sales Coach by night. I coach my teams on using tried and true techniques because they work. But one thing I tell them not to do to generate new business is COLD CALL.

At the very least, cold calls need to be warmed up before you pick up the phone. In fact, this year I’ve seen a significant decrease in the number of decision makers my sales teams are able to reach.  This alone, sends a strong message and should not be ignored.

I believe the reasons are many but for starters NO ONE wants to be sold and many prospective customers won’t answer the phone if they don’t recognize the Caller ID.  The customer is in control. They get their information when they want it and from where they want it. The internet, social media, on-line communities, and user published sites that rank any company’s products and services, means we have to revise our sales techniques. It’s time to get in touch with your creative side in order to build genuine business relationships.

Trying to connect with a C-level prospect in your target market?  Turn your cold call into a warm call by doing just a few clicks of research.  No excuses. It only takes a minute.

This week one sales person I worked with said, “I can’t break into my target market. I’ve written VITO letters, made calls, sent emails and NOTHING. “I suggested she look on LinkedIn for starters and put the C-level’s name into the search field.  And CLICK, there it was… She had a connection that knew her target customer.  Had this sales person done this CLICK three weeks ago, she’d be engaged in a win/win with her prospect by now.  With lots of places to access information today, it takes less time not more to turn a cold call into a warm call.

Answer a question, build trust, and discover opportunities. Look at what questions are being asked in your chosen on line community or communities. Think you have some information to share that can help someone else? Share it. You’d be surprised at how your willingness to help can turn into a plethora of business relationships that will also see your value when it comes to engaging you in their buying decisions.

Build your relationships with your target market’s suppliers . Don’t know who their suppliers are? Phone a friend in that industry, ask someone in your on-line community or ask someone you don’t know in your targeted industry via an online community.

Even if you don’t know that person, most people are willing to help you gain the insights you need to become proficient in a new area of your business. Remember you are simply looking for information so that you can build supplier relationships to help your clients gain better economies of scale. Don’t try to sell them something. That pushy sales thing will close more doors than it opens.

Ask a question, build trust, and discover opportunities.
There are many places to do this but one place is LinkedIn. People notice if you are asking questions with genuine curiosity verses asking questions to promote yourself or your business. Keep it genuine. Remember, the goal is to build trust and relationships. People buy from people they know like and trust and whether you want to accept it or not, relationships are being developed TODAY as we speak – on line.

Ever struggle with building rapport on the first appointment? Before you go on your sales appointment, Google your contacts name, you may find papers they’ve written, events where they’ve spoken, etc.  Look on LinkedIn and see if you can discover where they went to school, worked previously. To build rapport you must first lower their resistance to you as a “sales people”, (we all have it, even sales people). If you find an area of commonality or something that really interests you, you can talk about it with sincerity and you transform yourself from a sales person to a person.

More ways to finding common interests with potential customers: If you find your contact on LinkedIn, see what groups they belong to.  I play golf and I’m into photography. Guess what groups I belong to on LinkedIn.  If you have those interests and we meet on business, these are topics we will both probably enjoy talking about.  But don’t be fake.  If you don’t care about it, don’t bring use that information.

How to combine on line communities with face to face business networking :  How about MeetUp.com?  In most cities, you can access Meet-up and find areas of interest to you. You’d be amazed at how many good business contacts you can make while you enjoy life in your own city or town.  Make sure you have a powerful way of exciting people when you answer their question, “What do you do for a living?” more on that later.

Need advice? Have a question? Ask here.  I update my blog every 2 days but if you need immediate assistance, tweet me http://twitter.com/salescoachdebi and I will get your question on my cell phone.

Also, I am very interested in what you are you experiencing in your sales world today?

Share your thoughts or successes and tell us how you use Social Media and On-line Communities to prospect successfully.