Well, let me illustrate. Most selling conversations are around my product, its features and the benefits. Sales 101 right? The prospect has the sales rep run around providing information and the sales reps thinks that he just hit a double. Phone calls are made, messages are left, emails are sent, PowerPoint presentations are shown over and over, case studies are reviewed, proposals are developed, tours are scheduled, demos are run… you get my drift. All these activities are sales related, driven by sales with the hopes that we hit a pain point that resonates with the prospect. The rep gets down the road with all of this activity and then… you got it… the prospect goes “dark” “cold” “silent”! The process is out of balance.

Solution. As always it is simple . Here are a few ideas

1. Ask… ask.. ask…. “Does this make sense?” “Are we on track?” “Who else do we need to have in the room?”
2. Put your prospects shoes on… really on. Ask yourself if I were them what would be the most important reason for them to consider my services. Really pull those shoes on!
3. By asking a lot of questions you can determine what you are going to ask the prospect to do. They need to have some skin in the game. Can you determine what actions they can do to help you prove your value? How about; a budget, a tour of their facility, a sample of their product, a view into their systems and procedures or an interview with one of their customers. Of course a lot of this depends on your product or services and your prospects business, however, if you think about it you can find ways to engage your prospect and get the process back in balance.

Click here for a copy of “Fifty Questions” – How to probe, uncover and discover your prospects pain.

Bob Davis is the owner of simple.sales strategy in Austin, TX providing sales training and holding sales people accountable to a proven, systematic sales system. He can be reached at 512.658.9500 or rsdavis@simplesalesstrategy.com

The problem is that this type of management style is that it has no measurement for activity prior to the quotations/proposals/RFQ stage–so you’re well into the sales cycle before any corrective action can take place. (And in fact, it’s really no management style at all–but that’s another post).

The solution to this problem is to build reporting into the stages from the time that a target is deemed a “suspect” to the point that it can be closed. (Coffee is for closers).

But I hear you saying, “selling is a numbers game” right?

In reality, it’s not the raw number of calls, presentations, proposals and closes–It’s the quality of the targets, the sales skills sets (or lack of) in each of the Stages. Every great sales team has defined stages and accountability metrics–and that’s where the numbers game really applies.

When you look at the following, notice that there are activities, disciplines, skills and behaviors that are unique between the steps:

Typical Pipeline Stages and Associated Discipline
1. Suspect – Qualification through a Defined Funnel.
2. Qualified Prospect – Ranking A-B-C-D. and Confirming
3. Introduction –Appointment Setting – Objection Handling – Value Proposition Positioning.
4. Appointment – Presentation – Value Qualification – Probing for Pain – Trial Closing – Building Consensus
5. Action – Relationship Building, Value Building and Confirmation.
6. RFQ – Proposal Building, ROI Statements and Pricing Strategy.
7. Closing – Culmination on confirmation of Trail Closing in previous Stages.
8. Maturity – Building a Valued and High Margin Customer.

When you are able to measure the activity between each stage you have an average. (i.e Introduction Call to set Appointment = 40%.)

With this information you can manage each member of your team effectively, provide specific training (corrective action) in areas where they are weak, encourage an upward goal for continuous improvement and identify tools, content and training that adds value to their efforts and ultimately your bottom line.

Anything less is a waste of time and money–but as an entrepreneur, you’ve got plenty of both, right?

Bob Davis is the owner of simple.sales strategy in Austin, TX providing sales training and holding sales people accountable to a proven, systematic sales system. He can be reached at 512.658.9500 or rsdavis@simplesalesstrategy.com

Contrast that with the “Rock Star”. You don’t have to think too hard to get my drift. I would take a team of “Willies” any day. So that is what I look for; consistent, measurable progress and results. Continuous improvement and corrective action measures when necessary. I like a full balanced sales pipeline, even, fair and honest communication with clients, prospects, management and employees. No pop sales psychology, no manipulations, no tricks, no hard closes.

So how do you get there? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Hire reps that test well on personality assessments for sales skills and take the time to review the results to make sure they fit YOUR culture.
2. Understand that past performance (or non-performance) is the best indicator, not the only, but the best indicator of future performance.
3. Build a sales plan that outlines sales stages incrementally through the sales cycle; from qualification, appointment setting, presenting, proposals and closing percentages.
4. Develop a set of key performance metrics or indicators on the stages above that are simple to measure and review.
5. Manage sales challenges and skill sets based on the performance indicators, develop sales skills like trial closing, probing, qualifying, objection handling and consistently coach “stuck” accounts.
6. Create “teams” not individual players. Create competition that supports the good of the whole.
7. Watch their feet – Not the words. Measure, Measure, Measure.

Look at Willies stats below. Now think of your favorite rock star. How are they measured? Again, not too difficult to get my point. But what is the ultimate upside? You won’t end up with a trashed hotel room on their expense account!

* Willy ranked fifth in major league history in games at second base (2,152), ninth in putouts (4,859), seventh in assists (6,336), eighth in total chances (11,429), and third in double plays (1,547).

The pressures of the business keep her inside in manufacturing, operations and management activities, all necessary but taking away from her sales activities. Ah! The Solution! Hire a sales person, “my widget practically sells itself!” So she reaches out to find a sales person.

A candidate is found, good resume, sold some stuff before, has a nice personality and a bonus, she likes him. The hire is completed, her new rep is sent to the factory floor for a few weeks to learn the ins and outs of widgets. The next step is to travel around meeting clients to learn why they buy this particular widget. Now it is time to show the rep to his new office to belly up to the phone, boot up and thumb through this year’s Austin Business Journal Book of Lists to research leads. As she leaves his office she will say (9 out of 10 times this happens!) “Go Get em’ Tiger!”

Fast forward 6 months later and well…. It’s surprising how many small and medium businesses (and startups) are guilty of this action plan–and the problem is that many business owners wonder why it didn’t work and then become concerned (rightfully) about the cost of training and salaries (there is no or little commission!) that they invest in unsuccessful sales hires.

The Fix? A PLAN– based on clear action steps, understanding your best clients/prospects, knowing that most reps quit at 3 calls and having a system to contact prospects 7-8 times (that’s when they buy), performance metrics that drive accountability, appropriate training and corrective action while systematically driving a series of prospects down a structured pipeline and as a result – booking business.

Motivating your sales force is a necessity–but what separates small businesses from larger businesses is a true sales plan, based on clear action steps, building a pipeline, and holding sales people accountable for either closing deals, or moving prospects out.

The good news is that building a sales plan is not difficult–but it does take management and persistence. It starts by asking the question, “Who are you calling, and why?” Once you’ve established the right types of prospects to call on, sales people should enter those names into some sort of pipeline where they rank the prospects based on predetermined criteria, ie an A is a prospect that we’ve gotten a proposal out to, a B is a prospect that we’ve had a discussion and determined a need, and C is a suspect that we haven’t talked to yet, but we think they may have problems that we can solve.

Bob Davis is the owner of Simple Sales Strategy in Austin, TX providing sales training and holding sales people accountable to a proven, systematic sales system. He can be reached at 512.658.9500 or rsdavis@simplesalesstrategy.com

If you’re not making right investments in your people (especially sales), they can quickly be moved to that liability column, and you can’t afford that. From a human capital perspective, time is of the essence.

Usually, when I perform assessments on sales teams, I explore the areas of resistance, and time management is always at the top of the list. So how do you measure and maximize time? Evaluate your sales tools – CRM systems like Act, Goldmine, Salesforce are great because they come with built with a ranking systems– pipeline, tasks, assets, reminders.

These tools allow sales people to make the calls, note the actions, send emails that are linked to a asset library, and set reminders. I call this the “RONCO” effect – “Set It and Forget It” and move on to the next task. CRM systems also allow you to review the sales process as it happens so you can pinpoint areas of resistance and fix the problems accordingly.

Review your Call Scripts – A practice around scripting can improve results drastically. Developing a series of call scripts that support the value your company brings to the market. Practice and consistency build confidence and erode resistance, and allows you to consistently improve on your message based on real world results.

Set Goals – Setting goals is important in keeping your sales people on track. Set a number of calls per day, target numbers of introductions per day, and numbers of appointments per week. Also pay attention to the number of quotes per month. It’s not necessarily a numbers game, but goal setting and tracking is the only way to understand real world results.

Ensure that your sales people are taking advantage of the Selling Window - If it all starts with a call, you obviously need to call when you have a high probability of reaching the prospect. So if reps are doing administration functions between 8:30 – 12:00 and 1:00 – 5:00 you are likely not going to get the results. Stop that. Protect the window.

There are many more tools and strategies, but it’s important to understand that your most valuable asset is time, and what activities and tracking mechanisms you apply is the most important first steps.

Bob Davis is the owner of Simple Sales Strategy in Austin, TX providing sales training and holding sales people accountable to a proven, systematic sales system. He can be reached at 512.658.9500 or rsdavis@simplesalesstrategy.com

So what the hell does that mean?  What is the difference between tactical and strategic? Now the truth is that I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so for that answer I turned to someone a bunch smarter than me… my wife! (it’s way true).  She said think of it this way.  During a war, there is a strategy set by leaders with an overall goal in mind.  Tactics are the individual actions necessary to carry out the strategy and move you incrementally towards that goal.  Tactics are the substance of strategy and require solid management. Ah ha!

Sometimes I tell my clients that they need to be careful not to confuse the activity with results. Very likely they are confusing the tactics with the strategy. Are we arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic? How do we keep from getting caught in this dilemma? Simply, by keeping a keen eye on the strategy with incremental key measurements towards the goal and then adjusting and training around the tactics that support it. All of the best tactics in the world won’t get you there with a flawed strategy. A simple sales strategy defines and measures the tactics that create a successful outcome, not the other way around.

• Which rep knows what a valuable prospect looks like?
• Who is your best appointment getter?
• Who manages their time efficiently?
• Which rep makes the best presentation?
• Who has the deepest product knowledge?
• Which rep can build “value based solutions” beyond the price?
• Who can build rapport easily?
• Who is your best closer?
• Who nurtures and grows accounts?

If you were to take your top rep and grade her on the abilities above, I would bet that she executes them all really well. Some she might like doing, others not, but she does them. So the answer. Identify the specific weakness or weaknesses, train and coach your sales team on the individual areas of improvement. It is that simple.
 
The only way to know this is to measure activity in a defined pipeline. Building a sales pipeline and measuring the results gives you the information that will allow you to improve results for everyone on your sales team. When you see a “choke” in the funnel, get them help -provide specific training and direction. It does not cost a lot of money or demand a lot of your resources. In fact the internet alone can provide great tools to point them in the right direction. Measure and Manage.
 
Simple and Sustainable Improvement.

I have had an opportunity in my career to look into many small and mid-size companies and see the process (or lack thereof) that drives sales. Often, if I saw management operate with limited tools, subjective decision-making, fragmented communication and limited accountability that a sales team is managed,  product failures or customer complaints would quickly gain the attention of upper management and corrective action would quickly be forthcoming.

Sales has often been considered an “art” as opposed to a process, and while there is a certain truth in that, process certainly plays an important part. Consider an under performing manufacturing asset such as a delivivery vehicle, computer system, or a key supplier. Underperformance would quickly get the attention of those responsible for those assets and action to correct the situation would be implemented. Does this happen when we consider sales as an “art” but not a process?

An example is how a “lead” is managed. A “lead” has value. It cost money to exist and will cost more to nurture. And if it is an unqualified lead, the more time, money and effort that is extended, the more underperforming it becomes. What of that solid lead or potential account that has been or is being “worked on” or “I left a message” without delivering results? What about that “great” lead that is chased down only to find at the RFQ stage you can’t meet the price point or you just found out that the buyer’s sister is your competitor. Managing a lead through a defined pipeline is essential to leveraging the value of that lead.

So what does this all have to do with instant pudding; measuring, managing and selling? It is commonly said that most buyers buy after seven touches or “impressions”, it is also commonly known that most reps quit at three. They are looking for the instant pudding. A process supports  accurate qualification; that the prospect buys what you sell, allows management to see a lead as it progresses, institute corrective action and creative solutions if it gets stuck and provides tools and content for seven touches. In a competitive environment being top of mind and at very least positioned as a secondary source is the appropriate investment in a valuable asset of your business, a lead.

Managing a sales effort through process tools and management protects a multitude of  valued assets: the lead itself, accounts that have significant growth potential, time and sales resources. Ultimately it also does what it is intended to do. Sell more of your product.

So how do you fix that? You could reach out to the high priced process engineers, sales gurus, spin meisters, formula sellers and get results for the short term or do more of the same and expect a different result. 
 
How about a sustainable and affordable solution with measurable results?
 
That is what I do. I help you build a sustainable, scalable, cost efficient sales plan. It starts with a simple look at your business. What is working, what is not, clones of your best accounts, qualified key prospects, most grow-able existing accounts and why, distilling these prospects into a ranking and a sales pipeline from suspect to closing … the WHO.

From that information we develop the content in the form of an elevator statement, value proposition and call scripts that support the sales activity and the value of your business. Then we prepare to deliver our message with content, case studies, probing questions and objection handling….  the WORDS. 

WHEN do we say it? Answer. Often. Most buyers buy after 7-9 “impressions” of you and your brand and most reps quit at…. guess?…. Three!
 
We then wrap it into an effective cost efficient tool to manage all of these assets. From there it is continuing to improve on the process, providing coaching and tools for the “gaps” in skill sets and message that leverages the power of your team. Cost efficient and effective.

If you are not now doing this consistently and effectively across your team and would like an affordable solution to this challenge, call me. I will dedicate an hour with you at no cost, no obligation.

Simple and Sustainable Improvement.

Maybe you need a fresh look at your sales plan – team – efforts – markets – resources.

I use large sticky notes and a Sharpie when I work with my clients and their sales teams. In this session we build the foundation by taking a new look at where they have been, what they are doing now and where they want to go. No sense throwing the baby out with the bath water. I facilitate this among the ones who know what is happening in your market. Your sales team.

So what happens after a few hours in a audit or discovery session? We end up with a wall of ideas, most good, some out of the box and some not so good. Now we have a base or foundation to work from.

Here is a short example of the categories that we uncover and explore.

• Markets served/not served and why.
• Concentrics, Clones or “Look A-likes”
• Most “growable” accounts and markets.
• Areas of resistance to success.
• Tools.
• Word Development – An Elevator Statement, a value proposition and the beginnings of scripting for emails, letters and phone calls.
• Objections.
• Blocks to success.
• Best practices.
• Underutilized assets.

From there we can see the “gaps” that exist in the current plan. Now we have a beginning road map out to a desired goal. Simple, defined and accountable. I finished this exercise recently with a sales team in two meetings and reviewed it with my client. When I asked him if I delivered the value he expected, his response was “I got much more than I anticipated”. That made be VERY happy. That is the payoff for me.

So consider a “Sticky Note Session” with your team. Of course I would love to facilitate it, however, certainly it is something you can do yourself to give your team a boost and maybe open an eye – or two.