Archive - August 2016

Are You Hiring “A” Players for your Sales Team?

August 29, 2016

What if the bottom quarter of your sales team could produce as much or more revenue than the top quarter? What would that do for your company?

What would happen if you replaced the bottom quarter of your sales team with “A” players that get consistent over the top results?

When I talk to CEOs about this issue and ask these questions, they often give me these excuses (because that’s what they are, excuses):

Belief– We get fooled into thinking they are A players when we interview them. By the time we figure out that they aren’t, we are already too invested.

Reality– You aren’t assessing them properly. Sales people, especially ones that have had many sales jobs are professional interviewers. They know what to say and how to say it so you will be completely impressed and blown away by how much “potential” they have. We are blinded by the charisma and charm they have! You need a non-subjective sales assessment to help give you additional tools to get out of the emotion, the falling in love, and get to the heart of what this person is about.

Belief- “We really can’t afford to pay for “A” players”. They tend to be expensive.

Reality- Guess what? You are already paying for them through your lost business! Additionally if we monitored better the progress of a new hire and stop allowing excuses to drag out the pain, we would know sooner and loose less.

Belief– “We have loyal C players in sales that have been with us in sales for years, through thick and thin. We can’t just let them go!”

Reality – Just let them go? How long have they been C players? If it just started, maybe you need to find out why and give them an opportunity to improve. If its been going on a long time, you at least need to wan them or see if there is another position that might be better for them internally.

Belief – We want to hire fresh new players in sales but we can’t afford to train them.

Reality– Typically go get raw talent and train them your way is the better way to go. You can afford to hire them, put money into training and monitor as you go. If they aren’t beginning quickly to “get it”, cut your losses quickly. We tend to hand on to seasoned salespeople longer because they “must just need more time”. In that case then the ‘newbie’ might be just the answer.

Belief– I’m not sure where to find “A” players. When I am looking for someone new I can rarely find someone I would consider an A player.

Reality– Of course not! “A” players aren’t out looking through the regular channels! They are either on a job and you need to typically seek them out or they put their feelers out when they are looking and are scooped up immediately! If a great salesperson is an asset, not a liability, don’t you want additional assets all of the time?

Here is the question I would ask you. If you found an A player today, someone better then your best salesperson, wouldn’t you find a place for them? Of course you would, so why aren’t you looking every day!! That’s right! You or your sales director should be interviewing at least 2-4 candidates a week even when you don’t have a spot for them. How else will you find the gold!!

Greta Schulz is President of SchulzBusiness, a sales Consulting and Training firm. She is a best selling author of “To Sell IS Not To Sell” and works with fortune 1000 companies and entrepreneurs. For more information or free sales tips go to www.schulzbusiness.com and sign up for ‘GretaNomics’, a weekly video series or email sales questions to greta@schulzbusiness.com

Ethics in Selling

August 22, 2016

Greta Schulz

Uncategorized

When it comes to selling, using strategies and tactics to get the job done, there are few who consciously think about the ethics in the way they sell. Ethics in selling will help the organization build a good reputation and consolidate its position in the market. Ethics are learned and they can make a big difference in having a loyal customer base and in making sales.

Ethics in selling can be:

1. Truly listening. Good sales executives are partners. Start being a true listener by understanding the real issue, not just what you want it to hear so you can attempt to sell your product or service. True listening is really understanding the underlying issues and the ‘whys’ behind those issues.

Pulling back. Most sales executives do not know when to push and when to pull back. No one likes to be pushed and hearing something a prospect says that may look like an opportunity is not the time to pounce on them with your solution. Pull back and ask more about what they’ve said. Pulling back at the right time can keep you in a respectful position as well as learn what the true issues really are.
Go to bed knowing you did the right thing. My father always taught me, if you can go to bed at night and know you did right thing you will have an easier time getting to sleep. You can also rest assured that those you have done business with trust you and respect your opinion.
Tell it like it is: The key to getting a loyal customer base is to be truthful at all times. When the customer asks you for suggestions, be truthful and offer the information in its truest form, even if its not you as the best option. That’s right. Doing the right thing is always more important then the sale. If a customer recognizes you’re doing the right thing they will keep you in mind for future business. If the customer recognizes you’re not doing the right thing and just said what you needed to in order to make a sale, you will most likely lose them forever.

Be innovative. The key to having a consistent sales base is to come up with innovative ideas for them. Know what your competitors are doing and stay informed. Use your own methods and strategies to stand out from the competition. Do not copy or borrow ideas. Instead, brainstorm as a team with your prospect or customer and take valuable suggestions. They need you to be a sounding board not just a pusher of your product or service.
Customer satisfaction. This should be given the highest priority. Come up with surveys and feedback options to know what you are doing right and wrong. Do proper research and know how to appeal to customers on a deeper level.

7. What are they thinking about? Your customers have interests and concerns other then what you offer them. Be their sounding board and a connector. Who do they want to meet? What do they need outside of what you offer? Helping in ways that are outside of your scope is the key to being a true partner. That is about truly helping.

Ethics in selling may seem like a luxury you cannot afford but in the long run, standing out in the rat race, building your empire and loyal customer base calls for utter dedication and ethical selling.

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Are Your Salespeople Riding the Wave?

August 15, 2016

Greta Schulz

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The worst seems to be over but our economy is, inevitably, cyclical. Like the rest of us, it has its ups and downs. Yet, when we are in a down cycle, do you get nervous about the economy? And do other factors external to your industry, including world events (such as elections for example) cause you to tighten your belt?

Cycles in the economy and moments of national or world uncertainty are not a time for either anxiety or celebration but a time to be realistic and acknowledge that what goes up, must come down. I certainly don’t mean to be a downer but if we learned anything in the last few years I hope we learned that you need to be lean and mean all of the time, not just when the going gets tough. Your sales team needs to be able to respond to this volatility. If it does not, the competition’s sales team surely will.

During these last few months, with things seeming to lighten up, the opportunities are more fruitful. I am sure your sales team feels pretty good about themselves lately but what is the truth? If your salespeople are accustomed to having sales fall in their laps, especially newer ones, they have yet to be put to the test.

With the buying opportunities seeming to now be coming along more frequently, are our salespeople really good or just reaping the benefits of a comeback?

Right now, your sales team could be the weakest part of your company. It may not seem that way since you have most likely seen an upswing in sales, even slightly and are feeling relieved. Well don’t!

Many salespeople are showing their feathers like a proud peacock but fail to recognize that their sales in these times simply may be coming to them along with the ebb and flow of the economy but with very little true sales ability involved.

A lot of companies wait until desperate times. Then the layoffs and cost cutting begins. Smart companies do not wait. They know that they should evaluate their sales force now, finding out who has effective selling skills to utilize in the slump that may lie ahead.

When assessing your team, ask yourself the following questions:

What are the necessary elements for selling in a good and not so good economy?
Which salespeople have those elements?
Which of your sales people may not have the necessary skills, and why are we waiting to replace them?

If salespeople are not strong enough to make it through tough times, they probably do not belong on your team at all. Evaluate their skills. Go on a sales call with each salesperson and see how he/she performs in the real world. Another option is to have them each take an assessment that shows the skills they truly have—and don’t have*.

Hold your ground and act as though the economy were flourishing. Keep in mind that the economy is cyclical. When things are good, act as if you were looking for ways to build revenues and cut costs. Do it now, that way, you are not caught off guard when things recede —which they always do. Now is when real sales professionals can shine.

For further information on this subject follow the link http://www.schulzbusiness.com/interview-questions.aspx

* If you would like to take a free assessment for a salesperson on your team, email me at greta@schulzbusiness.com and I will send you the link.

It’s All about the Process.

August 8, 2016

Greta Schulz

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It’s about the process

Ryan, a software sales rep, had been having a rough day. He’d been bombarded with questions from several customers and gotten behind on work that he needed to finish before the end of the day.

He then got a call from Wayne, a prospect who introduced himself by saying: “I’ve heard great things about your engineering software package. I saw a demo about a year ago, and was not in a position to purchase it at the time. But since then, it’s become very apparent that I need to integrate it into my system.”

“Wow,” Ryan thought. “This will be easy. It’s about time something went right today.”

Then, Wayne said: “I need to know about the cost, the tech support and how soon it can be installed.”

Ryan immediately went into his pitch. He discussed tech support in detail, covered availability and other options, and explained that the price was $12,000, with 30-day terms.

Wayne’s response was unexpected. He said that $12,000 was quite a hefty price tag and he needed a couple of days to think about all of this more carefully. He’d call Ryan back next week.

Ryan did a double take. “What just happened?” he thought. “This sale was in the bag, a sure thing. He really needs it and now he’s thinking it over? He said he needed the software right away.” And that was the end of the call.

So, what happened? Ryan got lazy, plain and simple. He thought Wayne was sold. He thought that all he had to do was give him the information he needed, then write it up. He got fooled into assuming the sale without doing the work. He never got Wayne to talk about why he was looking now, with what seemed to be a real priority about buying the software. The entire transaction was conducted at the intellectual level, without any real understanding of the true need.

So, what happened? Ryan was lured into taking shortcuts. He mistakenly thought the prospect’s enthusiasm was a sure sale.

You need the time to qualify the prospect and make sure he’s real before giving out information or making your presentation.

In Ryan’s case, a couple of questions would have made a world of difference. He might have said: “Before we discuss pricing, help me understand why this software is so important. I want to make sure the application is correct for you. Would you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?”

It is so important to gather this information before you discuss price so you can truly have an understanding of not only why they want the software, but the consequence of not installing it.

Once you give away your information – whether on the phone, in a presentation or in the form of a proposal – you have given up any form of control and are at the mercy of the prospect.

Remember: It’s not about the sale; it’s about the process.

Greta Schulz is known as one of the best top sales speakers and trainers in Florida. She has made a name for herself in the sales training and business training community. From her best selling books to her weekly updated blogs and articles she produces nothing but the best Sales Tips for you.

For more sales training tips and tools, or to ask her a question, go to www.schulzbusiness.com or email greta@schulzbusiness.com.