Increase Sales Blog

Sales mistakes abound.  People are in a hurry to get it done and not necessarily right. In a blog by sales coach, Cheryl Clausen, she talks about common sales mistakes and specifically this sales mistake of leaving buyers hanging – or what I call follow-up.

Sales research suggests almost 50% of all sales leads are never followed up. Given the story that Cheryl shares, this research continues to be validated.

With most earned sales coming after five to twelve contacts, many salespersons are not working through the marketing and selling steps within the sales process. These folks appear to be looking for the quick sale, the easy dollars.  In today’s challenging marketplace, there is no quick sale.  Violation of the steps in the sales process will only ensure less dollars in your own piggy bank.

If you want to increase sales, then stop with the most common sales mistakes beginning with this one of  not following up on all sales leads. Keep contacting your potential customers. Use technology when appropriate.  However the best way is to answer the phone, return all calls and deliver what you promise. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Return to your values statement within your overall strategic business action plan. Make sure your behaviors are in congruency with this statement. By taking this action, you will be the Red Jacket in the sea of gray suits.

Now with warmer weather, business people are ratching up their business networking attendance. In their desire to increase sales, these fine folks may be violating common etiquette.  Books abound about effective B2B networking.  One of my favorites is by Lillian Bjorseth – Breakthrough Networking. (I actually wrote a review at Amazon.)

Additionally, the skill sets necessary for great business networking extend into what Daniel Goleman explains in his book – Working with Emotional Intelligence (EQ).  Sheila Savar in a recent posting connects emotional intelligence to Etiquette through EtiquetteEQ.

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One consistent mistake I have consistently observed in business networking events is the lack of appreciation and acknowledgment.  For example, during conversation I may mention a particular article that I am aware of that is pertinent to the conversation. Then I am asked to send the article if possible.  Business cards are exchanged and within 24 hours I honor my commitment.  Common courtesy would suggest a short email saying thank you. Yet very rarely does this actually happen.  My sense is these people have very low EQ scores.

Before you attend that next event, take time to review your own behaviors. Use the recommendations in Savar’s posting as well as just returning to what your mother or grandmother told you about being polite and respectful to others in public. And do not forget to say thank you after someone has made that extra effort to honor her or his verbal commitment. Who knows maybe you will be the Red Jacket, will  increase sales and will establish some long-term relationships in the process?

So what have been your experiences about business networking? Please share with others.

Probing questions usually are seeking pain or gain.  Many sales experts suggest customers buy for one of these two reasons.  Stu Schlackman in a recent blog provided some inight into the buying decision process.

Yet until you as the salesperson have an established relationship where your expertise has been demonstrated and you have earned the trust of that potential customer asking either pain or gain questions will probably cost you the sale.

What I have observed is many individuals start selling before they have completed the marketing goals of:

1. Attracting positive attention
2. Building the relationship

The end result of effective marketing is to be asked back where you can begin to further develop the relationship and with permission ask probing questions. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Always ask permission – May I ask you a question about….? before asking the question.  Watch the body language to ensure congruency between your potential customer’s verbal words and non-verbal language.

Probing questions are tough questions in disguise because you are empathetic in the way you ask them.  Sometimes by how you ask those difficult questions may create an impression that you are too tough, too push for your potential customer.

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Also, you may wish to consider changing this phrase ABC – Always Be Closing to this one ABE – Always Be Earning.  For the word earning suggests far different behaviors and beliefs than the word closing.

Probing questions are effective when used correctly. Finally, from my observations,  most people buy to avoid pain more so than to secure gain.

Please leave your comments about pain or gain. What has worked or not worked for you?

In what is a never ending quest to understand why businesses continue to struggle with the goal to increase sales, I came upon this research conducted by the Aberdeen Group.  From one of their many research surveys on sales leads management, they revealed these interesting sales statistics:

• In B2B selling endeavors, 80% report a disconnect between sales and marketing functions
• Only 16% of qualified leads actually increase sales
• How firms process the 84% of qualified leads that fail to increase sales separate the best from the not so good

This research confirms other sales research that suggests 50% of all leads are left withering on the vine.

What is interesting to note is if people would learn that the sales process combines both marketing and selling activities and stop substituting sales for selling, then possibly this gap could be close.   The use of these words goes beyond semantics because the result is confusion and the inability to increase sales.

Many whose role is to be engaged in the sales process actually begin selling while marketing.  This is a big, NO, NO! Marketing is all about gaining attention (positive) and building a relationship.

Qualifying sales leads begins within the actual marketing action plan based upon demographics and psychographics research.  Better qualification leads reduce misdirected efforts such as not speaking with the actual decision maker.

The most revealing statistic in the Aberdeen’s research was the final one.  What happens when you do not convert the lead to an actually earned sale?  My sense is those companies who return those leads to their marketing activities through nuture marketing or education based marketing probably are better able to demonstrate positive attention and a solid relationhip allowing the potential customers or clients to feel more comfortable in buying B2B products or services at a later time.

Lesson Learned and Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Just because the client said No the first time does not mean the client will say No the second or third time.

To increase sales does mean salespersons need to innovate – to think differently given today’s market is both local and global.  A insightful post by Scott Anthony on What’s Stopping Innovation discussed the obstacles or roadblocks to  innovation. In many cases these are the same obstacles to achieving the goal to increase sales. Go figure!

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The first major rock in the road or obstacle is  looking for opportunities to create value. Far too often sales professionals are so busy working in the day to day tasks of marketing and selling they fail to work on marketing and selling. To work on something requires setting time to think, to observe and to reflect. Opportunities abound, but in many cases they look like work and are quickly abandoned. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  If you are thinking or let’s be honest whining “I do not have time!” then answer this one question: Do you waste 12 minutes in your 8 hour work time?  So time is not the issue is it?

Obstacle number two is all about having an open mind to seeing things differently. One of my most favorite quotes is by Marcel Proust who wrote: “The true voyage of discovery is not seeking new landscapes, but seeing with new eyes.” Innovation within the sales process requires more of a mind set change than anything else. Reread the last two statements in the previous paragraph.

The third and final obstacle is all about action. A lot of sales people have great ideas, but they stay as ideas. No action is taken and no progress is made. Possibly the fear of taking action, what if I fail, takes hold. Remember, children learn to walk from falling down. Failure is an integral part of success.

With the competition in all industries growing larger and more aggressive, salespersons need to innovate, add value, think differently and take action to stay ahead of the flow and continue to be the Red Jacket in a Sea of Gray Suits.

The goal of sales training is to improve sales behavior leading to the completing the “Increase Sales Puzzle.” Yet in many cases, this professional development goal is never realized to its potential.  I was reminded of this when reading Kevin Eikenberry’s blog on Seven Key Actions to Greater  Personal and Professional Development.

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Until newly acquired knowledge or information is taken in and then matched to existing schema (see Piaget’s Theory on Learning) behavior change cannot happen. One of the best questions to ask beyond “What I have learned?” is “What am I doing differently today than yesterday or last week?” This question also places responsibility back on the salesperson.

Individuals must have awareness about their behaviors. By asking this question of what are you doing differently helps for those within the sales training program to begin to make connections.

Then the next question is “What results have you seen or experienced from those changes?” Through this question, you have taken performance to the 4th level of evaluation as identified in Don Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation.

When sales training programs are constructed with a understanding of how individuals learn (and there truly is not that much difference between the learning styles of children and adults no matter what the experts say), then sustainability (behavior change) and a positive return on investment can be secured. Also any learning environment must be engaging and relevant to those attending the event.

Remember this Sales Training Coaching Tip:  One time learning events are the quickest way to drain your T&D budget without any positive return especially if you have not invested the time learning the talents of each sales team member through a thorough performance appraisal process.

You can complete the “Increase Sales Puzzle” when you invest the time to do it (sales training) right and not to do it quick (looking for the quick fix).

Why do people buy?  Simple answer to meet a need.  However, beyond the need, there exists something else.  What’s In It For Me (WIIFM).

Needs alone are not enough to spur people to take action to buy your product or service. If that was true, then everyone would be driving the cheapest form of private transportation or wearing the most inexpensive articles of clothing or …..  You get the idea.

The reason people buy your particular products or services is because somewhere your potential customers have determined there exists an advantage between what you offer and the competition.  This advantage is WIIFM.   Stephanie Patterson in her post recently discussed in more detail WIIFM.

WIIFM is all about results as the potential customer believes them to be true. Some sales experts or sales gurus will say WIIFM is value. And that is true. However value is a result of the psychographics of each potential customer (a.k.a. prospect).

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For example, I am looking to buy a red car. Red has value for me because of my branding around Be the Red Jacket. The result of this value is more marketplace differentiation. Red is part of my psychographics – the why behind the decision making process.

Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Look to the results your products or services deliver and then determine the WIIFM for potential customers.  By approaching your marketing message from this perspective, you will realize your goal to increase sales.

During down times, confusion only hurts the ability to increase sales.  I realized this once again when reading an insightful post by Stephanie Patterson owner of at MySalesBeast.com. Stephanie listed 3 great sales skills to have during less than favorable buying environments. And I wholeheartedly agree with her suggestions.

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However, these sales skills are really marketing skills. Marketing and selling skill are partners in the overall sales process. However, my sense is that when the term “sales skills” is used specifically for marketing activities, salespersons may unintentionally start selling. This is a sales killer meaning no dollars in your piggy bank.

Marketing is all about attracting attention and building a relationship. Absolutely no selling should take place until both of these objectives have been achieved.

Unfortunately the word “sales” is bandy about and used interchangeably with marketing and selling. As I mentioned in Be the Red Jacket and in many other articles, when you have confusion with the words you speak, think and write, your results will be equally confused. And to coin a frequently used phrase: How is that working for you?

Sales Training Coaching Tip: Marketing is not selling. Selling is not marketing. Both are part of the Sales Process.

First, in full disclosure, I must tell you that my husband and I are Ford automotive customers and have been for years. My very first car was a 1968 Ford Mustang.

Second, I am impressed by businesses and their leadership that actually get it when it comes to rethinking and doing things differently if they want to keep their loyal customers, their shareholders and stakeholders happy.

Third, I vote with my income by supporting those organizations that live their vision, values while still achieving their mission.

Fourth, if you thought PGA was connected with Professional Golfing Association, you are possibly in the wrong blog.

With that said, I was delighted to come across this article in the Wall St. Journal about the CEO of Ford Motor Alan Mulally.  Here is one rare executive who understands the purpose of business and is making that a reality. The article quotes Mr. Mulally as follows:

“It’s back to Henry Ford’s original vision, isn’t that cool?” gushes Mr. Mulally, reaching for—you guessed it—yet another chart. “It’s all about producing products people want,” he adds. “Our goal is PGA.”

PGA is short for Profitable Growth for All.  What an unusual concept especially in today’s market place where the profit word is almost “dirty” and growth well that just can’t happen given the economy and all. Mr. Mulally is returning to Henry Ford’s original vision.  Possibly others could do the same.

For Henry Ford got it as well.  He understood the purpose of business is to attract and then retain customers. Of course his insistence on any color as long as it was black probably was one of his blinders. Yet, 100 years later, Ford is the only domestic vehicle manufacturer to show a profit and may again be the #1 manufacturer. These results are because of some sound, not pie in the sky, business behaviors.

Sales must work with operations to demonstrate a profit.  This is simple math.  Sales less costs equal profits.  If you too wish to increase sales, then see how you can deliver what your customers want while providing quality, affordability and value.

Henry Ford got it over 100 years ago and you can get it today.

In the sales process, sales presentations are part of earning the commitment to sign on the dotted line. Yet I believe a lot of salespersons confuse the purpose of a sales presentation with fact finding and thus fail to increase sales. This may happen because the potential customer or prospect was not truly qualified (shared within the marketing and selling phases of the sales process) or because there was poor fact finding (selling phase only of the sales process).

The reason I make this observation is I received one of those quick sales quizzes from a noted sales guru who essentially asked about the purpose of the sales presentation.  I personally did not like any of the responses because all of them should have been uncovered during the fact finding step. However, I choose one just to see if I was correct or incorrect.  The correct answer was about motivation.

Motivation is part of the qualifying criteria – urgency.  How quick will they be to take action specific to your solution?  Also when you have built a relationship with the potential customer, you should be having a better idea as to what motivates her or him to make this decision.  Not everyone relates to saving dollars even though price may be brought up as an obstacle.

Granted during a sales presentation, reading body language is important and helps for you to understand what trips the buying triggers (think mousetraps) especially if there are others at that sales presentation meeting beyond your direct contacts.

The sales presentation is the icing on the cake. If you have not presented your case well, have failed to uncover all known and unknown needs, do not have a solid relationship with the decision maker, lack understanding as to how the sales decision is made, then no presentation will save you from losing the commitment.  What happens is you become one of the many in the sales presentation or proposal writing business instead one of the few who actually increase sales.