Posts Tagged ‘sales training coaching’

Many of the sales training coaching programs focus on bad sales talents or sales skills (what people do not do well) instead of good talents (what people do well). Part of the reason for these misdirected actions are due to the lack of using a proven performance appraisal diagnostic assessment focusing on talents, on assessing actual awareness of each salesperson. The other part is due to the inherent negative conditioning already embedded within each salesperson.

For example, what are the first three (3) words most babies speak?

1. Mom
2. Dad
3. No

Then the Nos turn into the Don’ts such as:

• Don’t write on the wall
• Don’t speak to strangers
• Don’t go where you are not invited or asked

As the child grows consequences are added to the Don’ts and the now young person is Can’t conditioned.  Add all the other negative conditioning actions from failed answers in school, red pencil marks to peer pressure and no wonder negative conditioning is alive and thriving in most people. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Reluctance toward cold calling or the fear of cold calling  is far more due to negative conditioning than any other reason.

Another reason for the emphasis on bad sales talents within sales training coaching programs is it is much easier to construct a curriculum around known weaknesses or bad sales talents than around the individual good talents.

If we accept the premise that winning teams win because of their strengths, their combined top good talents, then this emphasis on bad sales talent  is quite ridiculous.

What I know to be true after working with professional sales people, small business owners and even C Suite executives, is that 95% of these individuals do not know their top talents, but that same percentage know their worst talents.  Then what happens the focus is on attempting to improve what they do not do well as the expense of what they do well.  They may even abandoned their natural sales skills because of this focus on bad sales talents. Also within this process, they may actually turn non-talents into weaknesses because of all this negative conditioning.

Effective sales training coaching requires a strong foundation based upon confirmed awareness within each individual.  When individuals have the personal Ah Ha moment then they are more open to change because What’s In It For Me (WIIFM) has been activated because now all of a sudden the emphasis is on Me and not on the organization.

Many sales trainers, sales coaching programs and even sales books answer this question: Where does the sales process really start?  Their answers usually begin with the the infamous “developing rapport” or even the most simplistic one of “attracting attention.”  However, if we peeled away the onion so to speak, we would find the start of the sales process begins within each salesperson.

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For when we ask where does the sales process really start what we are actually asking is where does sales success start?

Answer:  Between your ears!

Unless the salesperson has authentic self confidence through genuine self awareness, sales success will always be quite elusive.  Within that space between your ears, rests the reason for your desire to be successful, your motivation to reach further as an individual, to achieve more every day. Sales Training Coaching Tip: The majority of individuals know what they do not do well with far greater accuracy than knowing what they do well.

Understanding what you value, what motivates you, is incredible support you as you move forward to increase sales.  One of the better experts on human motivation, Abrahan Maslow, wrote about this subject and connected human motivation to emotional intelligence.  Unfortunately, many people truly do not know themselves nor truly understand emotional intelligence and consequently start the actual beginning of the sales process with bad or missing information.

Today, I saw a headline for a blog that suggested this writer, coach and consultant could build self esteem, self confidence quickly and easily. Well I beg to differ because unless you are building a house of cards, there is no quick fix solution to self confidence or self esteem. Acquiring true self confidence, being authentic from your head to your toes takes time and is an ongoing process. This is supported by research that suggests emotional intelligence deepens and grows with maturity for most individuals. In other words, the process of individual growth never stops.

If we look at some key indicators in society, we can quickly ascertain that self esteem in spite of nearly 40  plus years of public schools attempting to build self esteem has been for the most part a disaster. I know this to be true not only through my own observations but through one assessment, the Attribute Index, which looks at how people make decisions both externally and internally along with 78 key attributes or talents.

Socrates wrote that we as individuals must first know ourselves.  Then the next step as suggested by Kierkegaard is to choose who we want to be.  Finally we then can create the person we wish to be (Mirandolla). These three actions work in tandem to support us as we construct the life we deserve through clarity of thought.

Our sales success, the ability to increase sales, to build a business is no exception to this process that starts between the ears. So if you wish to understand where does the sales process really starts, then look inward and begin to understand how you make decisions, what motivates you and your key attributes or talents.  Through this ongoing self reflection process you will increase sales and your efforts will be far more sustainable than the quick fix promises within many self improvement books or even sales training coaching programs.

P.S. If you wish to take advantage and begin to truly know yourself, then take advantage of the Attribute Index along with a personal 90 minute debriefing.  This is probably the best investment of time and dollars you will ever make.

Many small businesses to large organizations would secure far greater results if they would think investment not cost regarding training the sales force as well as all other employees. However, headlines such as this one 3 Questions Business Owners Need to Ask About Employee Expenses to engaging in Google searches more often that not refer to salespersons and employees in general as a cost or expense.

Of course these same small business owners to C Suite executives talk about how “they value their employees” and “how their employees are their greatest asset.”  Yet examining their C Suite Board of Executive, very rarely will you find a Chief People Officer (CPO) sitting at the table with the CEO, COO, CIO, CTO, CFO, etc. And the reason for this is because employees are viewed as a cost, an expense, a liability and not as an investment.

Part of the rationale for this mindset is that in many organizations when examining the budget look to their greatest expenditures usually employees’ salaries, employees benefits and in some cases marketing. By cutting this large percentage of the overall expenditures creates a false belief in reducing costs and improving profitability. The sales force is not viewed as human capital or an asset, but rather a liability to be controlled and reduced.

Another explanation is the value behind training or upgrading the sales skills.  Machines to buildings can be upgraded and that upgrade may last at least a decade if not longer expect for technology.  People may require continual upgrading (learning, training and development) to specific sales skills as they are the individuals dealing with all the changes in the marketplace from compliance to market changes to customers.  The expansion into the global marketplace only adds more change into the mix.

A third explanation goes to the organizational misalignment between strategy, structure, processes, rewards and people.  Sales people are continually asked to be responsible for gaps in the organization that start at the top and cascade down.

The inability to increase sales is usually a symptom not the real problem.

Blaming the sales force is much easier than investigating the real problem for lack luster sales, customer turnover, etc. In many cases, this disconnect or gap happens between the job description, the performance appraisal and inconsistent behaviors by sales management to small business owners.

However, the deeper explanation is truly the lack of value specific to learning and development.  If leadership in sales management, at the C Suite truly valued learning, then investing in their sales teams would be as they say a “No Brainer.”  Most of the sales training coaching focuses on specific sales skills instead of the attitudes within the sales force.

Possibly the fear of identifying those attitudes might be a reflection upon sales management to executive leadership? 

In other words, the “I’m okay, You’re the problem” syndrome.

The sales force training should always be viewed as an investment instead of a cost or an expense.  When sales management embraces this belief or attitude, then they will probably begin to realize business success, increase sales and even reduced expenditures.

Remember, people buy from people and not from upgraded technology, newest software or the best looking building.

Content marketing begins with relevant value which emanates from strategic planning as demonstrated through market research.  Potential customers, prospects, centers of influence or strategic partners are seeking new information.  Your goal is to become one of the top resources in this quest for this endless flow of information. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  To engage in content marketing without having a strategic plan has you in the role of Captain Wing It where you spray your efforts all over the place and then pray something will stick.

Of course there is a problem with all you can eat information, there is just too much of it. This is why relevant value is so critical.

Value as Marc Miller writes in his book A Seat at the Table truly comes from the client or prospect’s viewpoint.  In other words, people buy on value unique to them. This is my sales buying rule #3.

Yes, there may be some generic value in specific industries or specific roles, however each organization has a culture of decision making based upon certain usually unknown values. The challenge for those in sales is not to have their perception of value supersede the potential customer’s reality of value.  Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Miller’s book is probably one of the best books on how to increase sales in today’s market place as well as to how to understand value.

Relevancy specific to value is what is most critical at this point in time and works with the two sales buying criteria of commitment and urgency. For example, if the organization  is looking at compliance costs even though they also believe in building customer loyalty, what is more important to them right now?  For whatever is more relevant will also be where there is greater urgency and a greater commitment to take action.

Writing numerous postings on this sales blog as well as a weekly column for the Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana, regular contributor for NBiz Magazine based out of Houston, Texas, not to mention thousands of other articles, I am continually reviewing what the readers are seeking based upon metrics such as reads, retweets, etc. Even though I sincerely believe in strategic planning, leadership, business ethics and consistent goal setting, those articles do not receive as much attention as ones on:

7 Top Tips to Car Salesmen’s or Car Saleswomen’s Success – 52,583 reads published April 25, 2007

7 Tips to Real Estate Agent’s Success – 41,978 reads published May 16, 2006

What is Passion? – 17,630 reads published May 29, 2005

Content Marketing a Competitive B2B Advantage – 307 tweets since January 8, 2012

Uniting See Level with Sea Level to Reinforce an Engaged Workforce of Thinkers and Doers – 31% click through rate since August 1, 2011

Can Your Business Ethics Stand the Newest Wave of Bombardment, Social Media? – 7 reposts through EzineArticles since August 17, 2010

The challenge even though relevant value may work in tandem with two of the 5 sales buying criteria, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a sale.  Returning to the example of the first two articles about car sales people and real estate, many of these  sales people do not have the allocated dollars to hire a sales coach. However the article still gives provides the opportunity to attract more attention and build more relationships.  Yes I have earned dollars through these articles. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Determine your niche in content marketing.

To determine relevant value begins by listening to what your customers are saying; by listening to what others are saying; by listening to what is happening within your market place, your community and even the world. Also engaging in keyword research supports relevant value in content marketing.  Keyword research can be your secret weapon to Be the Red Jacket, to stand out in the crowd with your blog postings to articles to even keynote speeches.

In today’s very crowded market place, does demand that you do stand out if you wish to increase sales. Content marketing based upon relevant value just may help you stand out a little quicker, may increase sales and may expand your market influence.

Yesterday, Sherpa Coaching released its 7th Annual Executive Coaching Survey to address this part if not all of this question of “Got a Coach?”  As always this survey brings to light some good data and now is able to start looking through  predictive analysis future trends.

Over the years, executive coaching and business coaching have grown in numbers and acceptance.  A business coach or an executive coach is usually hired for the following:

• To develop specific skills such as sales skills, leadership skills, team building skills, time management, communication, etc.
• To change behaviors of executives, sales people to other individuals
• To secure specific results such as increase sales, reduce employee turnover, etc.

Within my practice, I have witnessed more of a integration of these reasons along with an increasing need for consulting especially for small business owners, organizations seeking a culture of high performance or those who lack some business acumen especially around the area of marketing. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Marketing is all about attracting attention and building a relationship. Do not confuse marketing with advertising, glossy brochures or social media.

Coaching has many definitions and will continue to evolve. For me, I define coaching as a process where:

1. Assess self-awareness (belief)
2. Leads to crystallization of clarity (actions)
3. Generates exceptional execution (results)
4. Allows for the maximum leveraging of resources those being  time, energy, money, critical thinking and emotional intelligence
5. Creates sustainable new behaviors

This coaching process is employed for people or organizations who are in one place – here – and wish to go to another place – there. Their challenge is they can’t get to where they want to be. Possibly, they have tried in the past and have experienced re-dos to total failure. All of these efforts drain the individual’s resources and place a damper on the organization as an entity.

Within my practice as I cannot speak for others, I have discovered those who “got a coach” are more forward thinking, but just as crazy busy as those who are not as forward thinking. These individuals may fear change as that is the human nature. Yet they have enough personal stamina, resolve, call it what you may not to be frozen, immobilized by that fear. These are the folks who are of the few and not of the many.

Is a coach right for you or your business? 

For the majority, the answer is probably yes because most of us have failed to tap into our potential, how much we can really do.  Yet due to negative conditioning that have created self imposed limitations leading to self fulfilling prophecies, that potential lies dormant until it is awakened much like a sleeping giant.

With the economy in the doldrums, there are many small business owners to C Suite executive engaged in business model innovation by re-purposing or restructuring their current business models by adding value to justify their costs or fees so that they can increase sales.  And these folks should be applauded because staying in the status quo when it is not working truly is not a good business strategy or best business practice.

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These past two years I have engaged in business model  innovation within my small business coaching practice specific to re-purposing and restructuring the solutions (services) I provide for clients. Through this reflective strategic thinking process I created a 30 day coaching engagement that was 50% to 40% less than many other sales training organizations including those with far more national presence. Over the course of two years, I have refined it and now have a fairly solid process that delivers ongoing value and truly sets me apart from others.  Sales Coaching Tip:  Strive to Be the Red Jacket in a sea of gray suits.

One well known and established national USA sales training organization requests a 12 month commitment and a $1,000 monthly investment. Now for many small business owners even those with profits near $120,000, this represent a 10% hit to the overall income.  Yes even if it is a tax write off, redirecting $1,000 a month for 12 months can cripple monthly cash flow. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  An investment in your business or even yourself should not be detrimental to your cash flow.

Innovation is looking at the same landscape but seeing something new. 

Innovation is not necessarily inventing something different, but by re-purposing one way of doing something to another way can provide new opportunities and more importantly create value. Marcel Proust said it best even though he was not directly referring to innovation:

“The true voyage of discovery is not seeking new landscapes, but seeing with new eyes.”

Re-purposing and restructuring began by listening to what my clients shared with me as well as ongoing research within the professional service industry of consulting and coaching.  This did require continual reference to my business strategic plan along with ongoing updates.  Two of the key obstacles for my clients as well as potential clients who wanted small business to sales coaching was time and uncertainty.

Even though time is a constant, people are overwhelmed with to do lists to more plates than a waiter or waitress can juggle. Then there is this looming clouds associated with all of the economic uncertainty.

• Will this law pass?
• Will home sales pick up?
• Will business overcome the latest government compliance mandate?
• Will I be able to afford to keep the current benefits and salaries for my employees?
• Will this country or that one go to war?
• Will I have enough money to cover this commitment?

By seeing the same landscape with new eyes, lenses or filters call it what you may, I was able to increase sales the last two years by 50% while also improving profits because I reduced direct and indirect costs.

Re-purposing or restructuring does require small business owners,  professional salespersons or even C Suite executives to schedule time to:

1. Revisit the strategic business plan
2. Research current market place and past customers’ buying patterns
3. Reflect upon this information until clarity is achieved and value solidified

A business may restructure its fees or costs up or down depending upon the information gathered from incorporation of these 3 Rs.  For me, the engagements have been shorter, yet the clients are far more satisfied with the results.  And in business it is the results that matter.

Social media has expanded the business orbit from the small business owners to super larger organizations. And this phrase business orbit is probably the most accurate one, yet probably most under utilized term in today’s business world.

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This past week I had an opportunity to speak with a new LinkedIn connection, Mike Muhney, the inventor of ACTs customer relationship management system.  He shared with me the original meaning of the word orbit that being:

A Sphere of Influence

Muhney is now the CEO of VIPorbit, Inc. His new software creation is all about “mobile relationship management.” This program is a software application for iPhones and iPads that is, in my opinion, akin to  ACTS on wireless rocket boosters.

Additionally, the market for this type of mobile driven application is huge.  There are currently 1.5 billion mobile devices and only 12 million CRM users with ACTs owning the largest portion of those users.  Sales Training Coaching Tip:  By interacting on LinkedIn discussion groups and providing value through your comments, you also can connect with very well known individuals and expand your sphere of influence.

The concept of an orbit is truly more representative than a circle.  Physical orbits are more elliptical in nature.  What this means for businesses is there may be greater influence for those nearer the business and less influence for those further away.  In other words, in business

All Influence Is Not Equal!

Years ago the business orbit for a larger organization due to its larger sales teams was greater than the small business owner or even single office or home office entrepreneur.  With the explosion of technology and the Internet, the orbits for businesses are not dependent upon the size of the business.  One quick example that comes to mind is Matt Drudge and his Drudge Report. Drudge started out as one investigative reporter who connected with resources and built a high traffic website.  His sphere of  influence (business orbit) continues to expand.

Almost seven years ago, I redirected my marketing efforts to creating inbound sales leads by having an integrated marketing plan based upon an education based marketing approach. Using article marketing at sites such as Ezine Articles, Evan Carmichael or Sales Gravy and later this business and sales blog or now what is called content marketing, I have expanded my sphere of influence including being asked to be one of the keynote speakers at the  2012 Tech Niche conference in India. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Content marketing is a proven strategy to increase sales leads, build additional business opportunities and expand one’s sphere of influence.

Understanding your business orbit and directing it to your target market is probably the greatest marketing challenge in today’s local to global marketplace. Having an integrated marketing plan along with WAY SMART goals, key performance indicators (KPIs) and measurable metrics are now required and no longer a luxury. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Social media works well with this concept of business orbit in that you have the opportunity for face to face, in person meetings and those where you are connected just through the strokes of the keyboard.

Consider making 2012 your year to determine to your sphere of influence within your  business orbit.  Who knows maybe in a few years, you may be asked to be a keynote speaker halfway across the world?

In my morning email once again I received a LinkedIn invitation that revealed, from my 40 plus years of sales experience along with intuition, the true intentions of the other person. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  When validated with the facts, your intuition (gut brain) is usually correct.

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Here is the essence of the LinkedIn invitation with the name to remove to protect the guilty:

Dear Leanne:

(Insert business name) is a one stop shop (insert purpose of business),   I’d like the opportunity to network with you.

Sender’s Name

Granted the sender did personalize the invitation with Dear, however the first sentence was not about how we interacted in a shared group, but all about her business. This invite lacked emotional intelligence. Given I had absolutely no need for her business, I saw no value in accepting the invitation. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Emotional intelligence can be picked up from the words you write or not write.

I then checked out her profile and even though she had close to 500 connections, she only had one recommendation. There was no summary in her profile and her profile read like a resume. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Your summary in LinkedIn is the first if not second opportunity to demonstrate your emotional intelligence. The first one is your headline.

My sense was her intention was all about collecting names much like some collect business cards.  The jury is still out if I will connect with her.

The reason for this example is to share with others how not to use LinkedIn or other social media sites as well as how not to write a poor introductory letter even if it is just a couple of sentences.

LinkedIn and other social media sites are called social for a reason.  These sites are about people meeting people and getting connected on a professional and yet somewhat personal basis. When your invitation reflects what Jeb Blount calls “Pump and Dump” in his book People Buy You or what I call the 3Ps virus, this diminishes your potential value to the other person.

Since people buy on value unique to them, the last thing you want is to put any chinks or cracks into that value.

Additionally, as a professional salesperson, you want to overcome those pesky sales objections.  Since the first sales objection is you, then your first interaction should generate a sense of “Hey, I want to know that person,” not the reaction of “Oh, great another typical salesperson.”

What would have been far better is to have written something along these lines:

Dear Leanne:

Your comment in (insert group) was insightful and I enjoyed it. Let’s connect here on LinkedIn. Thanks for the consideration,

(Sender’s Name)

Just by reading this invitation suggests a higher form of emotional intelligence and some sales savvy.

If you are using LinkedIn for prospecting, business to business networking, or marketing research, then as in any other business tool, learn how to use it correctly for the most return on your efforts.  Take a learning and professional development class and pay for it if you must. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Forward Progress webinars on how to master Linked In facilitated by Dean DeLisle are excellent places to begin that professional development.

Remember your goal to increase sales means you want to Be the Red Jacket and not all those other gray suits in the sea of sameness.

Social media is very much about the keyboard.  Connecting with people happens with a few strokes of the key and sometimes just by one stroke when you indicate you like a post. Yet, many crazy busy small business owners fail to understand that social media is not a substitution for face to face meetings.

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People buy from people they know and trust (sales buying rule).  By meeting them, you as a potential vendor, strategic partner or even center of influence have an incredible opportunity.

Reach out and touch someone extends in the social media environments to an actual handshake.

Now with social media being a global event, it is difficult to reach out across the world, but with Skype and video cams you can connect with others and truly interact with them.  Since there is still a lot of local business, meeting others face to face over a beverage or meal is a great way to truly get to know them and continue to build that trust. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Do not confuse a business to business networking event with having a one on one meeting with someone.

This morning I had an early meeting with two local Facebook friends over at another local business here in Northwest Indiana, The Uptown Cafe.  Over the past year, we had interacted, but never had met each other face to face.  What a pleasant opportunity to spend 60 minutes to physically meet these two individuals.  One is a local realtor, Valarie Kucaki and the other Eric Wignall had a marketing firm. Sales Training Coaching Tip: Marketing is not selling, but the goal to increase sales can be achieved through effective marketing.

Discussion never once was about what each other did, but rather about points in common. From the conversation, I was able to gain a sense about the individuality of each person as well as their business ethics and values. The time invested was well worth it and I am glad that I scheduled and made time.

In fact, Eric shared one of his marketing goals is to have more of these face to face meetings with other small business owners in 2012. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Business is conducted locally as well as globally.

So as you continue to stroke the keyboard to keep connecting with others be it through LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, Twitter or some other social media site, remember to invest some time to go beyond those keys.

Social media is a marketing strategy and tactic that has become embedded within many business to business (B2B) sales cycle.  Through an integrated education based marketing plan, the ability to reach out (attract attention) and connect (build the relationship) with someone has never been greater.

Yet to effectively manage the sales cycle (meaning to potentially reduce its time frame when possible), social media presents this unknown factor:

The time identification of the first contact

When engaging in traditional business to business (B2B)  marketing, the seller usually has a fairly good idea of when he or she met a particular buyer (prospect or potential customer).  If traditional advertising is employed, the date of the advertisement serves as the potential first contact date. However in social media with numerous vertical marketing vehicles pinpointing the exact date is very difficult and this inability does throw off the B2B sales cycle time frame. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Asking how someone came across you is always a good practice.  Just be prepared for a non-descriptive response.

This realization came to me after a discussion among some forward thinking small business owners at the South Shore Business Networking group. I had shared how two recent sales leads came to connect with me and both mentioned seeing my posts on different social media sites including LinkedIn and Facebook with also a reference to my weekly business column.  However, what I was unable to learn specifically is when they began noticing my postings. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  Having a process or system in place to establish an initial first physical contact date supports the sales cycle.

From past documentation of my B2B sales cycle, the average time from first contact to sales conversion has been 6 months. Yet through social media this has been reduced to under 3 months based upon receiving the first phone call or email.

For sales management regardless of size from small business owners like myself to the much larger firms with multiple sales teams forecasting sales leads,  sales goals and ultimately the ability to increase sales is critical.  This forecasting may require the establishment of more than one B2B sales cycle depending upon the target market.

Social media is here to stay and will probably become even more ingrained within the marketing plans of the majority of businesses. Understanding how social media affects the B2B sales cycle and then leveraging that information by sales management may provide some firms with a competitive advantage.