Sales Insights

Running with you the Sales Reps

I attended a sales meeting a few days back, always good to spend some time to do some sales training with those reps that are KEEN to renew their focus. Not the mavericks!
So we went through the following-

-Three main objectives set per key client,
-Three main activities that generate sales,
-Tactics for attracting the RIGHT clients,
-Defining loyal clients and How to reward them,

The above are some of the areas I cover in my Key Account Management Model.

So hopefully a refresher for you.

Till next time go sell your way to Success.

There are Great Sales Reps

Running with you the Sales Reps

Given the market conditions business is still being done, and you the rep are to be thanked for this,
many company's "bash their reps", for not preforming, do not blame the economy, it is old news, please do not let this happen to you.

Here is how you can get things into perspective and to manage your diary, every company has a sales process, here is how I see it.

I call it the sales game-(an overview)

-Prospecting and new clients-cold calling,demonstrations, proposals, selling solutions, to name a few,under this heading,-next
-Existing clients- problem solving, upselling,key account management,trust/relationship building,
service, your key numbers(not just sales in money terms and gp%) but other key numbers!!
-Networking- how do you go about this!
-Your Product-product quality,product knowledge,product mix sales, competitor awareness!
-Self development/training-sales meeting,skills development,personal leadership development,
-Sales admin-emails, sales reports,crm management, phone calls, quotes
     etc,etc,etc, yep you get the picture.
So a lot to get through in a day, a week, so look at your diary now, how is it planned for next week!
   Which translates into your management of your time, right, good, go do it.

Till next time go sell your way to Success.

The Perfect Prospect/Client

Running with you the Sales Reps

We all want the perfect situation, so what does this mean in our selling game.

The Perfect Prospect/ Client is one who-
  - has cash flow to pay you
  - has potential to grow, so more sales for you
  - has character, keeps his word, you must keep your word same for clients
  - a mind set of win win, many people do not believe in this, disappointing!
So Prospects/ Clients want the perfect supplier, what does this mean-
   - client centred, solution driven
   - creative thinking
   - commitment
   - competent
   - competitive pricing
   - under promise and over deliver

So till next time go sell your way to Success


  

Powerful Persuasion Part 2

Running with you the Sales Reps

Herewith more on the above subject by Tom Hopkins, as sales people we need to implement,
Powerful Persuasion.
How do you go about "reading your client",how do you build trust and long lasting relationships.
   -think of ways to keep in touch,
   -keep your word,
Remember one of your goals is to persuade your client to like you better than the opposition rep,
critical step in winning business,
Whatever you are selling, you are in the Relationship, Service and Investment business, when clients buy from you , they actually invest with you and then your company, simple, I suppose.

This week I had two reps from competing businesses come see me re- a deal that I am working on,
four day's gone by and no follow up from them on the quotes they gave me, life must be good for them. They are however negatively affecting their company's brand!

Tom's Champion Creed
"I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed, and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and KEEP TRYING"
Till next time go sell your way to Success.  

Powerful Persuasion

Running with you the Sales Reps

Back in the day, early 1980's I was sent on my second ever sales course, held by Tom Hopkins,
great stuff, implemented many of the new tricks learnt, lets see if any of the sales stuff relates
to today's selling game, You be the Judge

There were, or are 5 persuasion techniques,

-impact
-repetition,
-utilisation,
-internalisation,
-reinforcement.

The qualities and characteristics that separate the average from the great,

-they invest in their mind, learning, knowledge,attitude, ongoing never stops,
-they love people and use money for good, they do not use people,
-they are daily students of technique.
(to name a few)

A major key to success is the ability to relate to all types of people.
More on this in my next post, Till next time go sell your way to Success.

The Fun side of being a Sales Rep

Running with you the sales Reps

I was going through my library recently, and found the following, I do not know the source
but enjoy, it is old back in the day stuff! lets have a laugh.

It is titled"what type of rep are you"

The wheelbarrow, no good unless pushed

Are you a canoe, you need to be paddled

Are you a kite, no strings on you, you just blow away

Are you a rugby ball, never know which way you will bounce

Are you a trailer, no good unless pulled along

Some are 100% pros, in their pitching all the time.

Good to be humble and review where we are at.

Till next time go sell your way to Success.

Your Clients are not playing Ball

Running with you the Sales Reps

So you have a few clients that do not see "things" as you do, in terms of, how valuable you are to them, how your product gives them satisfaction, the solutions you come up with, to name a few!

These are all objection in one form or the other, so how do you go about "reading them " better.

Firstly are they playing corporate games with you, politicise, you know, is psychology selling
a key for you, do you really, really, really understand how your client thinks.

Most clients do not give you all their business, all eggs in one basket as the saying goes, so
your client is always comparing you, your business etc to the other suppliers they deal with.

A big opportunity for you, to be a positive vibe every time you have contact, face to face, email,
sms, ping, text(depending which country you live) with your client, there is so much negative stuff around, stay away from all the Bull sh-one-t.

Your clients need positive affirmations at different levels, go do it, you can.

Till next time go sell your way to Success.

Thinking and Planning

Running with you the Sales Reps

So we are in September, you have planned what you are going to do for your December holidays,
good that is out of the planning way.

So you are now THINKING about "being in the now", that's a good space to be in, but it is only
half the picture, you need to be planning now for your first three months in 2013.

Yep forward planning, your pipeline in terms of sales(okay depends on your sales cycle)and any
other key areas you have to do planning on.

There are maverick reps who "will wing it", that's cool, depends how reps work within their company's system.

Find time to sit and look at ways you can be more effective for your clients, also which ones you would like to drop, it will give you a good feeling to fire the odd client,it will give you perspective.
You don't agree, no problem.

Till next time go sell your way to Success.

The Battle, "New"New Clients vs Exising Clients

Running with you the Sales Rep

Yep, we have all heard this before, the cost of getting new clients, the need to get new clients
because each year we lose some existing client,
The back in the day example(which is still used today) the can full of water but with a few holes
in the bottom.

So what is your plan to try in simple ways to achieve the right balance, in terms of-
    Your time allocation to find new clients,
    The plan to grow business from existing clients,
    The plan to keep existing clients, minimising the decline in your client base size,
    The critical mass,
    Yes must use the word,client retention.

I worked with a business, 3 reps, they needed 35 clients more or less every month to trade,
we worked out by a simple formula, that they needed at least a client base of 50 clients
to achieve/exceed their monthly sales targets with 35 clients buying every month.
 So from here the plan took better shape!
The business lost about 20 clients per year( an opportunity to address) quite a few due to Service issues, Relationship issues, and some on price.
A good refresher for you guys.
Till next time go sell your way to Success.

Spring and Summer Sales Months

Running with you the Sales Reps

1st September is here and month or two summer months will be with us, What am I getting at!

For the past ten years I have been studying here in South Africa, "Do Sme businesses and their
reps do more sales in the period September to November B2B".

The answer is yes, most of the reps and sme businesses exceed sales targets/budgets.
Why, mindsets are more positive, more energy, people feel better with the sun in their face!
       -Also December and January are usually below par months, with most businesses closing
for two to four weeks over this period.

September to November will "only" be good for you if you where ahead of the game in, June
building pipeline sales, relationships, selling solutions?

It's not to late for you to have a great November,
-Look at which clients bought from you in Nov2011, a good starting point,
-Have there been any shifts within your client base,which ones have grown,
-Which clients give you their buying forecasts( they trust you)

Till next time go sell your way to Success.

Sales Rep -Self Analysis

Running with you the Sales Reps

The guidelines below depend on what level rep you are and if you are in the B2B sales game.
 It is always good business to sit back and take stock from time to time, it will also keep you
 a head of the game.

So in your, 40 or 50 or 60 hour week, how do you score yourself on the following,
10 being the best.
-How good are you at prospecting,
-Analysing clients needs,
-Presentation skills,
-Managing of your time,
-Negotiating the deal,
-Closing the sale,

Then-Face to Face communication, and Relationship building, and use of Social media to
network etc.

As a medical doctor has to keep up to date, so we have to, whether, it's our skills, knowledge,
research, shifts and trends.

If you have your own sales development plan, then the above is simple.
Till next time go sell your way to Success

Sale Reps and Social Media

Running with you the Sales Rep

Past number of days I have been finalising my SME Owners workshop ,and been in Joburg meeting with clients.
Let me firstly thank those of you from, South Africa, USA, China, India, Israel, Russia, Germany, UK, UAE ,Australia for viewing my posts, and support.

On my travels I look out for Reps, and knock up a conversation, which includes, chatting about SM,
I am so surprised that very few "work LinkedIn" yep they do  some of the others, but more on the
"social level".

If I was a sales managers in a company I would think twice about employing a rep if they could not demonstrate that they use LinkedIn, and how they make it work for them, just to be in the game,
 this platform is for business. Reps working with LinkedIn I believe will find life alot more interesting, those who don't give our sales profession a bad name!

I met a sales lady, about 26 age, in the cell phone business(B2B), she had heard about LinkedIn, but had not taken action to check it out, good bad, indifferent!, you be the judge.

Recently I asked the sales groups that I am a member of via LinkedIn, What research to reps do on new prospects before your first face to face meeting, looking forward to feedback.

Till next time go sell your way to Success.

Your/Sales Managers Observation Techniques

Running with you the Sales Rep,

Observation techniques are used in market/ marketing research, but to me it is a vital skill
needed by sales reps.

The critical focus point is on your clients behaviour do you really study their behaviour, the way
they communicate, their style etc. I will come back to this further in the post.

Do you know how your sales manager goes about observing you! ( I hope you do)

Back in the day, the 1980's I had a Branch Manager, who did alot of " management by walking around" he also spent time observing us at our Friday evening team get together at the branch pub.
He would sit at the corner of the bar with a scotch and puff away, watching the different dynamics.
We called him JR( from the TV series Dallas) I made a point of observing JR, interesting stuff, I had been selling for 4years.I learnt many things at those Friday "meetings"

Ok back to you guys, when observing, factor in,
-The setting you are in, is it a natural or contrived setting,
-Is it in your office or your clients, does this make a big difference?
-Is it at a social function with your client, a game of golf, lunch, etc
So I hope I have given you something new to think about( do you do it subconsciously)

Till next time Go sell your way to Success.

Do you have these Skills

Running with you the Sales Rep.

In a earlier blog I chatted about being at a consultative sales level, although on you business card
 your title may say something else.

Here's a few skills that you need to be better and better than the opposition rep's,

-Your " leadership" skill level, as Robin Sharma puts it's "be a leader without a title",
 what does these mean, being very good at looking for solutions( I hate the word problem, negative!)
 ability to see good opportunities, not just rush after every one that comes your way, manage your
 return on effort(ROE)
- Your sales IQ, moving to Business IQ, with sales reps I work with I try to ensure they get a good
 understanding of how the business works, all business are the same, but are different, you know.
-Managing your clients expectations, through better communications( yep I have certain tricks in
 this regard, that's what I get paid for) and improved needs analysis approach.

Clients want help, great advice, solution driven input and know they can Trust you, keep your word,this is part of your leadership skill.

Till next time Go sell your way to Success.

Client's Personality Profile

Running with you the Sales Rep

Following on from a few of my recent posts "about clients". As sales pro's we try to quickly  identify/recognise at our first face to face meeting, which 2 of the 4 styles the client is.
Controller, Analytical, Promoter, Supporter.

The next trick is to KNOW how to sell to them, for example, if your client is a controller/analytical,
what is your approach vs someone who is analytical/promoter. yes different approaches needed.

Yes we can not put people in "boxes", but we need some form of basis to work from, it also depends on what 2 styles you are.

I done understand that there are other type of style models ie-

Expressive,Amiable, Analytical, Driver

So briefly selling to-
Analytical, show, talk detail, do not push them for quick answer,
Controller, talk results, be concise,
Promoter, give compliments, show flexibility,
Supporter, watch their feelings, and your tone,
           To name a few.
Till next time go sell your way to Success.

You and Your Clients

Running with you the Sales Rep

As a pro sales rep, you know that in this different economy, there are shifts and trends,(S and T) the trick is to get a handle on how are these affecting your client and MORE IMPORTANTLY how is it
affecting your Sales into your clients.

So what and how are you going about gathering information, especially "within" your clients business and are you asking the right questions.

It gets down to fully understanding that nearly everything is in a state of change,in my SME blogs I have covered many areas to insure business is not lost. however competition is good, competitors also lose clients.

Put in place your action plan, to "be a Partner with your client", for example-
    - are you feeding you client with your research findings on S and T in their industry, there are many other way's, I hope i have given you improved direction on this subject.

Till next time, Go sell you way to Success.

Your Influence vs Your Performance

Running with you the Sales Rep.

I have just spent a few days in Johannesburg, meeting with clients and attending sales meetings, positive energy is generally the order of the day, good motivator for me. but while waiting for my flight pulled a magazine and saw this in an article-

"The Belief that Sales is mainly about Relationships is Outdated" this from a managing director and coach, well up to you to agree or disagree, I disagree.
To have a positive and significant INFLUENCE on others and on your PERFORMANCE, your relationships need to be the solid foundation.In the article it also stated customers are looking for direction on how to grow business and manage over heads- they are TOO BUSY to focus on relationships, you know my view?????

Then in a FORBES article 2nd July a comment" busy being busy executives trying to justify their existence" .In a post I did on the 12th June in my blog for sme owners," who really cares how busy you are, manage time, not your time management"

So influence is more about who and what you influence in your day, if it is positive then good ,great performance should follow.

Each day be aware of the power of your Influence be conscious of it, believe me it has great power.

Till next time, Go sell your way to Success.

Not all Clients are Created Equal

Running with you the Sales Reps

You know that all prospect's won't appeal to you and visa versa, so it is critical that your research/homework is on it's game,will save you so much back end hassles.
I agree it takes alot of discipline to only attract the right type of clients, some are referred to you ,you may take over some when you are new to a company.

So what do you set as your guiding principles in "attracting the right clients".
      First step define what is the right client, I spoke earlier about back end hassles, which to me, are they good payers, are they profitable, are they high or low maintenance, is there potential to grow business from them, do they have similar values.
      Having said the above do you have a choice in the matter?
So many businesses( there are exceptions to the rule) just take on any type of client, just get sales, get sales,! rubbish. For 30 years I have witnessed, many reps and businesses focus on Attracting the right Clients. It can be done.

Till next time, go Sell your way to Success.

Manage Sales Fatigue

Running with you the Sales Reps,

Hopefully most of you don't suffer from sales fatigue, or is it sales stress, or sales pressure. If you do here's a few ways to stay on your game.

How do you have and create fun at work, you spend some much time working you need to have this as part of your sales plan, next which high potential clients do you really, really enjoy,make plans to
to have regular contact with them.
Keep fresh by doing a different type of self development, attack some project that has fear written all over it, yes might seem weird, it can work.
Here's one that I did all the time, when it is my birthday, or my wife's or son's I would take the day off.( As a manager I gave my staff the day of on their birthday, no leave form had to be filled in, if the day was on a Saturday or Sunday, then Friday or Monday were taken off)

Here's a few other ideas from my Inspired Sales Insights booklet,
         Session 15,  -are you building your personal brand,
                             -how we think is how we are,
                             -work on your behaviour and habits.
(These three points were covered in more depth in an earlier post of mine)

Till next time, go sell your way to Success.

Your Relationship Model/B2B

Running with you the Sales Rep.

Your company may have the above in place, but how have you adjusted it for you.

Once you have won over a new client, what do you put in place to ensure they stay with you, to win them it could have been for the following reasons.
-Timing, client "needed" a change,
-From your presentation-how you sold yourself,
-From your networking, being referred, is 90% deal closed!
-The power of your company's Brand/Image,
-Your solutions to your clients problems,
              -Oh YES I nearly forgot on Price!

NOW how are you going to retain them, hopefully these are in your Relationship Model,

-How quickly do you establish Trust,
-What promotional tools do you use,
-If you won them on price, will this always be the basis for the relationship and ongoing business!!
-Do you have some form of loyalty programme in place,
-What are you doing to make the client feel Very comfortable dealing with YOU the Sales Pro,
-etc,etc.

The bottom line is the longer your client is with you, the better the relationship should be, but the harder it is to be on your game!-you know why.

Till next time go sell your way to Success.

Sales Rep as your OWN Business

Running with you the Sales Reps.

As a Sales Pro you run your own business, most bosses try to have this as your mind set, and they are right, but do they show you and train you Why,and How.

If not here's a few guidelines.

You all have a client base, have you really analysed it, yes need to be aware of the 80/20% rule, but forget listing your clients as A,B, or C, better High, Medium, Low, potential( you decide the sales value amount)
-Next,list the key objective to achieve,
-Then, how's your sales plan looking,
-Follow this,with sales activities and actions.
-Then implement controls and monitoring steps.

-How do you reward loyal clients and how do you define them

Sure you need to be creative with regards the above, I do have a detailed model.

By implementing the above you will achieve,
-Higher sales productivity,
-More stable client base,
-Increased income,
-Improved focus on YOUR business priorities,
-Improved personal growth.

Till next time, go sell your way to Success.

Storytelling

Running with you the Sales Reps.

Storytelling seems to be the buz word, to me it has been used for many years, both within the business and selling to clients b2b,(face to face selling).

It needs to be part of one's approach, whether a sales manager trying to motivate reps or getting the client, new prospect to buy from you.

Any rep worth his or her salt should be using this as standard, most top achieving reps will see the benefits, simple your competitor reps will be doing the same, why, there is so much information on this subject. It is nothing really new, the HOW you use, go about it is the trick.

Recently I was at a client sales meeting, 6 reps, we spent time chatting about what can make us different, to close new prospects, 40% of their sales come from "new", new clients.
Within an hour they came up with some great stuff, you, we need to bring a fresh, different approach, most of the time. The next step was cost to implement and action date, easy.

While on this subject, Testimonial selling is also a standard approach.The bottom line is HOW YOU the rep compete, just to be in the game, so go look closely at your game plan, YOU will make it happen.

Till next time, go sell your way to Success.

What do YOU enjoy about the Sales Game

Running with you the Sales Reps

Recently I asked via the sales groups that I am connected with on Linkedin( quite a few groups, connect with me if you would like to, great to network) the above question, thank you for your response.Focus was on two things one enjoy's.

Some interesting feed back,

-convincing new clients to buy my product,
-freedom and flexibility,
-uncapped income and financial freedom,
-developing new relationships,
-helping clients find solutions to their problems,
-making customer happy, and then I am happy,
-come across new ideas, new ways to do things,
-pleasure of acheivment,
-the challenge of closing a difficult client,
-finding the right solution for my client,
-free to manage my time.

To name a few.

So we have 6 months left in our sales year, what are the 5 key areas you want to work on, to be better positioned as a Sales Pro, maybe it is some off these,

-study your client more,notice and remember the details,
-would your clients really miss you,
-keep challenging yourself to be open to new ideas,
-improve your focus,
-make more face to face contact with your clients.

Till next time ,go sell your way to Success

Your Reputation, and Intelligence.

Running with you the Sales Reps.

Six months gone in the year, history or not!

Think of ways you improved your Reputation, and what areas you want to focus on in the next six months.

Did your reputation improve with your clients, your boss, your team mates, your network(that's a good word, we all need to network)

Or were you the know it all, did you let your Intelligence get in the way or was your ego in check.

From experience one see's this all the time, I have even been gulity of it, (have been improving big time in this area)

Some how we humans find it almost intolerable that there is someone more intelligent than us in the meeting. Did this affect your sales performance in the first six months.

BUT having said the above, how important is one's Character, You be the judge.

Till next time, go sell your way to Success.

Do You know who your Opposition Reps are?

Running with you the Sales Reps.

I am sure you know in depth those competitor companies you have to fight in the trenches every
day. But do you know the two or three competitor reps that you come up against in the field.

Do you beleive this to be important, does this give you an edge, does this help you think of ways to out smart them.
Do they have better multi-level relationships in the client business than you!
Do you have "a feel" how many times they meet with your client, in a certain period,
Do they have a bigger share, or less of a share of the clients business,

Do these reps know about you!Yep, each day you are paid to be on your game, be creative.

I know of many ways to out smart competing reps, go brainstorm with you team mates, you will come up with great ways to win the battle.

Till next time, go sell your way to Success.

You as a BRAND

Running with you the sales reps.

Over the past few years you as a brand has been a buz word, it does however make sense.

So how do you do this, here's how I see it.Focus on the following-
     Self awareness, you need to dig deep to get a handle on this, it sometimes takes years.
     Personal choices, we demand how we should live, not someone else's version,
     Personal characteristics,ie honesty, courage, integrity to name a few to help you be better,
     Personal leadership/discipline, you know what this means,
     Your behaviour, developing this is a key success factor,
     Relationships and how you Communicate.
     Your Time management, most people have 24 hours in a day!
                            ALL quite SIMPLE- right!!!

             SUCCESS, What does this mean to you!

Today being good and competent in your job is not good enough for tomorrow's business world.

          You have to be outstanding and unique, more that a cut above the rest, so go do it, being a sales rep is great, be a positive source of energy.

Till next time, go sell your way to Success.

Yes that word PRICE

Running with you the Sales Rep.

Many of us!-have a problem with over coming price objections, so let me spend sometime covering  a few key areas(I won't give you all the answers, I get paid for that, yep we all have to make a Rand or two)

It is not wise to pay too little, but it is also not wise to pay too much.We have all heard the saying, Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten, so lets move on.

First step,you need to feel comfortable with value for money concept,which is Benefits vs Investment(not the word cost, stay away from this useless word, it has a negative feel)

Next look at what does the word Value mean to your client and you, it could mean the following-
        Low risk(most things have a risk attached to it)
        Is it the flavour of the "month"
        Reliability
        Status/ego
        Long lasting
        Uniqueness
                               to name a few.


Now go and apply this to your product or service.

Till next time, go sell your way to Success.

What Level of Sales Rep are You.

Running with you the Sales Rep.

Guy- what do you mean by the above, read on, enjoy.
Firstly let me make a comment, in my view every one needs to know how to sell,(not just take the order) simple we are 99% of the time in a sales situation, in a face to face situation.

I believe so much in the above, that I sent my son on a day sales training course while he was in his last year of high school, good move or not, he started to sell to me after that, I had to on my game to over come his objections!!

Anyway I see reps in Three phases of development-

   New to the game of selling, so they have Basic sales skills, which include product knowledge,
   presentation skills, prospecting skills, telephone skills, focus on relationships, etc

  You see on many business cards Relationship Manager( another word for sales person) this is the
   next level,focus on relationships,better planning through the sales process, improving personal
   management skills,improved sales skills, broader market/ competitor information gathering.etc

  Consultative/Strategic sales person, looks at long term planning with the client, share of the clients
  business,develops and maintains wide multi level relationships in the clients business, partnership
  is formed with the client, helping them sell more.

The above refers to b2b, and is not a full breakdown, but you get the picture.

Till next time, go sell your way to Success.

The Ten/Twelve month formula

Running with you the Sales Rep.

Most sales reps are given sales targets to achieve for the year, the targets are usually for a 12 month period, (the businesses financial year). So why do I use the above formula, read on.

Lets agree that there are twenty one sales days in the month, for how many months in the year, do you have to sell not 12 months, yep you know the answer.

Lets also agree in the example that there are ten public holidays that fall on work days.So we have the following numbers, 21days x 12 months = 252 days,(to sell to your clients) less 10 days (public holidays)=242 days
You take 15 working days leave a year, 242-15=227days, say you are sick, compassionate leave etc for 5 days, 227-5=222days. Your clients close office for 10 days over Christmas period, 222-10==212days.

So from starting with 252 days you are now down to 212 days.

212 divided by 21 days=10 months .

Then if you spend only 3 hours a day selling, you have, 212 days x 3 =636hours in a year to sell b2b stuff. You then work out what you have to do to use your precious and valuable time, to be a winner, do other reps spend more time selling, do they focus on their best ROE(return on effort).With this you have to factor in travelling time per day, your sales admin time per day(internal meetings,etc)

Yes, we all know this, so why are there so many reps and businesses not achieving, please do not be one of them.
Till next time, go sell your way to Success.

Overcoming Objections

Running with you the Sales Rep.

We are all trained to overcome buyer objections, we also know which key ones will be thrown at us, right!
Here's a few as a refresher-
       Business is slow right now,
       I am to busy to meet with you,
       We expect hard times ahead,
       We are satisfied with whom we deal with.
                     nearly forgot this objection!
        Your price is to high.

We all know that price will be one of the objections, why do so many reps then jump to giving discounts. If you have been selling for a while you should have at least five ways to overcome this,
right!
In my travels I must admit that I haven't heard the word that starts with R in terms of the economy, I hate that word,we are just in a different economic climate. there is business being done we must just find it,right!

In 2008 I came up with the RSQP formula relative to b2b.
   Relationships
   Service
   Quality
   yes Price last 
To view the full information on this formula you can go to my other blog,focused at SME Owners,
http://www.scotrho.blogspot.com

Till next time, go Sell your way to Success

Best of the Best

Running with you the Sales Rep.

How are you trying to be better, each day are you growing as the best there is, You can here's a few insights-
      Imagine yourself successful, see yourself capable and self-confident,
      Reflect on what has made you successful todate, do you need to adjust,
      Are you a positive vib to people you meet and work with,
      Are you upgrading you skills and knowledge.
Remembering in every sales team there will be one or two reps that will not hit their monthly target, you do not want to be one of them!(sure there are exceptions to every rule)

Know your Genius, keep focused, have dogged determination to succeed, without sales reps there is no economy, people buy from people, even with all the online stuff!
I met a rep this week at a client,he had just joined them, he's a ball of fire, on red bull I would say, what energy he has, he 's got the whole office moving forward, thinks on his feet. Quickly I focused on his sales admin, why, most times this is an issue, but with David no, all good.

Till next time, go sell your way to Success.

Closing the Sale

Running with you the Sales Rep.

We all want to close the sale, so do we know how to ensure that our hit rate is up there with the best.

Do we need to know the closing techniques, yes, no? I am in the sales trenches with reps nearly everyday, many of them close the deal, quite a few don't!

Here's some reasons why-
   they wait to be given the order!
   they do not collect the payment within agreed terms!
   they do not know the different closing techniques!

Those that close the deal, ask for the order, although they do not know the NAME of the closing approach, that's cool, get the result.

Is it important for reps to know the the difference between cash flow and profit?
Your Boss tells you collect the money, so the deal is only closed when the money is in the bank.

If you want to know some closing techniques, here's a few-( you guys know them)

   I (99% of the time used) the Isolation close, you know get straight to the point.
                                           the alternative close.
                                           the summary close
                                           the testimonial close      

Till next time, Go Sell your way to Success.

Has the sales game changed in 30 years ?

Running with you the sales rep.

Given that this is my first sales blog, I thought it a good idea to start with my first sales course I went on in 1980, when I was a rep in Rhodesia.

The course was run by the Alfred Tack organisation, being my first exposure to sales training I was all ears, and yes I learnt so much.

Heres some of the stuff I learnt see if it is still applicable today 2012!

Buying motives fall into two categories,
    Rational and emotional.

You know the differents, so know need to go into depth, but the trick is to focus more on the Emotioanl aspects, it is a key to sales success.

Doing a client needs analysis, want vs needs.

This is still used today.

Features and Benifits statement

This is still used today.

So as I see it three key areas that are still critical today, unless you see otherwise, so please feel free to comment,  this blog needs to be a two way deal

Two years later(1982) I was a rep in Benoni and guess who came through the door, yes, the sales trainer from the Alfred tack course I went on, and yes I had to sell to him, wanted car finance, and yes I Closed the sale.

So till next time, go sell your way to success.
                                                                             
Guy Daines
www.scotrho.co.za

Selling to different Personality Styles.

Running with you the Sales Rep

Is it important to understand your clients personality. This was a new insight for me "back in the day"
I was exposed to this by my friend and mentor in the early 1990's, Bill Gibson.

His model categorised, Four Styles, Controller,( you know the type, total control freak, micro managers)Analytical,Supporter,and Promoter.
As I understand it we are a combination of two styles.Other authors use driver, amiable, expressive.etc

Whatever one you use, please understand how to sell to these styles, it does place you in a better position, with lots of "online selling"now taking place it is a challenge to get to grips with.
For those that do more face to face selling it is a must, it would be good to receive your views.

Bill Gibson has developed "The Complete Sales Action system" you can view at www.kbitraining.com

Tell next time, go sell your way to success.