Posts Tagged SALES BEST PRACTICES
Three Pitfalls to Avoid When Developing an Account Strategy
Posted by Rick Pranitis in SALES BEST PRACTICES on January 8, 2014
The importance of selling strategically is an idea repeated time and time again – the larger and more complex the sale, the louder the advice. However, advising someone to sell strategically is somewhat like suggesting they “sell smart.” That’s great advice, but a little vague unless you can provide some specifics about the how to accomplish the goal.
Let’s start by examining some of the fundamentals for developing an account strategy – beginning with an actionable definition: An account strategy is a plan of action for getting to the right person, at the right time, with the right message.
When thinking about what it takes in a major account to formulate a winning sales strategy, a good starting point is remembering the buying environment is complex. Many decision-makers and influencers are involved, the needs and issues are multi-layered and the solution configuration and implementation management is likely to be complex and sophisticated.
In major accounts, one-size-does-not-fit-all is the cornerstone proposition for formulating a winning account strategy. There are no generic customers in major accounts. So there are no winning generic account strategies. Each customer is unique and each major account strategy must take that uniqueness into consideration.
Here are three pitfalls that will make a successful account strategy less likely.
Underestimating the importance of information is the first pitfall. Collecting, analyzing, and utilizing information about the customer is the starting point to develop any effective plan of action for getting to the right person, at the right time, with the right message. Getting that right requires the recognition that breadth comes before depth.
There is neither the need, nor the time to find out everything about everything all at once. It is however important to get a broad information base about the customer even before your sales process starts and to build upon it early in the sales cycle. This provides the foundation for formulating an initial strategy and provides guidance as to where and how to get in-depth information. The trap is getting a lot of information about the wrong things from the wrong people.
Confusing goals and strategy is the next pitfall. A list of goals is not a strategy. It is just a long list of things to do. A good account strategy focuses on a few pivotal goals and then delineates the challenges, resources, and actions necessary to achieve a favorable outcome – what needs to be done and how are you going to do it.
A correlated trap is substituting blue-sky ideas for pivotal goals using buzzwords like customer-centric that are just vague statement about some desired end state.
The third pitfall is assuming the future looks like the past. We live and sell in a time of “compressed history.” Changes driven by the global market and advances in manufacturing technologies make the past a bad predictor of the future. As a result competitive advantages that once lasted a long time now disappear quickly. In major accounts, if you want to prosper, assuming what worked in the past will work in the present is a risky premise.
To avoid these pitfalls, one overarching best practice should be remembered. In order to think and act effectively throughout the entire sales cycle, your sales strategy requires constant updating. Success cannot be achieved by filing out a form and periodically checking off key milestones. It requires understanding and reacting to the changes in the account and reviewing the responses to those changes with your sales management and the rest of the sales team on the account.
This article originally appeared in the Sales Training Connection blog on October 13, 2013.
A Sales Checklist for Improved Outcomes
Posted by Rick Pranitis in SALES BEST PRACTICES on December 23, 2013
Need proof of the value of a checklist? In a study funded by the World Health Organization, eight hospitals deployed a simple 19-point checklist to help doctors and nurses avoid errors. The list focused on basic safety measures, such as requiring that all members of the surgical team introduce themselves, counting instruments and sponges used during surgery to verify that none were left inside a patient, and ensuring that patients receive antibiotics to prevent infection.
The checklist was credited with a forty percent reduction in deaths and serious complications from surgery, and the study authors concluded that if all hospitals used the checklist, they could save tens of thousands of lives and $20 billion in medical costs each year.
Many studies have been performed and much has been written at length about the value of aligning the sales process with the customer buying process. A typical sales process includes a series of stages through which B2B buyers pass before making a complex purchase and correlates to the actions a seller takes (e.g. analyze needs, qualify, identify solution, propose solution) to manage opportunities through the pipeline.
But that’s not nearly enough. A best practice sales process goes beyond the high-level stages and includes knowledge inflection points and observable outcomes associated with each stage. An observable outcome, similar to a checklist item, is a measurable, verifiable and specific response from – or an action taken by – the buyer. Here are a few examples:
- Did the buyer verify that there is budget available?
- Has the buyer provided access to all decision makers?
- Has the buyer provided decision criteria?
- Did the buyer schedule a follow up meeting for a demonstration?
- Has the buyer provided resources to assist with a detailed design?
You might think that following a sales process, complete with observable outcomes, would be an ingrained habit by now, especially for senior-level sales reps. But with complex selling situations and the pressure on reps to demonstrate results, it’s all too easy to skip critical steps. Sales operations should evaluate sales process stages and observable outcomes every six to 12 months, and then consult with sales leaders to build or update these outcomes as sales process stage progression criteria within the sales automation tool. The need for precision, consistency and repeatability isn’t limited to doctors and surgeons. Best-in-class sales organizations apply discipline and rigor to each sales stage, carefully crafting observable outcomes to avoid critical errors, wasted time and misdirected company resources.
We’re on the cusp of a new year. Now is a perfect time for evaluation of your sales process and implementation of the steps necessary to assure continued improvement and success in our business.
For an Effective Voicemail Message – Ditch the Pitch!
Posted by Rick Pranitis in SALES BEST PRACTICES on August 5, 2013
In an age where phone ringers are set to silent and text messaging is a primary form of communication, finding a successful voicemail strategy can be daunting and discouraging. It can be tempting to just rely on emails for leads, or set up an automated system to leave messages for you, but the ability to leave an effective voicemail is still a valuable skill to learn. Here are some pointers I’ve learned from my time on the phones.
The Basics – Sounding calm and confident on the phone is the first step in leaving a good voicemail. Relax while you’re speaking, and talk a little slower than you’re used to in ordinary conversation. And as cheesy as it sounds, smiling while you talk actually affects your tone on the phone, and makes you sound more pleasant.
Talk Like a Human – It’s fair to assume that your prospects are human, and that you are one too. Surprisingly, you can use this fact to your advantage. There are so many automated messages, menus, and reminders that talking to a real, flesh-and-blood person has become somewhat of a novelty. Leave a voicemail the way you’d want someone to leave one for you. Keep your tone conversational.
Toss the Script – I remember story hour in elementary school. All the kids would sit and listen as the teacher read aloud to us from a book. It was lovely and relaxing, and a lot of kids would fall asleep. Don’t be a teacher reading from a book. People talk differently from how they write, and it’s painfully obvious to your listener if you’re reading from something pre-written. Know your content well enough to avoid stammering through with “um”s and “like”s, but don’t put your prospects to sleep.
Ditch the Sales Lingo – I hear a lot of new hires leaving messages the way they think “salespeople” do. The fact of the matter is if you sound like a sales pitch or an infomercial, your prospects aren’t going to be inclined to return your message. Fast-talking sleazy salespeople in the movies are hilarious, but having one on the other end of your phone isn’t nearly as fun. Explain your product to your prospects as though you’re talking to them about it over lunch. Statistics and case studies have their place, but your voicemail isn’t it.
Keep it Short – Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, and no one wants to be held hostage by a two-and-a-half minute long voicemail. There are three things people are listening for in a message: Who are you? What do you want? How do they get back to you? If you go too much longer than that, you’re going to lose your audience. Remember that you’re following up with an email, so you don’t need to say every last thing about your product in your voicemail.
Prospects are bombarded with salespeople every day asking “for just a few minutes of their time.” Make yourself stand out by not acting like the rest of them. Recognize that your prospects are busy, and don’t want to listen to you blather on about how great your product is. Keep your message short and sweet. Try not to sound like someone from a late-night infomercial, and you’ll be well on your way towards messaging that actually generates responses.
Getting Back to the Basics – Top Sales Advice
Posted by Rick Pranitis in SALES BEST PRACTICES on July 29, 2013
There are many schools of thought when it comes to sales. You need to wade through all
this information and find out what works for you and your personality. Everyone is different; so you have to be open to finding out new things about yourself as well as the people you are selling to.
Only Sell What you Believe In – This is a good sales advice. You need to believe in the product you are selling. This allows you to be honest about what you are selling. It helps you speak knowledgeably about the product and convince others that it is right for them.
Be Direct – Consumers have become savvier than ever before. Because of this fact, it is important that you are direct. When you try to skirt around issues or concerns it seems as though you are hiding something and that does not bode well for the sale.
Know the Art of Pressure – There is a particular art to putting pressure on people. Mentioning things once in order to cause uncertainty or doubt with current products is good, but don’t bang it over the head. If you keep bringing it up, the client will dislike you rather than trust you.
Learn About Your Client – Do your research. You should learn about your client before you call if possible. You can sell to them better if you know what they want or need.
It’s All About Presentation – Taking the time to build up a presentation is important. The more prepared you are, the better you will come off as well as your products. You want to have all the facts well organized so people can easily follow you and your thought process.
Follow Up! – It can be discouraging sometimes and hard to make a second call but you should always follow up. Taking the time to call back or visit again can mean the difference between making a sale and not making a sale.
Know the Answer or Find Out – Don’t try to flub your way through something, if you don’t know the answer to a question don’t make one up. It is much better to say something along the lines of, “what an interesting question, I will have to look into that for you.” This gives you further reason to follow up.
Work with Humor – Humor is the ultimate ice breaker. It is a good idea to work in some comedy to your presentation as it helps the client identify with you. This connection goes a long way towards making a sale.
Learn from Every Failed Sale – Don’t beat yourself up over a failed sale but rather learn from it. Even a truly great salesperson is not going to be able to make every sale and you should try to figure out where it went off track and learn from that. You can then tackle the problem differently in the future.
Don’t Avoid Questions, Answer – Finally, make sure to answer questions, even if you feel like the answer is not entirely positive. Avoiding questions makes you look untrustworthy and that will not build the relationship necessary to make a sale.
Are You Selling at Every Level?
Posted by Rick Pranitis in SALES BEST PRACTICES on July 13, 2013
While many companies promise to build their organization around the needs of their customers, few companies can claim that they organize themselves around the needs of their salespeople. Yet the two are inevitably linked: in a sales-focused culture in which the entire company (not just the sales department) is involved in selling, salespeople are more successful and customers are more satisfied. Highly successful companies not only create customer-focused organizations but also back up their commitment with sales-focused cultures.
What are the elements of a sales-focused culture? Ideally, a company sells at three distinct levels. At the C-level, top executives set the tone for the organization by clearly articulating the company’s mission, vision, and values. While the company’s mission describes the noble purpose of the organization (selling meaning), the vision statement induces people to aim their effort toward greater future achievements (selling inspiration). The description of the company’s values provides a sensible guide for creating relationships (selling trust). For a true sales culture to exist, C-level executives need to continuously sell meaning, inspiration, and trust to the company’s employees, customers, suppliers, and shareholders. Research shows that companies whose employees understand the mission, vision, and values enjoy a greater return than other firms.
At the middle level, sales and marketing departments create messages that are in sync with the company’s mission, vision, and values. While marketing creates the brand promise, sales delivers by elevating the customer relationship to a branded sales experience. The key to a true sales-focused culture is to align sales and marketing.
At the street level, salespeople act as company ambassadors who are fluent in two languages: the customer’s language and the company’s language. They are able to diagnose the right problems and deliver the right solution. Ideally, the sales team’s internal and external relationship skills will build a competition-proof connection between the company and clients that will ultimately extend from the mail room to the boardroom.
To borrow an analogy from the world of music, C-level selling is like an overture that offers a preview of imminent excitement and drama. Mid-level selling engages people with a catchy tune that resonates pleasantly in the customer’s mind. Person-to-person selling is more like jazz, which is the art of the moment. Good salespeople can instantly improvise and hit the right note at the right time to turn the right prospect into a happy customer.
Very few companies are able to act in concert from top to bottom. It takes an enlightened CEO and highly talented sales and marketing teams to create a sales-focused culture with all members of the organization playing their part in a symphony that inspires the customer’s delight. It’s easier said than done, but the results can be magic for top-line and bottom-line growth.
This article was originally posted on the Selling Power Blog by Gerhard Gschwandtner on April 9, 2013.
Respect Your Competition
Posted by Rick Pranitis in MARKETING on July 9, 2013
Product managers and marketers are naturally competitive. They want their products to win in the marketplace, and they want to beat the competition. This trait is important to the success of a product manager or product marketer.
However, it’s important to balance support and bias toward your product with the realities of the marketplace. There’s a difference between being a champion for your product and being blind to the market, customer needs and perceptions.
There are countless examples of former industry leaders who underestimated their competition and were beat by scrappy upstarts. There are also countless examples of scrappy upstarts who have underestimated the reach and resources of industry leaders. In many of these cases, objectivity toward the market was overpowered by hubris.
Successful product managers and marketers walk a fine line between being completely objective and being a die-hard super-fan supporter. Here are two simple tips on how to respect your competition when it’s natural to be focused on how much better you are than them:
– Consciously seek out objective viewpoints. Spending all of your time in the office with colleagues or interacting only with happy customers isn’t going to provide you with a real picture of what’s going on in the market. Rather than hiding in a self-congratulating bubble, actively seek out places where you will get objective viewpoints. Go to a conference for an industry where you’re not the market leader. Reach out to customers who have left you for another vendor. Find places outside your product’s comfort zone and keep your ears open and your mouth closed. The feedback will be enlightening.
– Be conscious of the many roles you need to play. In a given week – or day – product managers need to wear a number of different hats. One hat might be the one you wear when you’re working a trade show booth and trying to make your pitch to prospects. Another hat might be the one you wear when you’re making your case to senior management for more funding to address weaknesses in your product. You wear another hat when you’re enabling your sales force and yet another when you’re conducting market research. In each of these scenarios, you’re in a different mode, that requires a particular attitude. Your “rah rah” attitude should be in full effect when you’re making your pitch to prospects at a trade show booth, but it should be put in check when you’re conducting site visits as part of a market research project.
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This article was originally posted to the Sirius Decisions Blog by Jeff Lash on 22 May 2013.
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How to Handle Sales Rejection
Posted by Rick Pranitis in SALES BEST PRACTICES on June 28, 2013
Conventional sales wisdom has it that a sales person must drive through many “no’s” to get to a “yes,” but when considering how to handle sales rejection the better point of view to take might be how to turn those “no’s” into “yes”. By taking a more positive line on sales rejection, you can help yourself overcome the anxiety that can stall your sales numbers. Try the following exercises to support your positive attitude so that you can get to a mindset where you can overcome sales rejection through viewing it as an opportunity to sell better.
Look at Your Accomplishments When Sales Rejection Threatens Your Outlook
People tend to give the most recent events in their lives the greatest influence over their short-term perceptions. If sales rejection has been a recent trial, you may be at risk of losing sight of your past accomplishments and your future goals. You are in control of how sales rejection impacts you, and if you do not want the specter of rejection anxiety to cast a shadow on your sales numbers you should take steps to remember your positive accomplishments.
- Think about recent contracts you were able to leverage, and what you did right to get to that point.
- Keep a file of accolades from prospects, clients, peers, managers, and anyone else who sends you positive feedback so that you have something to refer to to get you over sales rejection.
- Turn your focus to what needs to change as you move forward to keep yourself on track for your long term career aspirations.
Freeze Out Sales Rejection by Arranging Your Day around Preventing It
The times that you choose to undertake your sales activities can have a measurable impact on your ability to handle and overcome sales rejection. Just consider how positive you feel when you are able to end the day with a scheduled contract signing, as opposed to the feelings you might have when you end the day with a series of unanswered or negative answer sales calls. Put yourself in the driver’s seat over sales rejection by looking at how you schedule your time.
- Schedule activities that traditionally have higher rates of sales rejection between more positive experiences such as follow-ups with strong relationships.
- After a successful presentation or close, make the positive boost in energy work for you by making a few cold calls.
- Use the last minutes of your day to wrap up positive tasks, so that a sales rejection just before you close the day does not set the tone for the next morning.
Know that Short Term Setbacks from Sales Rejection Are Just Part of the Picture
It may feel as though sales rejection is somehow filtering through the air when you encounter a series of negative responses, especially when a temporary negative trend impacts your goals for the day or even for the whole week. Do not set yourself back by projecting that negative trend any further than the last call. If you tried your best and are working to improve your tactics for handling sales rejection, your next call can be the one that says yes. Remember:
- A large part of sales is in attitude, and if you make a call expecting to be rejected, you may be encouraging a negative response without realizing it.
- Your short term goals support your long term goals, but are not the whole picture; one less-than-outstanding day does not need to devastate your month.
- Sometimes external events really do lead to a series of rejections when a whole industry is impacted; consider what is happening so that you can adjust to overcome sales rejection.
Your career in sales is what you make it, and your ability to handle sales rejection in a positive light is one of the foundation stones of your career. Never let sales rejection slow you down; stay affirmative and in control by viewing it as another opportunity for improvement.
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This article was originally posted to the Sales Force Search blog by Doug O’Grady on June 27, 2013
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12 Elements of a Great Sales Playbook
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION, SALES LEADERSHIP on May 17, 2013
The implementation of a sales playbook can be one of the most impactful initiatives for any sales organization. There are two reasons for this tremendous ROI. First, by following some simple guidelines, it can be a remarkably easy initiative to implement, and second, research shows that this results in 33% additional revenue.
Here are twelve elements of a great sales playbook that you should use to guide your implementation.
1. Repeatable Winning Sales Processes
The key word here is ‘repeatable’. When everyone adopts the same sales process, there is a common language that is understood, not just by sales, but by the whole organization. Recent research shows that while only 60% of sales teams have a sales process that is well defined, and well executed – those who do are 33% more likely to be High Performers*.
2. Customized to the Buying Cycle
Customers buy in lots of different ways; some purchases are guided by a single decision maker, while in other cases there can be a large buying committee. Some issue RFPs (health-warning!), others invite recognized suppliers to discuss their issues, an increasing number learn in the Social Universe, and just a few remain with the incumbent supplier trading ‘the devil you know’ for potentially more advanced or competitive solutions. Unless you visualize the journey the customer wants to take, you won’t be with them when they reach their destination.
3. Sales Tools in Context at Each Stage
At each stage of the buying process, salespeople need to employ just the right tools – at the right time to advance the sale to the next stage in the process. A B2B sale is not a single event. In fact it is a collection of micro-sales events, each crafted to move closer to the eventual goal. Salespeople are busy and often don’t know which tool they need, where to find it or how to use it at the specific point in the micro-sale. Integrating sales tools into the playbook as part of the sales process is the solution.
4. Industry Sales Process Templates
It is widely accepted that tailoring your sales process to the specific needs of an industry will increase your chances for success. Third party industry sales templates are readily available from suppliers who have been tracking and analyzing millions of sales cycles. That is the catalyst you need to get started.
5. Many Simple and Complex Processes
One playbook or sales process does not fit all. Sometimes you are pursuing a brand new customer or a very large deal that demands a complex and sophisticated set of ‘plays’ to win the deal. In other cases, the transaction might be quick, one that suggests a different rhythm. Your sales playbook should have the requisite intelligence to support that automatically and serve up the right playbook at the right time.
6. Process, Benchmarks and Insight
Benchmarking delivers many advantages for companies looking to improve the performance of their sales organization. Your playbook must capture those benefits, learn from them, and uncover insights that help you to drive your sales velocity. When deploying a playbook, ensure that you have built in a capability that guides you to progress through these stages of evolution for your sales team.
7. Team Visibility for the Sales Manager
Being a front-line sales manager is one of the hardest jobs in sales. It is also the critical link in sales. Unless the sales manager has all the tools he or she needs to easily manage the business, the whole performance of the sales organization could suffer. You need to provide them with the ‘Easy Button’. Sales playbooks are often designed just with the sales person in mind. Remember that the sales manager is the critical link.
8. Integrates with CRM System
This one should be a ‘no-brainer’. The playbook must integrate tightly with the CRM system so when the sales person works with an opportunity, the playbook will always be present, just where it needs to be. That way the playbook (if it is smart enough) can react to the attributes of the opportunity, like the size of the deal, or the products included in the opportunity record to present the right playbook for that opportunity. Complete integration with your CRM delivers the optimum experience for the sales person, and provides sales managers with greater flexibility on how they view the data in the context of the rest of the business. It is important.
9. Informs Sales Forecast Visibility
Salespeople spend about 2.5 hours each week on sales forecasting, and for most companies, the accuracy of sales forecasts leave a lot to be desired. To maximize the impact of your sales playbook on the accuracy of your sales forecast, there are two things to consider. (1) Does the sales playbook incorporate intelligence that objectively monitors the close date of the sale? (2) Does the sales playbook provide the sales manager with insight into deal vulnerabilities and risks in the forecast?
10. Motivational and Visual
There are only two reasons why an individual does not complete a task. Either they do not have the competence, or they are not motivated enough to do it. Think about that – these are the only two reasons. Your sales playbook should improve competence and increase motivation. The competence piece is easily understood.
Motivation is a little more challenging. A study on What Motivates Sales People shows that, perhaps surprisingly for some, compensation is not the primary motivator. ‘Making Progress of Winning’ is ranked by sales people as the main reason they get up in the morning. To entice adoption of the sales playbook (rather than force compliance) your sales playbook needs to provide true value for the sales person – resolve that reward/effort equation, so that the salesperson gets more back from the playbook that they put into it.
11. Social and Collaborative
As B2B companies rely more heavily on social collaboration tools, some of the biggest gainers are going to be salespeople. Sales people who are the leaders in their organization are using social tools such as Chatter in Salesforce to improve collaboration in their own sales teams. Leading sales playbooks help by letting everyone ‘follow’ the plays, contributes to the conversation, and collaborate on the deal. The B2B world is constantly becoming more social and collaborative and you should ensure that your sales playbook accommodates this advancement.
12. Mobile and Cloud
Time is precious, and the sales person’s time is incredibly precious, both to them and to the sales organization looking to maximize the performance of their key quota-bearers. Since so much of a sales person’s time is spent moving between A and B and back again, they should be equipped with the mobility to connect to their sales playbook allowing them to be responsive, productive, collaborative and consistent at any time, wherever they are. In other applications, mobile and cloud capabilities are being leveraged to facilitate access anywhere, anytime. It must be the same with your sales playbook.
Unless mobile and cloud are core elements of your sales playbook plan, the initiative could face severe challenges in a very short term.
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This article was originally posted to the Dealmaker® 365 blog by Donal Daly on May 12, 2013
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12 Key Steps to Improve Your Sales Team
Posted by Rick Pranitis in SALES BEST PRACTICES on April 25, 2013
“Grow your sales force in quantity and quality. And if you grow your sales force in quantity and quality, they in turn will grow your sales,” says sales training and coaching expert Jack Daly in his Fridays with Vistage webinar. His presentation, “Getting the Most of Your Sales Force: 12 Activities For the Winning Sales Leader” addresses the most important factors that management can practice in order to build a successful sales force. He explains these 12 key factors as follows:
1. Ranking of the Sales Staff and Minimum Standards of Performance: “All sales people should not be treated equally,” he states. As sales personnel have different capabilities, experiences and territories, the plan and minimum performance standards negotiated should be customized for each individual. The sales force should be ranked at least monthly, and consider replacing your bottom tier for better prospects and to improve company culture. He suggests, “low turnover is NOT a good thing. Low turnover of GOOD Performers IS a good thing.”
2. One-on-One sessions: Managers should meet with each member of the sales team for one-on-one sessions to discuss pipeline, goals and activities, touch system and for coaching at least once a month. If possible, meet weekly to examine what is making them successful or unsuccessful.
3. Inspect the Baskets – Proactive Pipeline Management: Each team member’s pipeline should be divided into two categories: prospects and clients. Prospects should be ranked in order of importance, and records should be kept on how and how often they’ve been contacted and, most importantly, why a prospect hasn’t become a customer yet. When prospecting, identify which businesses have the most opportunity, and spend time targeting them more frequently rather than prospecting to more companies. He suggests that more touches can create more trust, and people buy from companies they trust.
4. Inspection of Prospecting Touch System: Studies show; most organizations don’t begin to remember a company, until at least nine contacts have been made. Most organizations quit contact after five or less unsuccessful tries. Use different media to contact clients and prospects including phone calls, emails, direct mail and social media. Also, customize your contact agenda with industry-specific info and ideas or messages that appeal to the personal interests of the contact.
5. Goals and Key Activities Inspection Process: Each salesperson should create their goals in writing and have a written plan on how to reach goals as wells as a system of measurement and a system of accountability. Break long-term financial goals into weekly amounts, and identify the key activities that need to be done in order to reach those goals. Keeping accurate measurements of the process will help make them accountable.
6. Training is a Process, not an Event: “If you’re NOT training, you’re NOT Gaining,” says Jack. Each team member’s performance should be analyzed, and they should be continuously trained by doing field calls, role practice, one-on-ones, progress reviews and other techniques.
7. Field Calls: Managers should incorporate field calls into their training programs. The three scenarios for field call training include joint, training and coaching calls. Joint calls are when both manager and salesperson participate equally, training calls are conducted by the manager, and coaching calls are conducted by the salesperson. Debrief after calls to discuss what worked well and what could be improved.
8. Role Practice: “If your sales people are not practicing inside their company, where are they practicing?” asks Jack. Doing 3-person group practice calls where members alternate in the roles of salesperson, prospect and observer will hone their skills in a constructive environment without having the potential of losing prospective business.
9. Building the Success Guide: There are only so many variables in a sales call, and sales staff can prepare themselves beforehand by composing a case-specific guide to study these variables thoroughly. They should ready themselves for each call by knowing company products well, which questions to ask and which unique objections that prospects are likely to encounter. Top sales people can anticipate these variables so well that their actions and reactions can almost become “canned.”
10. Effective Sales Meetings: Hold sales meetings regularly that communicate a clear purpose, have assigned actions, and include follow-up steps.
11. Progress Reviews: Managers should meet with individuals to set future goals and give feedback on their progress. Consider doing pre-emptive reviews that outline objectives for the upcoming quarter and areas needed for improvement. That way there’s written documentation if goals are accomplished or haven’t been met.
12. Recruiting and Upgrading the Sales Team: Companies should always be recruiting for better sales personnel. Recruit staff from other companies; don’t promote poorer sales people within just to fill positions. Spend the time to get to know the inner person you are hiring, and hire those with the best attitudes. Jack encourages employers to “hire smart verses managing hard,” and to know the position profile to help define what would be the perfect candidate.
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This article was originally posted to the Visage.com blog by John Bogdon on April 5, 2012.
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How to Take Over a New Sales Territory
Posted by Rick Pranitis in SALES BEST PRACTICES on April 10, 2013
The protocol for taking over a new sales territory depends largely on the type of territory into which you’re moving. Is this a territory where you will, for the most part, be pursuing new sales opportunities? Or, is it a sales territory where you will primarily generate new business through existing accounts with established relationships? In other words, will you utilize the Hunter or Farmer approach? The two role definitions below offer some tips on how to attack each of these new sales territories.
“Farmer” Sales Territory Protocol
“Farmer” sales reps usually work primarily with existing accounts, and take on a quasi-consultative role. They are very customer-centric, and nurture relationships and opportunities from within those secured accounts. They cultivate new sales opportunities through these relationships.
Two things to remember about the “Farmer” Sales Territory:
- You most likely have outgoing sales people who should be consulted prior to taking over the territory. Since the outgoing sales person is a farmer, he or she should be able to offer valuable insight and customer information. It’s crucial you obtain the proper customer knowledge so you’re able to continue cultivating the relationship to the point new sales opportunities can be uncovered and capitalized on.
- The outgoing sales person should accompany the new sales person on a minimum of one meeting per client. It’s essential the transition from one representative to another be handled seamlessly and professionally so the customer is convinced they’re still in the hands of a strong player who will always satisfy their needs and behave in their best interests. This will be to the overall benefit of both the clients’ and sales person’s organizations.
“Hunter” Sales Territory Protocol
“Hunter” Sales People are generally those who continually look to secure new accounts and new relationships. These types of sales people draw their energy from winning new opportunities, and securing new business for the sales organization. They are charismatic, independent, and generate lots of excitement. They continually hunt for the next new sales opportunity.
In the case of “Hunter” sales people, the territory transition can be a bit trickier, and as a result there are more steps you may need to take in order to assure it remains a successful territory in the long run.
- The incoming sales person must spend time with his or her sales manager. It is paramount these “Hunters” know the lay of the land before they go in guns blazing. It’s very possible that the sales manager has some inside knowledge about the territory which is critical to properly managing the territory. Or perhaps the sales person’s predecessor didn’t do something well – good information to have when trying to convert new business.
- If at all possible, the new sales individual should meet with the outgoing sales representative. Granted, this may not always be possible, but valuable information can be obtained during these meetings. Don’t miss this opportunity.
- Finally, the new person stepping into the territory should also meet with the sales operations leader. The sales ops leader will have access to background on details within the CRM system (for example: Salesforce.com) which will further educate the incoming sales person on all of the existing accounts and opportunities in the territory. Additionally, they’ll be able to pull information on the current stage of the sales process for existing opportunities. The client opportunity stage in the sales process is incredibly important intelligence the incoming sales representative should acquire as they start the selling process to the clients in the territory.
Make no mistake about it – the #1 key to success when taking over a new territory is information. Whether you are utilizing hunters or farmers, all sales people must know the customer and know the territory before trying to lock down any new opportunities.
Answer these questions: Who is the customer? What do they buy? How do they buy? When do they buy? What are their most compelling business challenges? All of this information will aid in orchestrating the proper sales strategy, as well as leading the clients through the sales process in the perfect manner that fits their needs (and yours!).
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This article was originally posted by Bryce Record to the Sales & Marketing Effectiveness Blog on April 8, 2012.
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