www.SalesisSimple.com
Pres-sure [press-er] verb def. - the exertion of force by object in contact with it.
OK Sales Reps, Sales Managers, Directors and Entrepreneurs...a show of hands - how many of us are feeling the pressure right now? Agreed!
As a Sales Management Consultant, I see the pressure in the eyes of Sales Reps everyday. Some of you may be questioning your skills. Others might wonder if you still got "it". A small portion of you may fear you've been SOL (Selling On Luck) the whole time. Fear is rampant, however the best cure for fear is Action. If you feel victimized by the current environment, take action and be encouraged!
Here are 5 simple, yet powerful tips to help us sell our way out of this crisis...
1) Realize Sales is About Behavior NOT Personality
I know...all this time you've been led to believe that you have to be a certain type of personality to succeed in sales - not true. It's the BIGGEST myth in the sales profession today. I won't bore you with the significant amount of research that's been done on the subject. However, the bottom line is Sales is about behavior, which means anyone can become a High Performance sales professional.
2) Define Relevant Sales Activity
Is your sales activity relevant? Does your daily activity produce desired results? If not, determine which activities (i.e. dials, presentations, networking, etc.) produce results. Develop a sales process that strings together the relevant sales activity. For example if you are in a Direct Sales environment Attempts, Contacts and perhaps Appointments are all relevant sales activities that lead to Conversions. Start tracking them and determine accordingly how one influences the other.
3) Increase Your Contacts
In most cases a Contact is defined as a person. Not this one, we define and Contact as an opportunity to initiate the sales process. If you increase your contacts there is a high probability you will increase your results - it's that simple. People are still buying, the question is - are they buying from you?
4) Manage Activity - Not Results
I know it seems counter intuitive. All of your career, your success has been gauged on the amount of business brought in. Let me be clear...your success will continue be evaluated on the amount of business you bring in. However, without the underlying data on sales activity, results can be inconsistent. As we work with different sales organizations, we notice in every instance of inconsistent results there is also inconsistent sales activity. A direct correlation exists between activity and results. Want the key to High Performance sustainable results? Focus on what YOU can control - sales activity. Increase your activity i.e. increase your contacts (opportunities to initiate your sales process) and boost your number of appointments. Develop a science of selling that works for you. The book, Sales is Simple from Luck to Leverage (Available on Amazon) discusses how to build an effective sales process and create your own success formula. What is your current sequence of sales activity? What's the necessary level of activity to achieve the desired sales results?
5) Discover Your Sales Approach and Leverage It
There are 5 types of sales approaches - Telephone, Networking, Canvassing, Giving Presentations and Referrals. I often see companies placing square pegs into round holes i.e. hiring salespeople who prefer a referral based approach to pound the phones and vice verse. Then there are the entrepreneurs who prefer telephone sales, feeling pressured to attend networking events because a friend acquires business that way. Many sales training systems focus on improving the "weaker" areas of sales development only to realize thousands of dollars later, the organization will experience a temporary lift and a subsequent return to the Status Quo. Why? Human behavior continues to teach us that people enjoy doing what comes natural to them. Use the sales approach that works for YOU.
Experts say it take 21 days for something become habit. For the next 21 days I encourage you to use the information in this blog to relieve the pressure the economic crisis has brought on and continue to achieve your desired results.
Always remember - Sales is Simple!
Showing posts with label Sales Is Simple From Luck To Leverage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sales Is Simple From Luck To Leverage. Show all posts
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
3 Lessons From High Performance Sales Teams in a Down Economy
www.SalesisSimple.com
I agree…it has been a challenging year for most sales organizations. However did you know there are some sales professionals and organizations that are actually thriving in this environment? It’s true. How are they fortunate to excel? Is it luck? Hold that thought…
As a Sales Management Consultant I have the pleasure of working with numerous sales organizations throughout the world. Unfortunately, in dealing with the sales challenges of today’s environment, I see the frustration of many sales management teams. The economy and other external forces will continue to be a factor on sales results – it’s the nature of the sales profession. However, high performance sales teams recognize the challenges and continue to thrive in any economic climate by focusing on 3 major strategic initiatives. It’s a given, the foundation of any successful sales team are its people. Assuming the right people are on the bus, here are 3 lessons to help you succeed in any economic environment:
1) Construct an Effective and Efficient Sales Process
If asked to explain your sales process, how would you respond? If your response is theoretical in nature and more objective than factual, please keep reading…
High performance sales teams understand their sales process and how it relates to bottom line results. More importantly they know how to execute it and duplicate success daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly. A sound sales process is one that is simple, can be easily communicated and executed against. It explains the focus, strategy and most importantly the follow through of how results will be delivered.
2) Define the Relevant Sales Activity
There’s sales activity and then there is relevant sales activity. Relevant sales activity has a directly impact on sales results. For example, many sales organizations measure and evaluate “phone time” as an indicator for sales success. The theory is the appropriate amount of sales time a Rep spends on the phone should yield the desired sales results. There have been instances where Top Performers were written up because their “phone time” was not up to par. Unfortunately, phone time is not a good indicator. In fact, tracking phone time can burn unnecessary calories and can become counter productive by inspiring phony activity. There’s a better way…
High performance sales teams have a different approach to relevant sales activity. Contacts (defined as an opportunity to initiate the sales process) are recognized as a better indicator for sustainable sales success. Strategically, a success formula is constructed as the standard for the business based on historical performance and desired revenue at a company level. Sales Reps are then coached to execute against their own success formulas based on their historical performance and desired level of compensation. An overall emphasis is then placed on the activity levels necessary to achieve the desired Contacts goal and sales results – more contacts more sales. In addition, a value often in the form of revenue i.e. Value Per Contact (VPC) is used as forecasting tool to assist in sales projections.
3) Manage Activity, Not Results
Many sales management teams have great intentions in regard to goal setting for the organization. The desired results are known to most throughout the organization. However the activity levels necessary to achieve the desired results rarely hits anyone’s radar. The ultimate result is the sales results are managed in the rearview mirror.
High Performance Teams proactively manage their activity levels (i.e. contacts and VPC) effectively according to the opportunity that exist and economic climate. In slower times it is necessary to prepare, plan and execute at higher activity levels to achieve desired results.
Hopefully after reading this you can understand that sustainable sales success is not about luck. Or perhaps it is…years ago I came across a great definition of luck – when preparation meets opportunity. How “lucky” are you in sales?
Rod McKinnis is founder of The McKinnis Consulting Group and the author of the recently released book Sales Is Simple – From Luck to Leverage now available on Amazon.com: Sales is Simple. Email Rod at rodmckinnis@SalesisSimple.com or call 800.385.3173.
I agree…it has been a challenging year for most sales organizations. However did you know there are some sales professionals and organizations that are actually thriving in this environment? It’s true. How are they fortunate to excel? Is it luck? Hold that thought…
As a Sales Management Consultant I have the pleasure of working with numerous sales organizations throughout the world. Unfortunately, in dealing with the sales challenges of today’s environment, I see the frustration of many sales management teams. The economy and other external forces will continue to be a factor on sales results – it’s the nature of the sales profession. However, high performance sales teams recognize the challenges and continue to thrive in any economic climate by focusing on 3 major strategic initiatives. It’s a given, the foundation of any successful sales team are its people. Assuming the right people are on the bus, here are 3 lessons to help you succeed in any economic environment:
1) Construct an Effective and Efficient Sales Process
If asked to explain your sales process, how would you respond? If your response is theoretical in nature and more objective than factual, please keep reading…
High performance sales teams understand their sales process and how it relates to bottom line results. More importantly they know how to execute it and duplicate success daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly. A sound sales process is one that is simple, can be easily communicated and executed against. It explains the focus, strategy and most importantly the follow through of how results will be delivered.
2) Define the Relevant Sales Activity
There’s sales activity and then there is relevant sales activity. Relevant sales activity has a directly impact on sales results. For example, many sales organizations measure and evaluate “phone time” as an indicator for sales success. The theory is the appropriate amount of sales time a Rep spends on the phone should yield the desired sales results. There have been instances where Top Performers were written up because their “phone time” was not up to par. Unfortunately, phone time is not a good indicator. In fact, tracking phone time can burn unnecessary calories and can become counter productive by inspiring phony activity. There’s a better way…
High performance sales teams have a different approach to relevant sales activity. Contacts (defined as an opportunity to initiate the sales process) are recognized as a better indicator for sustainable sales success. Strategically, a success formula is constructed as the standard for the business based on historical performance and desired revenue at a company level. Sales Reps are then coached to execute against their own success formulas based on their historical performance and desired level of compensation. An overall emphasis is then placed on the activity levels necessary to achieve the desired Contacts goal and sales results – more contacts more sales. In addition, a value often in the form of revenue i.e. Value Per Contact (VPC) is used as forecasting tool to assist in sales projections.
3) Manage Activity, Not Results
Many sales management teams have great intentions in regard to goal setting for the organization. The desired results are known to most throughout the organization. However the activity levels necessary to achieve the desired results rarely hits anyone’s radar. The ultimate result is the sales results are managed in the rearview mirror.
High Performance Teams proactively manage their activity levels (i.e. contacts and VPC) effectively according to the opportunity that exist and economic climate. In slower times it is necessary to prepare, plan and execute at higher activity levels to achieve desired results.
Hopefully after reading this you can understand that sustainable sales success is not about luck. Or perhaps it is…years ago I came across a great definition of luck – when preparation meets opportunity. How “lucky” are you in sales?
Rod McKinnis is founder of The McKinnis Consulting Group and the author of the recently released book Sales Is Simple – From Luck to Leverage now available on Amazon.com: Sales is Simple. Email Rod at rodmckinnis@SalesisSimple.com or call 800.385.3173.
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