For salespeople, results can occasionally be dependant on things beyond their control. If your biggest account was Lehman Brothers or AIG last year, you probably had a terrible year. Ditto if you were trying to sell vacation homes in Las Vegas or Fort Myers, Florida.
What most salespeople ignore, however, is the fact that most of their results depend on things they do control, and so they ultimately fail to do the things necessary to improve their chances for success by not focusing enough on these controllable elements.
While it's true that we can't simply decide, for example, to be the smartest, most likable or luckiest salesperson, and we can't snap our fingers and suddenly have a world beating product, there are a number of things that we can decide to do in order to dramatically improve our chances for success, including:
- be the best prepared. Being better prepared than the competition gives us a real edge. Many reps feel they are well prepared, but very few are really putting in the effort necessary to know their products, competition and customers significantly better than the rest.
- be the hardest working. Our competition can't keep us from out-working them, yet many reps just do the minimum necessary to get by. More effort inevitably leads to better results. Most of the time the hardest working sales people are the luckiest.
- be the most positive. Having the right attitude is contagious and people respond better to positive people. Too many reps sit around complaining about how tough things are, often turning off the people around them. Salespeople can't afford to "turn-off" anyone. Choose to be positive instead and watch how your customers and co-workers react positively in turn.
- be the most responsive. Customers love responsive reps, and it's normally up to the individual how quickly and with what degree of urgency they follow up on customer’s requests. When it comes to customer follow up, move faster than the other guy.
The best thing about these actions is that no one can stop you if decide to make being the best prepared, hardest working etc. your objective. Not your competitor, your fellow reps or your cranky boss. It's 100% up to you. And it’s a change we can decide to make RIGHT NOW! So, while you can't snap your fingers and bring Lehman Brothers back to life, there are lots of things you can do to improve our "luck", and many of the most important are completely within your control. The real winners are the ones who recognize the impact these controllable variables have on performance, and maximize their chances for success by electing to be the best at them.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Solve problems before you "sell"
Business to business sales is a profession open to anyone, with or without experience, and I’ve met salespeople whose natural selling skills have allowed them to be consistently successful right from the start of their selling careers.
For most, however, selling, like any other profession, requires hard work, experience, a commitment to success and typically some failure along the way before real consistent results are achieved.
Having spent many years in sales management, I'm often asked what advice I would give to new or inexperienced salespeople to help them get started. While every salesperson is different, there are a couple of things I think are critical for all new salespeople to understand if they are going to achieve real, consistent success in their careers.
1. Sales is not a zero-sum game. In other words, the customer does not have to "lose", in order for the salesperson to "win". The customer who feels they are talked into buying at too high a price, or to buy before they’re ready may give you your order, but be reluctant to give you much repeat business. The best, longest lasting salesperson/customer relationships are ones in which the customer and the salesperson both win. The salesperson gets their orders and the customer gets the products or services that meet their needs at the right time, price etc. Salespeople who focus too much on "getting the order" at all costs and not enough on whether the customer feels like they’re winning too will occasionally win a deal or two but lose out in the long run.
2. Business customers, particularly decision makers at larger companies, are not so much looking for "products" as they are for ideas on how to solve business problems. They need faster computers to speed up billing, or they need cheaper paper to lower costs etc. Their focus is not on the products (computers or paper), but on their business problems (billing and controlling costs). The products are tools they use to solve problems, but resolving the problem is more important to them that the actual product in almost every case. The more senior the customers responsibility level, the more this is true. So, it’s usually a good idea to focus on making sure you understand the customer’s problem and how your product solves it before shifting gears to bragging about all of your products whiz bang features. Features and benefits are how we differentiate our products vs. our competitors, but it's usually best to focus on them after you’ve established firmly with your customer that you understand their problem and have an idea how to solve it
Like most professions, consistent success in sales is rarely the result of just good luck or natural talent. In sales, hard work, preparation and an understanding of your customer’s objectives are the cornerstones of long term success. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against good luck and natural talent. It sure beats being unlucky (more on this later) and talentless. It's just that it seems that there is never enough of these commodities to go around.
Eric
For most, however, selling, like any other profession, requires hard work, experience, a commitment to success and typically some failure along the way before real consistent results are achieved.
Having spent many years in sales management, I'm often asked what advice I would give to new or inexperienced salespeople to help them get started. While every salesperson is different, there are a couple of things I think are critical for all new salespeople to understand if they are going to achieve real, consistent success in their careers.
1. Sales is not a zero-sum game. In other words, the customer does not have to "lose", in order for the salesperson to "win". The customer who feels they are talked into buying at too high a price, or to buy before they’re ready may give you your order, but be reluctant to give you much repeat business. The best, longest lasting salesperson/customer relationships are ones in which the customer and the salesperson both win. The salesperson gets their orders and the customer gets the products or services that meet their needs at the right time, price etc. Salespeople who focus too much on "getting the order" at all costs and not enough on whether the customer feels like they’re winning too will occasionally win a deal or two but lose out in the long run.
2. Business customers, particularly decision makers at larger companies, are not so much looking for "products" as they are for ideas on how to solve business problems. They need faster computers to speed up billing, or they need cheaper paper to lower costs etc. Their focus is not on the products (computers or paper), but on their business problems (billing and controlling costs). The products are tools they use to solve problems, but resolving the problem is more important to them that the actual product in almost every case. The more senior the customers responsibility level, the more this is true. So, it’s usually a good idea to focus on making sure you understand the customer’s problem and how your product solves it before shifting gears to bragging about all of your products whiz bang features. Features and benefits are how we differentiate our products vs. our competitors, but it's usually best to focus on them after you’ve established firmly with your customer that you understand their problem and have an idea how to solve it
Like most professions, consistent success in sales is rarely the result of just good luck or natural talent. In sales, hard work, preparation and an understanding of your customer’s objectives are the cornerstones of long term success. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against good luck and natural talent. It sure beats being unlucky (more on this later) and talentless. It's just that it seems that there is never enough of these commodities to go around.
Eric
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