Sales Progress Blog

When it comes to making sales, you need more than luck. While it doesn’t hurt to have it, you need to have product knowledge and the ability to sell. Salespeople need to have great communication skills and be memorable. There are three techniques that a great salesperson uses to get in front of customers and make sales.

1. Create an online presence.

It is important that customers have access to you and your company, and these days, customers will go out and look for a service they need on their own. Create a website. Get involved on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Write blogs and whitepapers. All these tools allow customers to easily find you. When you are constantly putting out information, your SEO increases and you move up the Google ranks. Make sure your website is easy to navigate and your blogs and whitepapers have good, reliable content that people will want to read.

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admin Sales Training employee engagement, great salesperson, linkedin, sales skills, social media

From infamous to famous, as most sports writers put it, Ron Artest has certainly made quite the comeback. It has been a long road for Artest ever since that brawl in Detroit, but it was one that he traveled well. There were many steps that the new NBA champion had to take to restore his superstar status, and many of these steps can be applied in the sales industry.

When it comes to coaching, there are many methods that you can take, but one of the most effective, is the peer-to-peer coaching. Before he went to the Lakers, Artest was a fantastic defensive player, but he tried to play every role and that was not always possible. When he paired up with Kobe Bryant, Artest immediately settled back into his defensive game, since he now had a partner that would create balance. By having employees sit down with one another, they can open the lines of communication and target areas of development. It will also foster team development and build performance levels.

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admin Sales Training business coaching, effective coaching, Employee Coaching, Enhance Performance, linkedin, management leadership training, management training, sales skills, sustained learning, training and development, training reinforcement, training techniques

It is not always easy to build and maintain a high performance inside sales team. Team members have to know their product inside and out, they must understand need based selling, and most importantly, they must have a desire to succeed every day. However, employees do not just learn these skills; it takes practice, and behind every great team, there is a manager that gave them the tools and them to achieve their bottom line.

The following are key attributes that should be impressed upon sales team members and managers:

-Always learn and practice. A true sales professional is someone that will practice and truly make a commitment to getting better at his or her craft.

-Needs based selling expertise. Inside sales professionals must have the ability to uncover customer needs and frustrations associated with the particular products or services being sold. It is imperative that a team member use….

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admin Sales Training Employee Coaching, Enhance Performance, learning strategies, sales, Sales Coaching Methodology, sales skills

Dealing with criticism is rarely easy or pleasant.  Some people are good at giving criticism, while others can be quite abrasive; some offer it in order to make you better (like your coach or manager), others to put you down.  With this in mind it’s important to accept criticism, matter how it comes, gracefully in order for you to use it as an effective learning strategy.

Handling criticism gracefully requires an attitude shift.  No matter what the intent of the criticizer, take it as an opportunity to get better.  The important thing to remember is that they are seeing something you don’t.  No matter how often we look we will never to able to see all flaws or needed areas of improvement within ourselves, so take this feedback as a positive.  This is not to say that everyone offering feedback should be taken seriously, but always look for the glimmer of truth in what they have to say, you may be surprised what you find. Thank them for their observation and then take a minute or two to contemplate the message.

Should this feedback leave you feeling discouraged, brainstorm and write down 3 specific actions you can take immediately to improve upon the issue at hand.  Coming up with an actionable plan will allow you to feel empowered, and make seeing criticism as an opportunity to improve more realistic.  Take this process one step further by sharing your plan with your coach, a manager, or a trusted colleague.  Sharing your plan adds an extra level of accountability to ensure that you act upon your plan.

Handling criticism isn’t always easy, but it can always be helpful if taken with the right attitude and perspective. Next time you are in the hot seat, don’t get defensive, but rather remember that criticism is one of the most effective learning strategies out there, so take advantage of this free feedback.

Shannon Gburzynski Sales Training communication skills, Employee Coaching, professional coaching, Sales Manager, sales skills, self directed learning skills

Trade shows can be a very successful lead generation tool, often though they are not as successful as they could be because companies don’t prepare enough.  To effectively prepare for a successful trade show you must role-play and practice your skills, and then follow up after the event.

Leading up to the event you must have your team practice their skills.  Working a trade show is different than working a typical sales call, while the talking points may be the same the process is slightly different. Trade shows are full of businesses all competing for the attention of the same prospects over the same time period, it’s easy for a prospect to become bombarded by too many companies, so it’s vital that you are on your game.  Some companies may practice their elevator pitch for people already at their booth, but rarely do they practice how they will get people to stop and talk to them in the first place.

Role-playing will be your most successful route.  Have your staff practice pulling people in as they walk by as well as their elevator pitch once people are in the booth.  Being able to effectively pull people in will be just as important as keeping their attention once they stop, so practicing both will be very important to your success.

Pulling people in and keeping their attention is like a live prospecting call, and prospecting can be a difficult skill to master.  Have your sales team practice 1-2 times per week over the few weeks leading up to the event.  To get the most out of the practice have your staff score each other or offer specific feedback to the other team member.  Two heads are always better than one, so by collaborating and offering up feedback your team will come up with better tactics than if they just made them up on the fly once at the event.

Second FOLLOW UP .  I recently read an article that said on average 80% of leads from trade shows are never followed up on.  If you don’t go into the show with a follow up plan already in place, you will be less likely to get around to it later.  Many times leads are forgotten about till months later and by then your prospect has probably lost their initial interest.  Come up with a follow up plan and communicate it to your leads during the show.  For example: " Thanks Mr. Smith for stopping by our booth, look for a call from myself or my partner next week  with more details on the special we are offering and how it can help your company do xyz ."  Your prospect may be contacted by dozens of other exhibitors from the event the following week, but by warning them you will be reaching out they will be expecting to hear from you and will be more likely to respond back.

Practice and follow up are two easy and FREE tools to ensure that your trade show experience is a successful one.  Make sure you take advantage of them.

Tim Hagen Sales Training business opportunities, Enhance Performance, free sales training, lead generation, lead nurturing, networking, prospecting, sales skills, Sales Staff, sales techniques

The economy is picking up, and Sales Progress wants to help you hit the ground running.  Get a jump start now by taking advantage of all of Sales Progress’s FREE resources and special promotions.  During the entire month of April Sales Progress will be offering multiple opportunities for FREE sales training, employee coaching advice, strategy tips, presentations, and more.

• Starting today get free employee training information, coaching tips, or advice by becoming a fan of Sales Progress on Facebook . After becoming a fan, post your question on the Sales Progress Fan wall or send an inmail message to receive free advice, tips, and strategies from sales and adult education expert, Tim Hagen.  Responses will give you real world advice and speak to your specific issues.
• Facebook not your thing?  Check out our blog, and website for offers all month long including FREE presentations, FREE whitepapers, FREE Sales Competency quizzes and more.

Check out our Free Resources already available:

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Progression of a Sales Leader- The Sales Progress Blog: With new entries weekly.

Looking for more information on a specific topic?  Send us an email telling us what you want us to blog about!  We write this blog to help you improve your skills, so let us know how we can help! Send your thought to: Info@salesprogress.com.

Tim Hagen Sales Training business coaching, business opportunities, employee training solutions, Enhance Performance, free employee coaching, free sales training, sales skills, Skills, tailored sales training, Training, training and development, training techniques

Below are three top sales objections along with strategies to overcome them and improve your sales skills.

Your competitor’s pricing is better than yours.
Make sure you are asking enough questions to get a good look at their buying criteria.  You don’t have to lower your price if you can prove your product will better fit their needs.  Also look to other selling points such as better customer service that can make your product more appealing.

By asking more questions to better align your product with their needs you can make the sale without discounting, which is your opportunity over your competition.

Your competitors have a strong existing relationship.
Establish with this new prospect that you are not looking to replace but rather complement what they are already doing with your competitor.  This will put them at ease with you, and help you get your foot in the door with a smaller sale.  Then use that opportunity to really wow them, in the future they may decide to switch entirely.

Whether you initially get in the door or not, begin building a relationship by helping them and asking for nothing in return.  Forward them a free lead or an articles relevant to their industry.  These self-less acts take just a few minutes of your time and by asking for nothing in return you begin to develop a relationship.

Your competitor’s product is better than yours.
Again ask a lot of open ended questions, and find out more information about their needs. Are they paying for features or services from your competitor that they don’t need?  Your competitors product may be better, but show your prospect that your product is all they need and you could convince them to switch over.

admin Sales Training sales closing techniques, sales skills, sales techniques, sales tips, Sales Training

You have worked your butt off all week and you made it to Friday, now it’s time to enjoy the weekend… Isn’t It?  For many professionals the weekend doesn’t equate to 48 hours of pure personal time, it’s actually quite clouded with work.  If you are a working weekend warrior there are a few things to think about, before spending your Saturday afternoon working instead of relaxing.time management, business opportunities, sales skills

1. Are you using weekend time to make up for slacking off at work, or poor time management?  You may think you are the hardest worker in the office because you are one of the only ones doing work on weekends, but if you are one of the only ones this could be a good sign you aren’t using your time during the 9-5 work day effectively.  Try to become conscious of how much time you spend socializing, or checking non-urgent email.  Maybe your spending a little too much time checking your Facebook or LinkedIn accounts.  Schedule your days out the night before, giving yourself the right amount of time it SHOULD take you to finish a task, then stick to the schedule.  You may find you get everything done when you don’t allow yourself the distraction of tasks not on your schedule.  Who knows maybe you could start enjoying your weekends again?
2. Does what your working on REALLY have to get done.  Weekends are meant to refresh you to make it through another hard working workweek, but if your spending your weekends also working you aren’t getting the break you need.  Before you fire up your computer or drag yourself into an empty office, ask yourself, “Could this wait till Monday?”  If it can wait and get done first thing Monday morning, then wait.

By taking a look at WHY your working weekends, it may lead to a great opportunity to develop your skills to further increase your productivity, business opportunities,and getting your weekend back.

Shannon Gburzynski Sales Training business opportunities, Enhance Performance, sales skills, sales techniques, time management, workplace training

Nurturing leads has become more important and more difficult than ever for creating business opportunities:

• Research firm Sirius Decisions says that during the last five years, the average sales cycle has become 22% longer, typically with three more decision makers participating in the buying process.
• According to Forrester Research, companies that excel at lead nurturing are able to generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost per lead.
• According to CSO Insights, companies that excel at lead nurturing have 9% more sales reps make quota, and enjoy a 10% shorter ramp up time for new reps.

Follow up opportunities are a great way to nurture your leads, and they don’t always have to include a closing sales pitch.  Keep reading to check out some innovative follow up ideas to nurture your leads and keep you in front of your prospects with out looking desperate.

1. Send a referral:  This is a GREAT one.  Call up your prospect and tell them you have the name of a potential new prospect FOR THEM!  You establish yourself as a trusted resource, and should that prospect turn into a client for them, you can bet they will remember you when it comes time to make a purchase decision.
2. Send an article:  We pass this tip on to all of our clients, but still many won’t take the time so it’s a great way to set you apart.  Set up a Google news alert for articles, news, or how-tos written about your prospects industry.  Check the news alert once a week, and if there is information that may be relevant to your prospect forward it on.  Again, you position yourself as a resource, and are keeping your name top of mind with out becoming obnoxious.
3. Send them a relevant success story or testimonial.  Keep an up to date list of references, success stories, and testimonials on file. Then when a similar prospect pops up send them a quick email with the attached reference piece along with contact information of the source.  Encourage your prospects to contact your reference.  The easiest way to convince a lead to buy is to give them a trusted testimonial from one of their peers.
4. Communicate new products or features.  Every time your company comes out with something new, or updates something old use it as a way to get back in front of prospects.  A personal phone call is best, but if you have a large list, target the most promising prospects to call while sending an email to the rest.  This new product development may just be the the feature that resolves their hesitation to buy.
5. Give a response to questions.  Of course the best sales people try to be prepared for everything, but sometimes this is just unrealistic.  When a prospect asks a question you can’t answer use it as an opportunity to follow up with them later with a clear and specific response. You will get through again easier if you can say, "I have an answer to your question," as opposed to "I’m just following up."

Have your own creative way to follow up?  Share it with us in the comment section below!

Shannon Gburzynski Sales Training Enhance Performance, lead nurturing, prospecting, sales, sales effectiveness, Sales Manager, sales skills, Sales Staff, sales techniques, self directed learning skills

A recent survey, conducted by Robert Half technology, shined some light on the use of technology and manners in the workplace. With the emergence of new mobile technologies, smaller and smaller laptops, and other portable devices comes a decline in our everyday courtesy for others. According to their work 51% of CIO’s surveyed said that the increased availability of mobile electronic gadgets has increased “breaches in workplace etiquette.”

A whopping 22% claimed that the increase in gadgets led to a significant reduction in workforce etiquette, while 29% said it decreased somewhat.

Think back to your last meeting, did you check your email from your blackberry, maybe you texted a client or friend?  Have you ever picked up a phone call when you were in the middle of a conversation?  We have all done it, or had it done to us, and although we are aware these activities can be rude, they continue to happen.

The top 5 rudest activities identified by the survey were:

1. Multi-taskers who email or text message during company meetings. While for the most part multitasking abilities are regarded highly, don’t do it at the expense of paying full attention to what others have to say.
2. Workers who send emails instead of having conversations face to face. Try to make at least 80% of your in house communication in person or over the phone.  Talking is most instances is actually quicker than email, and leaves less room for misinterpretation, plus it helps team building.
3. Workers with big mouths, who constantly talk to loudly while on the phone.  Welcome to 2010, they have done marvels with reception and phone quality so there is no need to yell into the phone.  Still having troubles? Maybe it’s time to update your phone or carrier?
4. People with blue-tooth’s permanently attached.  Are you crazy or just really busy, sometimes it’s hard to tell.
5. And workers who tried to be polite by putting their phones on vibrate, but then neglect to shut off the buzzing while in a meeting.  If you’re expecting an important call or message leave your phone on vibrate, but in your pocket so only you know when it’s going off, otherwise turn it to silent just to be safe.

Everyone should become more aware of their manners with regards to technology.  If problems continue to get worse, it may be up to management to put rules in place, so ensure the happiness of their entire staff.  Technology helps businesses run easier, but lets make sure it doesn’t come at the expense of basic courtesy.

Shannon Gburzynski Sales Management, Sales Training Behavior, Blunders, employee training, sales effectiveness, sales skills, team building, workplace training