The Essential Sales Bookshelf

As a sales process consultant, I'm often asked to recommend books to help clients navigate their way through one issue or another. Over time I've realized that I keep referring people to the same books over and over. I've come to think of them as the Essential Sales Bookshelf. If you're in sales and you don't own them, go shopping!

Insight Selling: Sell Value & Differentiate Your Product With Insight Scenarios by Michael Harris (2014, Hardcover)  The definitive book on building the sales story that will best help your customers understand how your product is uniquely situated to solve their need. Selling on value and history is the name of the game, and selling on price is unnecessary.

The Challenger Sale : Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson (2011, Hardcover)  If you’re in sales at all, rep, manager, VP, or Director, this book is vital to selling in the internet age. Because we have access to so much information, most buyers have quite a few pre-conceived notions that will keep them making the same mistakes, and the same purchases, over and over again. This book revolutionized sales by demonstrating that the most successful reps challenge the thinking and habits of their prospects, making room for a new conversation.

The Challenger Customer : Selling to the Hidden Influencer Who Can Multiply Your Results by Matthew Dixon, Pat Spenner, Nick Toman and Brent Adamson (2015, Hardcover)  Taking into account that almost all purchases are made by teams (the team behind the Decision Maker) this book identifies who those other players are, and demonstrates how many other decision makers they influence. Instead of strictly selling to the “DM” The Challenger Customer challenges us to sell to the people with the most influence as well.

Drive : The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink (2009, Hardcover)  Recognizing the core components of what motivates humans to act and feel in particular ways is key in a successful sales process. By understanding the motivational factors in play, a sales pro can much more effectively navigate some of the seemingly unreasonable objections and requests we receive from so many sales prospects.

To Sell Is Human : The Surprising Truth about Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink (2012, Hardcover) Mr. Pink takes us through the psychology of basic social behaviors, and demonstrates that many of our core interactions with others are fundamentally selling them on our idea, desire, or offering. Sales is primarily based in persuasion, and secondarily in filling a need or solving a problem. So, as it turns out, is most human interaction. Recognizing the similarities helps sales pros develop natural, agile relationships with their prospects.

 

Fanatical Prospecting : How to Open Doors, Engage Prospects, and Make One Last Call by Jeb Blount (2015, Hardcover) As I tell my sales reps, “You’ll never close what you didn’t open.” Fanatical Prospecting is a step by step guide about opening a sales relationship with prospects, instead of just “networking.” Activity is not a result in itself, and often too much time is spent collecting business cards and phone numbers. What counts is making the contacts that are the beginning of a sales relationship. With this book, it just became much easier.

The Art of Closing the Sale : The Key to Making More Money Faster in the World of Professional Selling by Brian Tracy (2007, Hardcover)  Of course with all that opening of sales conversations, you’ll want to make sure you’re closing as many deals as possible. From Brian Tracy, we learn that many of the old closing techniques no longer work at all because of the colossal number of ads and transactions people perform every day. We’ve become immune. What works now?  A more natural, transparent approach that challenges expectations.

 

SNAP Selling : Speed up Sales and Win More Business with Today's Frazzled Customers by Jill Konrath (2010, Hardcover) Jill Konrath has been helping sales professionals assess the sales climate for decades, and her work resonates over time.  In this book from 2010, she helps us identify the overwhelmed buyer. With so many options and so much information available for each purchasing decision, sometimes what is needed is to break the sale down into a few simple, but key, steps. A must-read for highly competitive industries.

Agile Selling : Get up to Speed Quickly in Today's Ever-Changing Sales World by Jill Konrath (2014, Hardcover) Finally, a book about onboarding sales pros in a way that they can start selling within the first few weeks! Onboarding as a new sales rep in an unfamiliar industry often takes months to over a year to become fully competent in your role. Agile Selling addresses the issue head on, inviting sales reps to approach learning their new industry and market differently, making consistent, useful progress from Day 1. 

Why Lead Scoring Will Make You Money

I hear this from clients all the time: "Why do I have to make sales even MORE complicated? I don't need to add lead scoring." Well, you don't need to make sales more complicated, and you DO need to add lead scoring. Here's why.

Lead scoring is a simple system to make your pipeline value visible to the rest of the sales team. I'm a fan of writing 3 or 4 simple scoring lines like When Is The Lead Planning to Make a Purchase (the sooner, the higher the number,) What Is The Budget For The Purchase (the higher the better,) What Is The Interest Level of the Lead (are they contacting you or are you reaching out,) and the like. Ideally, each of these lines will score 1-3 points. The higher the score, the better.

Now, how were those high-scoring leads sourced? Who on the team has the most high scores? Does that correlate to their closing ratio? Should more of the team start sourcing leads in the ways the high-scoring leads are sourced? The answers to these questions will streamline your lead generation, saving time and money, while increasing your closing ratio.

Channeling the Ginsu Knives commercials, I have to say, "And that's not all!" Are your best closers assigned to the high-scoring leads? Or are they your best closers because they close everybody, no matter the score? Why would you give your worst closer your best leads? You can learn a lot about your sales rep's strengths and weaknesses by ranking their leads and seeing if they close. Now you know where to direct your coaching with those individual reps.

"But wait! There's more!" If the scores and the pipeline are public, you have more choices in how to manage your time. Is a rep out sick, and they have a high-score appointment on the board? Does a poor closer have time for a ride along or two with a strong closer? Is Joe a weak closer because he only sources low-scoring leads? You can allocate the team's time in ways that will ensure the high-scoring leads are never left hanging, and can be used as teaching opportunities. And you can learn more about each rep's lead gen process.

And lastly, have your reps defend their scoring. If it isn't challenged, they may just tell you what you want to hear. And when the whole team can see how many high-scoring leads are generated by others, they will compete for that number, too. Nobody likes to see themselves at the bottom of any ranking more than occasionally, so that problem is now solving itself, without much management intervention.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and this won't be either. Add one scoring metric a week until you have the metrics in place that make sense for your business. Don't ask your reps to track too many factors, or it will become a burden. Aim for 3-5, and hold them accountable. And watch your bottom line change!

Elisabeth Marino is an sales process adviser working in Buffalo, NY, and a frequent contributor to LinkedIn. She has worked in sales development and evaluation for 17 years, and helped dozens of organizations improve their sales numbers. Connect with and follow her here, visit her website: www.marinoconsultants.com, on Facebook as Sales Dynamo Consulting, and follow her on Twitter @SalesDynamoNY.

In With a Plan, Out With a Sale

I'd like to say this once and for all - Luck is not a business plan! "Talent" is not a business plan! Whew! I needed to get that off my chest.

I work with small to medium sized businesses, and sometimes really large ones, and I'm amazed at the number of times I hear that there is no skills review or specific process for the sales team to follow. Entrepreneurs hiring sales reps tell me, "they should know what they're doing." Um, yeah, but so should you. Luck is not reliable and repeatable, and without a reliable revenue stream, you're out of business.

Most people who start a business are not sales experts, just like I'm not an automotive expert. But your sales reps should be. They should be going into every sales call with a plan that helps them qualify the customer, and present that customer with the right product to fill their needs. If your reps don't do that, every sale they make is based on luck, intuition, or personality. Not good.

Every sales call should have the same purpose: lead to a sale. The sales cycle for each business is different; selling cars is different from selling medical equipment. Each one will have a different call plan. What are the necessary steps for a prospect to go from zero to sold? All of them are part of your sales process. What needs to happen in person? Those are the parts of a sales call plan. Every sales rep should be using every part of the sales process. If they aren't, they're not doing their job. They should be able to discuss it with you, and they should be able to fine-tune and improve it over time. That way, they can share best practices between them, and all improve steadily.

While we're at it, let's stop selling like it's 1995. There is nothing your customer can't learn or find on the internet. They can probably buy it cheaper, too. That means you need to be there, where your customer is doing their homework. Have some solid online support for your business and your reps. Have a great website, and include a FAQ page. Do some inbound marketing, with social media (anything retail), white papers (business and professional services, technology), a blog (food, fitness, arts, in-home services) or newsletters, all linked directly to your website. People don't buy from businesses. People buy from people. Create a web presence that helps your customer learn your business's personality, and help them know, like and trust what your business will provide.

So, to recap: have solid web presence to help your clients learn about, know, like and trust your business. Sales reps should have a specific set of skills and a plan to learn to "right size" the solution they offer your client. Your company should have a clear, repeatable sales process that evolves over time based on the successes of your sales pros. And you can't rely on talent or luck to provide a steady revenue stream. You need a plan.

Elisabeth Marino is an sales process adviser working in Buffalo, NY, and a frequent contributor to LinkedIn. She has worked in sales development and evaluation for 17 years, and helped dozens of organizations improve their sales numbers. Connect with and follow her here, on Facebook as Sales Dynamo Consulting, and follow her on Twitter @SalesDynamoNY.

Jump on the Hidden Fast Track

As a kid, I wasn't a fan of homework. I'd slam through it as quickly as I could, and focus on fun. In college, I began to appreciate homework, because it was an opportunity to direct my learning towards the specific end result I wanted. I couldn't believe the professors would let us choose so much of our own direction! Still, I looked forward to ditching the homework, and moving on to living my life.

I wanted to do well in my jobs, and I wanted a comfortable paycheck. How? Kiss butt? Work crazy hours? Meet the right people? I was pleased to learn none of those were the answer. I quickly figured out that my coworkers who moved up the fastest were looking stuff up, reading about it, and practicing outside of work.

Well! I've always been a fan of acquiring marketable skills more quickly, and I sure do love to get a raise. But what to read? How much reading? What to practice? How do I get in on this fast track? I asked the rising stars, and I received several answers, all of which had one thing in common: look at research. Case studies, articles in trade magazines, books by experts, and lectures and focus groups all made the list.

I started reading 30 minutes a day, usually at bedtime. When I came across applicable research (like most sales are closed on the 8th -12th interaction) I made notes, and took them to heart. And I developed skills and got results at work. (There are very few skills you can't strengthen by looking things up on the internet, reading a book, or joining a group.)

I've stopped doing homework a few times in my career, and the same thing always happens. My skills develop more slowly, and I don't get raises or promotions as frequently. And I end up going back to homework.

That extra 30 minutes per day has added up into hundreds of hours. I've read scores of books, trade magazines and studies. And over the years, I've developed expertise and a reputation for excellence. "How did you become such an expert?" people ask. I smile. 30 years in the workforce was a good start. But there was more to it. I gesture to my bookshelf, my Kindle, both of which are in plain sight, and say, "I read."

Elisabeth Marino is an outsourced sales process adviser working in Buffalo, NY, and a frequent contributor to LinkedIn. She has worked in sales development and evaluation for 17 years, and helped dozens of organizations improve their sales numbers. Connect with her here, on Facebook as Sales Dynamo Consulting, and follow her on Twitter @SalesDynamoNY.

Why You Need a PRSP

What's a PRSP? As you probably know, it's shorthand for Proven Repeatable Sales Process. Everybody talks about it, and throws around other business terms like Sales 2.0 and Inbound Marketing. Sheesh! Just keeping up with the trendy lingo can be exhausting, let alone figuring out if any of this stuff applies to you. So does it? Well, the PRSP does, and I'll tell you why.

It makes zero sense to repeat what you know doesn't work. How many sales calls have you and your staff been through? Does anybody keep track of the number of sales in relation to the number of sales calls (sales ratio?) Do your sales people write down the objections they hear in each sales call so they can spot trends, and adapt their sales call? Do some reps have sales that get returned, refunded, or reversed more than others? These are just a few of the ways to monitor what doesn't work.

What do all the sales that stay sold have in common? They had a sales process that worked. The 1) right prospect was asked the 2) right questions, needed 3) a solution you offer, provided with the 4) right information, reminded of the 5) urgency to solve his pain point, and provided a solution at a 6) price they thought was fair. There may have been all kinds of window dressing around it, but if the sale was made and stayed sold, these 6 points were there.

Look at each numbered point. Each one is a spot for a natural objection; it's an opportunity for the conversation to end, or to move forward with more confidence. If your prospects are well qualified, your reps can move easily through the process. If you prospect isn't a qualified buyer, the PRSP uncovers that before the conversation gets awkward, and you can visit them at another time when the fit will be better.

What if your sales reps used this 6 point system consistently, and didn't go off track? I'll tell you - fewer of your sales calls will end up in the weeds. You'd make more sales, and the sales would stay sold. But there's more to it than just copying the sales call of your best guy. Each sales rep and client are different, and you need to be able to frame the conversation and the information to fit each individual.

How do you make it happen? Start with those 6 points. Build a sales call worksheet that is as generic as possible that still fits all 6 points the way they work for your industry. Leave a spot on there to fill in objections, and track and count them. As the objections change and evolve, teach your staff to respond to them with information and confidence. You'll have a solid PRSP in no time!

Elisabeth Marino is an outsourced sales process adviser working in Buffalo, NY, and a frequent contributor to LinkedIn. She has worked in sales development and evaluation for 17 years, and helped dozens of organizations improve their sales numbers. Connect with her here, and follow her on Twitter @SalesDynamoNY.

How "Do-It-Yourself" is Killing Your Business

As technology has exploded over the last decade, business has the opportunity to work with more apps, programs, cloud services, and self-driven media than we could even have imagined. There is little in the business world that you can't do yourself: HR, payroll, marketing, sales management, logistics, accounting, taxes, photography, banking, investing - almost anything you can think of has an app ready to download to your phone. Largely overlooked is the quality of these solutions - they are not right for every business.

There is no question that it's wiser to save money than spend it when you're likely to achieve equal or better results. What causes trouble is the number of businesses who don't realize when to use an app or program, and how to audit the program's success. I can cut my own hair, but I assure you that though it's cheaper, the results are not equal or better! It's wise to start with a professional, and move to an app or program over time as the needs of your business become consistent. Some apps can then support systems on their own, but many systems will need the occasional tweak from a qualified professional to achieve optimum results.

Example: There would be no Turbo Tax without tax professionals, and many of us do just fine using it, or another program to complete our taxes. But how many of us have taken our taxes to a professional to confirm the numbers given to us by our program? Just because we can file through a program doesn't mean we should. These programs don't offer advice on capital spending and improvements, or the allocation of human resources. Tax planning is the art of arranging your business purchases and expenditures in ways that delay or avoid tax liability. Good tax planning keeps you from paying unnecessary expenses, leaving more money invest or spend as is best for your business. The tax professionals who designed popular tax preparation software are well aware of the limitations of the product. Most small- to medium-sized business owners are not, and that's the problem. (Did you notice that you no longer have the option of having your returns reviewed by a certified public accountant within the program?) In order to save a few hundred dollars on professional tax prep now, many companies run their taxes through a computer program, only to discover months or years later how costly a lack of tax planning truly was. Tax software is just one example where a professional probably should be part of your system.

Many small businesses exist due to the need for outsourcing. Attorneys, CPAs, payroll processors and other professionals who serve small business and individual consumers urge us to buy local, and keep local dollars in our communities. What is happening by dependence on apps and programs is "downsourcing." We are self-limiting our resources. Not only are we not getting the insight and advice we need from the professionals in our community, we are limiting our businesses to the actions available to us through a mouse-click. The money spent on the app or program leaves the community. We are making our options fewer, our possibilities weaker, and we're putting ourselves and our neighboring professionals in an ever-declining economic position.

As you move through the next few weeks, take note of the number of parts of your business you run via an app or program. If you don't have a means to audit the success of the program, it's probably time to check in with a professional for a consultation. By pairing your programs with the right advisers and consultants you'll breathe new life into the infrastructure of your business.

Want Better Sales Numbers? Take This Quiz!

This is an abbreviated version of the basic State of the Sales Team Evaluation that I go through with each new Sales Training client, well before any contracted curriculum is developed or taught. Have your Sales Managers (or Sales Pros) take this quiz anonymously, and you'll quickly identify some hidden weaknesses in your sales team. It's much easier to develop an effective solution when you're attacking the real problem!

1.       How many team members are at or above quota? How many on your team total?

2.       What are your team’s strengths? Prospecting, cold calling, follow up, presentation, closing, account management, referral generation?

3.       What is your team’s weakest skill? Prospecting, cold calling, follow up, presentation, closing, account management, referral generation?

4.       How have you addressed this/these weakness(es)?

5.       What are the most frequent objections your team hears? Are they written down for the team?

6.       Have you helped your team develop effective responses to these objections? Are they written down for the team?

7.       What are the weaknesses of your product line?

8.       Do you train your team on how to answer (not deflect) questions about the weaknesses?

9.       Do you study competition offerings?

10.   When is the last time you trained your team on the offerings of the competition?

11.   What do you do regularly to keep your team inspired and motivated? Does it seem to work?

12.   How often do you have team meetings? Never   Daily   Weekly   Monthly    As Needed

13.   How often do you praise team members? Never   Daily or more   Weekly  Monthly   Can't Remember

14.   How often do you correct, scold, or discipline individual team members? Daily or more    Weekly    Monthly  

15.   How often do your team members praise each other?  Daily or more Weekly Monthly  Less than monthly

16.   Do you believe your team members have enough sales materials? If no, what do they need?

17.   Do you believe your department has adequate support in your organization? If no, why not? What do you need?

18.   Once a sale has been made, are there any consistent problems with fulfillment? If yes, what are the problems? What have you done to resolve this?

19.   Does your team use a CRM? Is it within a week of up to date?

 

20.   What is your management style?

21.   Have you sought other employment within the last year? If yes, why?

22.   If no CRM, how do you keep track of and manage your pipeline?

23.   How current are your client and prospect files?  Up to date   Within a week Within a month   More than 30 days out of date

24.   How many hours per week do you work? 35-45  45-55   55-65   65+

25.   Do you have any selling responsibilities? What percentage of your time is spent selling?

26.   How many hours per week do you spend on paperwork? 5-8 9-12  3-16  17-20  20+

Look at all the answers in context of which teams are the most successful, and which are the least. What answers surprised you? Now you have somewhere to start from...  

Visit us at www.marinoconsultants.com

Why Your Sales Training Didn't Work (and how to fix it)

The good news is, it's not your fault. Mostly. You brought in a well-reviewed, high-priced training company, and they delivered a beautiful, motivating seminar to the entire sales team. Everyone loved it. And nothing changed. Sound familiar?

Think of sales training as a chain. How useful is a chain with a single link? Not very. But that wonderful seminar is just that - a single link in a chain. You need all the links for that chain to be useful. If you had all the links, things would likely have worked out better. So what are the links you need?

Pre-training: Understand that there needs to be a change to the status quo. Doing things the same way will not yield new results. Prepare upper management that they may need to let go of some processes, traditions, and ideas to make the team more effective. Change is never easy to accept, and commitment from upper management is key to success.

Survey your sales team. What are the most difficult objections they face? What internal, company-based obstacles do they believe they face? What skills do they want to learn? What support do they want from management? (This assessment will only be effective if it's anonymous, and there is NO fear of retaliation.) Take all of this information and use it to do an honest assessment of what the team is working with, and against.

Survey your sales managers. What do they see as the most entrenched bad habits? What have they done to improve the situation? Do they work from a positive coaching mentality? Or a negative scolding mentality? Do they want training? What skills would they the team to learn? How do they plan to support implementation of those skills? Add this information to the assessment above, and you'll have a pretty clear picture of what Sales thinks their problems are. Does this coincide with the results you want from training?

Gap analysis: What result are you looking for? How far from that goal are you currently? What skills need to be developed to achieve those results? Does your team want those skills? What support materials will they need to reinforce those skills? What will it take to get the sales team to want to change? How will they know when they have the skills to make the change?

Curriculum plan: Before the training is delivered, get a detailed curriculum plan, and make sure it covers all of the points you're looking to improve. Discuss the curriculum plan with managers and the trainer to make sure management will support the training. Develop a plan that reinforces training in daily work going forward.

After training: Enforce new policies and skills gently but firmly. Supply your team with resources (worksheets, gamification, webinars) to reinforce their new skills. Have each team member send their manager an email daily discussing what new skills were used, and what the outcome was. Have the managers compile this information, and coach the team for better outcomes.

Check the numbers: Which manager's team is having the most success? The most trouble? Which sales pros are the most compliant with the changes? The least? Are the most successful teams and pros the ones who are using the new skills? Reinforcement of the new skills and policies should increase over a span of several months, not decrease. You'll never know if the training worked if the skills aren't implemented.

You can implement the "after training" links in the chain now, and it will help your team build new skills. That is, if they remember the training. If they don't, request supporting materials from your trainer, and build your after training plan on those handouts and materials. The refresher may be all they need to get on track.

If the training is too far gone, accept it. It might be too late to make that last training effective, but now you're ready to make the next one fantastic.

Visit us at www.marinoconsultants.com

How to Land Your Next Sales Job

So many people are looking for jobs right now, it's difficult to set yourself apart. What do you do? More resumes? More cold calls? Better clothes?

Friends, you're in sales! Landing a job is all about selling yourself to your next employer! Work on this project as if you were making a sale. As you make contacts, they will see you exhibiting all the skills you'll need to be effective in your new position.

Remember, over 60% of all jobs never make the want ads. Don't limit yourself to the jobs you see posted. Look for the job you want. Make a target list of companies you think would be a good fit. And then go get 'em! 

Of course, you need a great resume. And a concise, focused resume. A resume focused on what you've done is ok, but a resume focused on what you want to do for your next employer is better. Include your experience, but write your text to focus forward. 

Yes, you need to research your target list, just like you would in sales. Make lists of who the key players are, and learn their histories. (It's probably all on LinkedIn!) You'll have a much better idea of who might advocate for you, and many good connections may be one introduction away.

Cold calling is not dead. It's part of your job search strategy. Can you just walk in and expect to walk out with a job? Maybe not. You'll do some calls in person, some via email, and some via USPS.

Networking is a great way to cold call for a job. Your research will tell you where to network to meet the people you need to know. Members of the Chamber? Join the Chamber. Active in the Red Cross? Volunteer. Networking with target personnel takes some of the pressure off of both of you, and allows you to be less formal.

Don't talk about your previous employer any more than absolutely necessary. Focus on moving forward and accomplishing good stuff for your next employer. 

Remember to follow up. Just like you would in any sale, you need to follow up promptly and professionally. Email is the way to go. No texting! No phone calls. Email is professional, and respects your contact's schedule.

You're a great sales professional. You know what to do. Go forth, and sell yourself. You'll have a job you love in no time!

Ins and Outs of Sales in 2015

Out: canned sales pitch.  In: probing questions.

Out: talking.  In: listening.

Out: cold calling and hoping.  In: networking and planning.

Out: closing a sale.  In: opening a relationship.

Out: customer committing to you.  In: committing to your customer.

Out: customer service lines.  In: customer service reps.

Out: features and benefits.  In: reaching customer goals.

Out: single Decision Maker.  In: group of decision influencers.

Out: faxing.  In: emailing.

Out: just knowing the gatekeeper's name.  In: knowing what the gatekeeper likes in her coffee.

Out: side-stepping gatekeepers.  In: teaming up with gatekeepers.

Out: sign here.  In: we're here for you.

Out: meeting quota.  In: blowing quota out of the water. 

Sales isn't dead as a profession.  Sales is evolving.  Internet shopping has had a huge influence over the job of sales pros.  Your client can (and will) shop the competition from their phone while they're talking to you!  You need to add value to your relationship by being considered an important business partner and resource. The way to make that happen is to be invested in achieving your customers goals, and make sure your product is a part of it. 

Make sure you're clear on the short and long term goals of your customers.  At every meeting, ask how that project is going, and what you can do to move it forward.  Mean it.  The reason you have a job is to do what a computer ordering page cannot: establish a value-driven relationship.

Why You Missed Quota

The sales quota is much-argued situation in most sales organization. How is it set? Do previous successful months offset less successful months? Is it a moving target, growing as you become more successful? Is management doing anything to support achieving quota? Sales pros love quota when they're ahead, and hate it when they're behind. Should a company even use quota anymore?

Sadly, quota isn't going anywhere. It's how most sales organizations predict the cash flow they will generate to support the rest of the company. These predictions need to be pretty accurate, or the dominoes fall fast and hard. So why are they so difficult to hit? It may be a combination of management's fault, and your problem.

Quota isn't always important. If meeting quota isn't a consistent qualification for keeping your job, it may be an excuse to fire reps who haven't fit into the corporate culture, or rubbed management the wrong way. Or it may only be important if cash flow is tight. Inconsistent attention to quota makes it hard to take seriously. If you miss quota occasionally, you're normal. But beware: if no one mentions it to you, and asks if your pipeline is recovering this month, and asks how they can help, management may be using missing your quota as a way to ease you out the door.

You aren't doing the right homework. Sales pros are prone to bouts of burnout - feeling like our work is under-appreciated, over-paper-worked, and too repetitive. It's work to keep it fresh and still be effective. Read at least part of some sales philosophy or sales system book or tweet or blog every day. Every time you tweak your perspective, you stave off burnout. Also, create a strong list of call objectives for each call. If you had one before, shake out the ineffective goals and replace them with new stuff. New conversations will yield new results.

Management doesn't support the team. Does your manager help? Or threaten? Does upper management bring in outside trainers to offer you a fresh perspective? Are you discouraged from taking time off? Is the organization aligned with keeping customers, and serving them well? Some managers are just as burned out as their team, making them ineffective at providing the support, sounding board, and education the team needs. Some customer service staff look at every customer as a list of problems. It's very hard to be a successful solo act if your management has a negative attitude.

You flip out when you have a slump. In simple terms, you're superstitious. You think a bad week means you've "lost your touch." If you could make sales two weeks ago, you can still do it. (It's not a magic trick, it's a skill set!) Do an objective check of whether you've let your side of the equation slide. If you're still doing a thorough and professional job, shake it off. No coin comes up heads every time. Statistics insist that everyone have a slow patch sometimes.

Quota is an unreachable number. If your quota keeps changing, it usually is growing. There is a market potential beyond which higher numbers are impossible. There aren't enough hours in the day, or customers in the market to make the numbers required sometimes. This is a very bad sign. It means management hasn't aligned their outlook with current market conditions. It tends to make the relationship between sales and management adversarial. Particularly in organizations where sales pros are also the primary account managers, the more clients you have, the less likely it is you can keep hitting big numbers based on the sheer volume of time it takes to keep your accounts happy.

Your reputation is, well, tarnished. Remember that in sales, it's all about trust. If the prospect doesn't trust you, they won't trust what you tell them. Have you been professional, thorough, and honest in every interaction? The grapevine will bite you in the end. At one happy hour, one of my managers became very drunk, and very belligerent. (Yes, he was old enough to know much better.) Within two months, the company transferred him out of the area with a stern warning: you've made yourself poisonous to the restaurant community once. Any further trouble, and you're fired.He was lucky. Bad behavior has a way of living on forever. You never know who knows each other, or how long your outburst will live in social media. Clean up your act. You have a very public job. It will make a difference!

The 4 Most Common Shopper Personalities, and How To Sell Them

There are millions of individual personalities out there, but most of us fall into one of 4 categories when we are shopping: The Expert, The Connector, The Prisoner, or The Evaluator. Each one of these shopping styles requires information and service to be presented in a particular way in order to make the shopper feel respected and interested in doing business with you. At first glance, it may seem like patronizing people, but really, you're just addressing your prospect in their own language. If their language was Serbian, you wouldn't speak French, would you?

Here are the 4 most common shopper types, and a few pointers on how to speak their language:

The Expert

This shopper believes they know it all already. Saving face is very important to them. You must respect the knowledge and experience they have, or think they have. Use reinforcement phrases like: I like what you just said. -and-  That’s a great question. Start sentences with: As I’m sure you already know… Question with: I’m curious about your thoughts on…

  

The Connector

This shopper is always looking for familiar context.  Everything will remind them of a story, person, or movie. They want to trust you, and want things to make sense. Use phrases that emphasize the familiar: Use their own words and phrases whenever possible. Analogies are usually helpful with these shoppers. Start sentences with: You may have thought it would be nice if… and then follow with a feature. Questions should be grounded in recent statements the shopper has made: “How soon are you looking to buy (whatever they just said)?”

The Prisoner

This shopper doesn’t want to be in the market. They want to get it over with. All they need is trust to move forward. Trust that you will take this issue off their hands, and they won’t have to cope with it anymore. Write things down! Never ask them to repeat themselves. De-escalating their emotions is very important, but it needs to be done in a way that is not minimizing the importance of their feelings. Start sentences with: Thanks for bringing that up. -and- This must be a frustrating position for you. Question with: Do you think we should talk about ________?

The Evaluator

This shopper loves the shopping, and always wants more time and material to consider. Helping them to the decision phase may be seen as pushy. They will walk away if they don’t feel educated. They want a lifeline, so they will ask about guarantees and warranties. Comparison shopping is the norm for them, and they may lead you on in hopes of getting a deal to take to your competitors. Start sentences with: “As you may know from your research…”  Question with: “To answer you better, I’d like to ask you a question.”

7 Secrets of Successful Sales Pros

As I travel from client to client, I'm asked one question more than any other: What kind of people make the best salespeople? While there is no one answer, there are some common characteristics I see in most successful sales professionals. A great sales pro may not possess all of them, but they all seem to have at least a couple. These are the characteristics of the most successful sales people based on my surveys and experience:

The best salespeople are those who love people, and love their product. They find a way to enjoy every client contact. Real enthusiasm can't be faked, and the top sales pros bring it to every situation.

They understand that hard work pays off, and no work pays nothing. They don't care about quota. When they're ahead of quota, they work just as hard as when they're behind. It's the best way to keep the pipeline full and the customers happy. They do the "invisible work" of networking and researching so they're always prepared to act.

They are active and attentive listeners. Success in sales comes from being client-centered. The best of the best pay close attention to their prospects and customers, and always ask probing questions to get to the heart of the matter.

Giving up isn’t an option. Sales leaders work when they're sick. They work when they're tired. They work when the outcome looks iffy. If they don't succeed, it isn't because the didn't give their best.

They think on their feet, and make their company look good while meeting the needs of the client. Companies and sales pros succeed and fail together. If a customer loves you, but hates your company, the relationship is doomed to failure. Team spirit isn't just for sports, it's for business, too!

Solving the customer’s problem while achieving the customer’s goals is the most important thing to them, and they do it every time. The only goal a client wants to achieve is their own. They don't care if you hit quota, or if your company is having a milestone anniversary. They want to meet or exceed their goals. The most successful sales pros never forget this.

They believe in long-term planning their sales, so they never waste an opportunity to leave a great impression, even when a prospect isn’t in the market today. What makes a prospect a prospect is that there is a chance they will purchase your product or one that serves the same purpose. The best pros learn the prospect's business goals, and follow up periodically to stay current and relevant. If the prospects aren't in the market today, they will be another day. Generating a positive relationship with non-buying prospects saves a ton of groundwork when they finally are in the market.

All of these skills and characteristics can be developed. If your team is lacking any of them, coach them to add to their skill set, and to your bottom line!