Is It Time To Replace Your Sales Manager?

In sales, we rely heavily on our sales managers.  They are our cheerleaders, teachers, coordinators, and team mates.  That is, they are if they're good at their jobs.  If they're bad at their jobs, they are our critics, our nightmares, our worst enemies.  Is it time to replace your manager?

Often in a sales structure, the best salespeople are "promoted" to sales manager. Sometimes it's about seniority.  Occasionally it's a question of the boss's favorite. None of these are the best way to hire a great sales manager.

The best sales managers have five primary skills:  1) They can consistently teach others to sell the product or service in a changing marketplace. 2) They are fantastic motivators of individuals and groups.  3) They always play fairly, setting a terrific example and creating a professional tone for the department.  4) They work as hard for their team as they do for upper management.  5) They would always rather help than scold everyone on their team.

If your manager doesn't meet these five criteria, all the rest of their skills really don't matter.  Daniel Pink (author of Drive, To Sell is Human, and others) explains it well.   The best performers in any sales organization take ownership of their work, feel it is important, and have the autonomy to self-manage and develop personal approaches to their tasks and environment.  If your manager can't stimulate and support these three attributes, it doesn't matter how well they know the product, how quickly they can file reports, or how well the sales force is doing today.  

Long-term success (we all want it!) comes from ownership, pride, and autonomy.  Ownership, pride, and autonomy come from being good at your job. Being good at your job comes from clear expectations, and constant fine-tuning of skill.  And fine-tuning skills comes from a supportive, objective voice confirming your strengths, and helping to develop your weaker skills.

As a sales professional, this is the boss you want, and the environment you need to do your best.  We all know it. And when we have it, we're substantially less likely to look for opportunities outside the company.  If you, the sales pro, don't have it now, it's probably time to look for an opportunity to get it. This is your career!  You want to develop as well and as quickly as time will allow.

To upper management:  I'm not saying there's no room for discipline!  (See "clear expectations" above.)  I'm reminding that carrots and sticks have gone the way of the two martini lunch.  It's okay sometimes, but it doesn't work as a primary activity. Simple compliance is out, and motivation to comply and improve is in.  If your sales team doesn't work this way, you have a problem, because the competition's team probably does.   You don't want to lose your best people to the competition!  Give your sales team the most vital benefit they can get: a terrific, qualified sales manager.

You Say You Work From Home?

Lots of folks claim to telecommute, or to work from home.  When you're in outside sales, or self employed, telecommuting can be a gift from the heavens.  Not needing to circle back to the office to file paperwork or talk to your boss saves a lot of time! How do you make it work?  A fast internet hookup, Skype, a smart phone, and a big dose of self-discipline will do the trick.

When telecommuters save all that driving and parking time, the boss expects even more from you! And yet, some people look at telecommuting as a "Get Out of Jail Free" card.  How do I know this? My office is in my house.  And many people wink and smile at me, with a knowing look in their eyes. "So, can you meet for coffee Tuesday at 10:30?"  Um, no.  Would they say that if I worked in an office?

There are perks to telecommuting, and I'm not going to say you should never give in to them.  If you need to file some paperwork and you see a Starbucks nearby, grab your laptop or tablet, run in, grab a coffee, and do your work.  (You'd never think twice about pouring a cup of coffee at the office, would you?)  But if you're likely to be distracted by the fireplace and a friendly neighbor, skip going in, and work from the parking lot.  (The wi-fi works great from there!)  You need to be getting more done with all that time you're saving by not commuting.

People ask me all the time, "How do you avoid wasting time when you work from home?"  There is a temptation to walk the dog on a sunny day, or or 'take a break' and catch up on my Breaking Bad addiction.  But I constantly remind myself that I only have this privilege because I don't abuse it. If my first meeting isn't until 9:15, I'm still at my desk by 8:30.  The email still needs clearing, and the phone calls still need returning.  I've just saved the travel time.  Here in Buffalo, NY, it's nice to avoid driving more than necessary in the snowy months, and as long as I'm effective from home, that works. I like being able to have my dog at my feet while I type a proposal. And I love that I only have to visit my regular office once or twice per week.  But if my performance slipped, I would be back at the office in a blink of an eye.

The reality is, some of us can't handle the temptation.  If you find yourself running errands between appointments, or putting together a pie recipe in your kitchen while you're on the phone with a client at 3pm, you're probably not cut out for this.  If you're typing reports in front of Jerry Springer, you're probably not cut out for this.  If you don't get dressed unless you have an appointment, you've let your professionalism slide a little too far.  The same rules apply to us telecommuters as apply to everyone else. Who we are when no one is watching is likely who we really are. So be terrific!

Under-Promise, Over-Deliver

It's a great catch phrase, but how do you do it?  This isn't a trick of vocabulary!

When we go out and say, "We'd like to offer you - " it means we don't offer it now. Or, "Let's aim for tomorrow." These qualified terms have nothing to do with what your client hears.  What your client hears are the phrases closest to what they want.  If your client wants the product tomorrow, "Let's aim for tomorrow" means tomorrow to them.  It doesn't mean you're going to "try for tomorrow." To the client, it isn't maybe.  It means you will deliver. If you miss tomorrow, the client's faith in you is shaken. This is the entire problem.

Good sales reps occasionally slip up and say things like, "We can sometimes get this out in 24 hrs." All the client hears is tomorrow.  She doesn't hear the qualifying language at all!  If you want the client to have something tomorrow, unless you're planning to handle all the fulfillment yourself, you need to excuse yourself and make a phone call.  Never commit to anything on a tighter deadline than your company usually can deliver.  Even if your company advertises a 2 day turnaround, if usually it takes them 3 days, say 3.  If you deliver in 2, your client is delighted her order is early.  If you deliver in 3, you keep your promises.

If your client insists on a commitment that is tighter than your usual, you need to tread lightly!  There is little worse in a sales relationship than failing to deliver to your clients.  When the client presses for the impossible you need to avoid committing without your team's support.  "I need to see if we have that in stock," "Let me check in with our scheduler," and "I need to confirm with production" are all graceful ways to excuse yourself for the phone call you need to make.  If it really is impossible, don't waste their time.  "I wish I could, but instead let's aim for  -."

When you come back to your client after the phone call to the office, tell them the truth.  If you can meet the tighter deadline or accommodate the larger order, you don't want to leave the impression that this is normal order scheduling.  If you did it overnight, or a huge order on a dime today, that's what the client will remember. Make sure they understand that you moved heaven and earth to make this work, and you're shocked it turned out so well!  "In the future, we consistently want to meet your schedule without the miracles!  Let's work out a contact system where we can anticipate your needs." It gives you a great foundation for building a solid relationship with open communication.

Only make commitments you can meet.  Make sure you build ample time into your promises to cover reality.  Every time you over-deliver on time, or quality, you build trust in your relationship with your client.  Make it a habit!

The "NEW" Job Interview: What You Need to Know

Everyone has interviewed for a job and thought they "interviewed well."  We've seen interviewing trends come and go - where do you see yourself in five years, what's the greatest asset you'll bring to XYZ Corp, tell me about a time when - and we're on to a new one: the consultation. You are now a consultant giving free development advice to your potential employer.  This trend is growing fast, so get ready for it!

True story: 2 months ago a company with a national presence fired its sales force and decided to start from scratch.  They advertised exclusively for sales managers, in some ads specifying retail, in others B2B, and in still others, inside sales.  They narrowed the field to 10 very experienced and qualified managers, and no salespeople.  Then they ran the interviews.

Each interview was a series of questions by the company to the candidate of how the candidate would run the sales department.  What do you see as the 3 greatest strengths of the product?  What are the top markets would you want to cultivate?  What are the top three strategies you would implement to make your sales staff successful?  When the candidate would ask a question, the company wouldn't answer it.  You're welcome to ask us questions when we're finished.  Why would they do this?

At the end of all the interviews, the company had a list of 30 ideas in each category from qualified professionals; how to position their product in the market, who to target in sales and marketing, and how to develop a strong sales staff.  They had achieved a coup!  Free consulting from some of the best talent in the business!  They developed a sales plan incorporating the best ideas from all of the interviews, and then called back the people who best fit their new plan. They offered each of them a sales job (not management.)  That sales manager job?  They gave that to someone who would agree to implement their new plan.

True story: A medical office looked for an office manager.  They ran an ad.  They narrowed the field to 6.  They asked each of the six a series of management questions, including questions on accounts receivable policy suggestions, staffing solutions, benefits mapping, and more.  They took all of those ideas, had some meetings, and presented the best ideas to their current office manager for implementation.  No one was offered a job.

How does a qualified job seeker handle this new interview trend?  How does anyone break into a new field?  How can you tell if there really is a job?  Easy - don't fight it.  You won't know. Besides trolling for free business consulting, these companies have a good reason to interview in this way.  It shows them quite a bit about your social skills, your industry competence, and your willingness to be pushed around!

When asked these types of questions, I suggest you answer with your best idea, and stop at one. Indicate that you'll be happy to follow up with them at a later date to provide your answers after you've had more time to consider, and hold your ground.  You've done your homework about the company, and you should show it, but you're not a teammate yet.  You're showing skill and competence, and you're also showing you won't be rushed into answers by pressure from anyone.  If you go in and answer every single question with all your best material, you are demonstrating a lot of knowledge, but you're also showing you'll fold a bit under pressure.

Be ready with questions of your own: who will be your manager, what is the specific scope of work, how are certain responsibilities handled and implemented now, is the incumbent in the position doing an effective job and why...  It's important to show interest, and that you can think on your feet without giving away all of your expertise.  Their answers to these questions will tell you a good bit about whether you're a good fit for their position.  Ask them directly if they see you as a good fit for the position, and why.  You'll either get the job, or learn some of your interviewing strengths, or both!  

How To Get Promoted - 3 Simple Steps

In our careers few things feel as good or mean as much as getting a promotion.  We're not talking about a better title - we're talking about different responsibilities, managing staff, and making more money. We love when it happens, but it doesn't seem to happen often enough.  Why?  What is the secret formula for getting promoted?  There's no secret formula, just basic criteria.  Most of us don't understand the criteria most managers use to move people up the ladder.  

1) The Right Priorities - Sometimes it's easy to let our focus become so narrow that all we see is our own task, and we ignore all the other pieces of the process.  This habit will cost you at promotion and review time.  Managers have very specific priorities.  They want the work to come in well done, on time, and under budget.  But there are two priorities even above that: keep customers happy, and keep the team working at its best.  If you can keep the customer service component and the team component in the forefront, you'll be positioning yourself well for good reviews and possible promotion.  Be an asset to your team by exhibiting a good mood, a can-do attitude, and a willingness to help.

2) Prove You Can Do More - Most good management teams try to maximize the efforts of those on their staff, and leave you very little time for going the extra mile.  How do you show you can do more, when you're barely keeping your head above water?  You need to stop drowning and make your time more effective.  Reach out to team members whenever it's reasonable, and look for any time-saving or streamlining techniques they're using.  Streamline your own process wherever possible. Read articles and books about your industry.  Attend seminars out of your own pocket if you can.  The more you know about your industry beyond your own level, the better you'll be at seeing the big picture.  As you learn more, help your team members do a great job.  When management sees that you're the "go to" guy who can fix anything, they'll start grooming you for the next level.

3) Excel In Your Current Position - This is one of the most overlooked steps toward advancement.  If you are so focused on being in the executive suite that you think your own work is beneath you, you've missed the boat.  Managers want you to make their job easier by doing your job well.  If you can do it well, but only do it well sometimes, this is a big red flag for your manager.  The ability to motivate and manage yourself shows your boss you have focus and discipline.  Do your job well, and do it with a great attitude. 

These three steps will help you move up the ladder. Remember, your team is an important part of the process. If you get along with and motivate your colleagues, you'll increase the odds of being promoted to being their boss.  

The Art of the Probing Question

To fully understand what products and services your client needs, you need to learn about their pain.  What isn’t working?  Why doesn’t it work?  How does that affect their business?  These questions are all about establishing the specific needs of your customer, and bringing those needs to the front of your mind and theirs.  (Make notes of the answers!)  Probing questions should be a major part of every sales call you ever make.  Finding a way to discuss what your client finds to be a problem and then keeping them talking about it is the bread and butter of daily sales work.  It tells you what to sell them.  

The question I get a lot from sales pros is this: How do I work them in without sounding like I'm interrogating the prospect?

Let’s use the example of a vacuum sales pro.  “What’s the dirtiest area in your house?” “Does anyone in your home have allergies?”  “Who uses the vacuum at your home?”  “Do you vacuum the stairs or curtains?”  “Will you be vacuuming hard floors, or carpeting, or both?”  These are all probing questions that will help the salesperson guide the consumer to the right product, while also reminding the shopper of all of the ways they use their vacuum.  It might come off a little abrupt without some polishing.

You need to open the conversation with a warm greeting, and ask about their goals for having a new machine first.  Then you keep the conversation focused on the customer by responding to whatever they say as a person first, and following up with a professional option, second.  

Client: I want to finally get rid of the dog hair in my carpet once and for all!  You: I know! That can be so aggravating!  That's why Acme Corp designed this Pet Defender model.  Pet hair is removed in one pass.  No extra work!  Now you can move on to your next probing question.  You: What kind of dogs do you have?

Focus on the problem.  Every product or service represents a solution to a want or a need.  The right probing questions will lead to a sense of urgency on the buyer’s part.  All probing questions should focus on the pain, or how the solution will be implemented.  What problems has the unmet need caused?  How it will affect their life or business the longer their need goes unmet?  Does this need arise often?  How long has it been unmet already?  How would it be if the need were met today? 

Sometimes the consumer doesn’t know there is a solution available for a need, so they don’t mention the need.  If our vacuum sales pro doesn’t mention the robot vacuum that cleans floors by itself, how many will he sell?  If he asks how much time people “waste” vacuuming rooms that could “clean themselves,” would he sell more?

Picture your conversational flow like this: Client information>respond like a human, then with a professional option< ask the next probing question. Remember, as the sales pro your job is to provide the best possible solution to the problem or need.  You can't assume the prospect knows what all of their options are, even if they tell you they do!   Ask the right questions, enhance their urgency to buy, and sell them the right solutions.  You're right on target.

Build New Business in 6 Simple Steps

Your New Business pitch needs to have a plan, but not a script. (In some cases, your pitch will have some language you use verbatim in every sale. If you have disclosures, they are usually mandated to include certain language.) Strong outlines and agendas for New Business calls are very effective. Rote-memorized scripts are not. What follows are skills and dynamics to add into your outlines and agendas. Stay in control of the conversation to hit your agenda points, and use these tools to educate, excite, and close your prospect.

Start building a pitch sheet. The goal is to present your product in the context of your prospect's business or life. Each heading below should prompt you to add specific concepts, questions, or phrases to your sheet. From there you can build an agenda of how you’d like your New Business calls to run, and polish some lines for your pitch.

Feature – A feature of a product is something positive and observable or concrete. It will include something that sets your product apart, like “leather seats” or “lightweight.”

Benefit – The way in which the customer’s situation is improved by the product. “Added comfort” or “time-saving” are benefits. They define experiences, not something concrete.

Differential Advantage – The differential advantage is the reason your product is the right choice for your customer, as opposed to other alternatives. Ex: When it comes to rain gear, most of us would like to stay dry, with style and durability for our money. When we’re at Niagara Falls and getting hit with spray from the falls, the flimsy little plastic pullovers at the merchandise stands have the differential advantages of being on site, and inexpensive.

Probing Questions - To fully understand what products and services your client needs, you need to learn about their pain. You need to ask questions. What isn’t working? Why doesn’t it work? How does that affect their business? These questions are all about establishing the specific needs of your customer, and bringing those needs to the front of your mind and theirs. Make notes of the answers. Probing questions should be a major part of every sales call you ever make. Finding a way to discuss what your client finds to be a problem and then keeping them talking about it is the bread and butter of daily sales work. It tells you what to sell them. Depending on your product or service, you may want to set a minimum number of probing questions for each interaction. I always aim for at least three, even on a grip and grin visit, and there is no upper limit.

Focus on the problem/solution equation - Every product or service represents a solution to a want or a need. Focus less on your product, and more on the needs of the prospect. The right probing questions will lead to a sense of urgency on the buyer’s part. Encourage them to discuss how the solution will be implemented. The answer to any of the following questions can lead you to a solution-implementation conversation. What specific problems has the unmet need caused? How it will affect their life or business the longer their need goes unmet? Does this need arise often? How long has it been unmet already? How would it be if the need were met today?

Goal-setting – What are your prospect’s goals? It doesn’t matter if they seem to relate directly to your product at this point! Understanding what the prospect is working toward will give you more context for how they will make buying decisions. (If your prospect plans to sell their business within 5 years, and your solution will take 8 years to pay for itself, you may not want to emphasize the short term return on investment in your conversation.) Immediate, short term, and long term goals all matter to your current conversation. Of equal importance, they matter to your follow-up visits. Even if your prospect doesn’t buy today, you’ll have a relevant subject to discuss next time you talk – how’s that goal coming along? Remembering their goals (make notes!) and taking an interest makes you an ally, not just a supplier.

These steps will close more new business.  Incidentally, they'll also close more repeat business.  Commit to your agenda before you set foot in the door. Ask your questions, and present your product or service in the context of the client's world.  Help them see how buying from you helps them meet their goals.  You'll build your client base, and have more loyal customers.