Tag Archives: Sales Training

Sales Coaching

Selling Is Not Just Mere Selling: Optimism and Enthusiasm in Sales

Thinking about sales can sometimes be scary and even intimidating especially when one thinks about competition. Nevertheless, how the company is able to bring in sales and do it successfully is one of the most rewarding feelings that both employers and employees share. Hence, thinking about sales is not just about attitude and strategy alone. Indeed, companies who are able to amass huge sales will agree that optimism along with enthusiasm is one of the main ingredients for successful sales.

Optimism and Its Benefits

Psychologists describe optimism as the basic characteristic that builds positive thinking. It is a psychological resource which unlocks a person’s capacity to succeed in his or her endeavor based on their ability to think that they can achieve it. Additionally, numerous studies have shown that optimism is a desirable characteristic which leads to lesser incidences of postpartum depression, stress and better life satisfaction.

In many cultures, optimism is considered as a desirable trait since it enables people to think positively regardless of the situation. Optimism serves as a catalyst in which people are discouraged from feeling hopeless and apathetic but instead strive for greater hope and action. In the same manner, optimism in the world of sales means that people are able to share their enthusiasm with their customers, knowing that what they have to offer benefits their buyers. This is simply not the bravado of selling but believing that the company’s products bring real results and satisfaction.

Optimism in Sales

When it comes to sales, optimism is taken to mean that sales people have compelling reasons and motivations to offer their products. This motivation is not solely seen in the dollars they can make but also the service given to customers. A sales person can have the most wonderful qualities but without optimism and enthusiasm, they are not able to get customer’s sentiments and trust. A sales coach can also train sales people to sell with intention and integrity.

Successful sales are also brought by people who are pro-active. These people do the necessary actions to make things happen rather than seat and wait for something. Being pro-active and optimistic means people are able to have positive outlooks even in the midst of rejections and down sales. People can benefit from having positive attitude by undergoing sales coaching.

Lastly, optimism in work means that people are able to balance their work life, family and leisure. Sales in important but it should not dominate a person’s life. Hence, putting sales with intent through sales coaching means that selling is done with sincere enthusiasm and bringing valued service.

For more details, please search sales coach and sales coaching in Google.

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Sales Coaching

Field Coaching Visits and The Intrusion of Technology

Technology has changed the face of communication on a global scale. At the beginning of the last century it might have taken months for news to travel from one end of the world to the other. Now it takes a split second. Many people even find it necessary to update everyone else – not just friends – on every single aspect of their lives, as it happens, on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and via text. It has become an obsession to be in touch – instantly.

The same practice of being in touch has had a dramatic effect on the world of business. Sites such as LinkedIn absorb more and more personal information, with the appetite for disclosure seemingly voracious.

When I am running management training workshops, one of the most difficult things I have to cope with, is the constant distraction of attendees as they insist on receiving and sending texts and emails during the training event, and making and receiving calls at every single break during the day.

And yet the question we should ask ourselves is – ‘is it necessary?’ And despite your possible protests, the answer is – ‘no’.

In regard to field sales coaching sessions, I pose the question -‘Will the individual be a more effective, better-motivated, and more professional salesperson as a result of the time invested with me’? This leads me to the conclusion that the sole purpose of field sales coaching is to improve sales performance in the short term, and ensure continuous improvement in the long term. This conclusion is supported by a 2006 benchmarking exercise conducted by the Chally Group where it was reported that -‘the most important skill is that of the sales manager who coaches and develops the salesperson. Salespeople who get at least one half day a week, one to one, with their managers are twice as productive as other salespeople’.

Returning the problems I have with managers especially turning off their laptops, mobile telephones, and Blackberrys during training sessions, when I ask why they are obsessive about the need to be in touch constantly, the usual responses include: ‘I need to be able to provide solutions to problems; customers need to speak to me; it’s the end of the month and I need to make sure we hit target’; and so on. Then when I ask – ‘so what’s going to happen to the business if you get hit by a bus’? The reaction is often one of incomprehension that this is something which needs consideration.

The same rules which apply to the sales process – in that it has to be written down and it should be able to be taught to others – apply to the sales management process – it should be written down, and others should be trained in implementing it. Too many managers hang onto elements of their job that could just as effectively be done by someone else, leaving the really important role of coaching their sales teams as the almost exclusive activity they should be engaged in.

Lastly, there are the issues of trust and common manners. Would you trust a manager who says to you that he/ she is focussed only on helping you to improve your performance when they spend most of the day answering and making calls; sending texts; reading emails?

When you are on a field sales coaching visit, switch your phone/ laptop/ blackberry off. There is never anything that is important enough to distract you from concentrating 100% on the salesperson you are with, and the customers you are both meeting. It is the height of bad manners to be communicating with other people whilst you are on a field sales coaching visit with one of your salespeople. If you can come up with a reason why you need to keep your phone, iPad, Blackberry or whatever else switched on – then you are wrong. There is no reason other than you may be extremely badly organised.

Have you managed to get to the end of this text without making or receiving a call?

Frank is an expert in the field of sales process design, sales coaching, and sales leadership. He can be contacted via salisburyfrancis@gmail.com.

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Sales Coaching

Using the SMART Objectives in Attaining Your Goals in Sales

Any business man who wants to succeed in his respective field needs sensible and tangible objectives to obtain his goals. Likewise, if a company states that they would reap two billion dollars in revenues by the end of the year, it should definitely start with an attainable objective in which its goals are anchored to. However, even the smallest companies sometimes do not have any idea where to start building their goals. If “gaining revenues” is the only objective that companies have without concrete or substantial strategies to back it up; then it is time to reconsider the steps on how its goals are attained.

Many companies now employ what business experts call SMART, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound set of objectives. Through the years, this simple yet catchy acronym has enabled many companies to come up with objectives that are within their reach and are realistic enough to be achieved in a certain time. This acronym is also helpful to sales where standards for selling or even sales persuasion are a must.

Specific means that goals should be well-defined and focused. For instances, reaping two million dollars in five months by marketing a product through advertisements sounds more plausible than saying reaping revenues alone. This ‘focus’ can help businesses center their objectives and strategies toward a specific goal. Measurable pertains to the numbers that are used in the objectives. These numbers are indicators if the business or sales are growing or declining. For example, a publication company can assess if they are hitting the 40 per day quota for magazine distribution. Some experts experienced in sales coaching can help you identify your measurable objectives.

Attainable refers to the manageability of realizing a specific goal. More often than not, some business and sales people raise their goals to a point that they cannot reach them anymore. This then leads to the fourth word which is realistic. This means staying relevant in your goals and being honest in setting them. If you have problems with making your goals relevant or realistic because of stiff market competition, you can get help from a professional sales coach.

Last but not the least, all objectives should be time-bound. Since time is of the essence, it is important for business to clearly define when their objectives should be accomplished. Having time constraints not only helps you achieve your goals on time, but also puts discipline in the whole venture. There are sales coaching experts who provide training for sales employees to be manage their time well when it comes reaching sales objectives.

If you have questions, please visit us at http://www.SalesCoachNow.com for complete details and answers.

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Sales Coaching

Decrease Employee Turnover With Sales Coaching

One of the most significant costs to a company can often be the employee turnover in the sales department. This is can be costly because the success and quality of the sales organization has a direct impact on top line revenue. There is always going to be some level of turnover, but if there is something that a company can do to decrease employee turnover, there can be strong financial benefits.

Employee turnover in the sales department creates two different types of costs for a company: direct costs and indirect costs. The direct costs are the hard-dollar expenses that are incurred when sales resources are recruited, hired, trained, and terminated. These costs can be tracked and will typically show up in financial reports.

The indirect costs that a company will see are in the form of opportunity cost. This cost is all of the business that is lost or missed while sales positions are open due to turnover and then while new sales resources are being trained and ramped up. This cost can be a tremendous amount, especially when you factor in recurring revenues that are missed for future years. Unfortunately, opportunity cost can be difficult to truly measure and will not show up in financial reports.

The main cause for employee turnover in the sales department is poor sales performance. Either sales resources are not performing at a high level and not making the money they want to be so they chose to go somewhere else where they feel they will be more successful. Or the sales resources are not performing at a high level and management determines that a permanent change is necessary in order to drive better sales results. This is how sales coaching can help as it can improve sales performance and that alone can decrease employee turnover.

Sales coaching will decrease employee turnover by working with sales resources on an ongoing basis to help them to perform at their optimum level. Coaching will help bring clarity to sales resources with where they are in terms of attainment, identifying what they need to do to be successful, and then help them with dealing with challenges and hurdles as they occur. Sales coaching will help the sales person to be more successful than they would be if they were completely operating on their own.

By being able to decrease employee turnover, the company will stand to retain a tremendous amount of knowledge. This includes knowledge on company information, processes, products, customers, etc. By being able to retain this knowledge, the company will stand to perform better in the area of sales effectiveness, which will decrease the amount of business lost or missed driving down opportunity cost. In addition, the cost to replace this knowledge can be tremendous in terms of both time and money. This is a hard-dollar cost and to decrease employee turnover will yield immediate savings.

Sales coaching can be provided by a company’s internal sales management team or it can be provided by outside coaching professionals. The benefit of outsourcing the coaching responsibility is that outside resources will likely be trained in the area of coaching and will have experience that can be leveraged. In addition, if the internal management focuses on more strategic activities, there can be a better return on investment for the way their time and attention is spent.

Michael Halper has a passion for coaching individuals toward personal and professional development. For more information about coaching and development visit Compass Coaching you can read more about Decreasing Employee Turnover or Sales Coaching.

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Sales Coaching

This Is A Sales Call, Not A Marriage Proposal

For some salespeople, maintaining an appropriate emotional distance from their clients is no problem. For others, it’s a real struggle.

Sales is about gaining trust. It’s not about promising a prospect the stars and the moon. If you find yourself getting down on bended knee and proclaiming of course it’s no problem to push the shipment through three days early (knowing full well the havoc this will create for production), that’s a clear sign you’ve lost sight of your mission.

Too many salespeople-especially those new to sales-fall into the black hole of overvaluing relationships. Overvaluing relationships means placing too much emphasis on the dynamic between yourself and your prospect.

Going into a sales call with a mindset of wanting to sell something compromises your filter. Instead of determining if you even have a qualified buyer in front of you, you leapfrog to the marriage proposal and place yourself in the position of saying anything to close the deal.

If this is you, you need to work to maintain an emotional distance. On the one hand, you should be able to engage prospects and clients in a cordial, friendly, professional manner while, on the other hand, allowing objection and rejection to roll off your back. If you slide into overvaluing relationships, the danger is that you:

Lose objectivity Lose sight of the mission

Have a hard time handling rejection

Take it personally when you receive an objection

Compromise too much in negotiation

Overvaluing relationships lead to a number of negative outcomes. However, there are several things you can do to mitgate these issues: Talk with your sales manager. Make them aware of the issue.

Use an in-depth sales assessment or personality assessment tool that can help you understand your cognitive structure.

Ask for sales coaching.

You may believe that ingratiating yourself with a prospect is the fastest and surest way to make a sell, but this is wrong thinking. While there’s no denying that people like to buy from people they like, they will always do business with someone they trust.

If you’re putting too much energy toward relationship building versus following the sales process, take immediate action to seek coaching on the proper method for maximizing each sales opportunity to its fullest potential. By doing so, you are creating a huge advantage for yourself and making the sales process much easier for your prospects and clients. Your closing rates can improve and your overall performance will benefit.

Barrett Riddleberger is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of sales assessment, custom sales training [http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/sales-training-program/], sales recruitment and sales consulting. He also is founder of Resolution Systems Inc., a strategic sales consulting firm. His book, “Blueprint of a Sales Champion,” details how organizations can find, train and retain top performing salespeople… even in a highly competitive market. An accomplished author and sales consultant, Riddleberger is also highly in demand as a business development and motivational speaker for organizations seeking to drive their sales force to greater levels of performance. For more info visit ResolutionSystemsInc.com or call 866.350.4457.

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