Posts Tagged ‘sales manager’
Many years ago while participating in track and field my coaches typically spoke of cadence. In fact, many athletic events use cadence in their respective performance. Football players have a cadence before each play, dancers have a cadence in their performance and coincidentally those that sell require a cadence.
To perform at a higher level in selling products and services, one must have a certain cadence in delivery and building relationships with clients. Here are some of the things required to assist with your cadence:
- Confidence. Consumers invest in those they know and trust. However, they also invest in the conviction from the selling representative. Your cadence will be affected by the highs and lows of your confidence.
- Presentation Flow. Presentation is where it all begins. Know what you want to say, how you are going to say and but most of all listening is more important then speaking.
- Preparation. One cannot have cadence if there is a lack of preparation. Understand how your services can assist the buyer. Look at issues from the perspective of the buyer; think output. What can you deliver that can aid the client?
- Presence. When you look good, you feel good. Sellers need to dress the part. Invest in good clothes, and groom well. Be noticeable when you walk into a room.
- Poise. Buyers implicitly affect tempo with questions and concerns. Remain neutral during volatile periods with proper research and preparation. The better you plan the less likely impact to your poise.
- Equality. When you formulate equality with the buyer there is better conversation. Your interaction should be a meeting of peers, anything less is a vendor.
- Labor Intensity. Relationship building is must easier, and you have more swagger when you meet only with decision makers. Gatekeepers waste time and affect your confidence. Meet and greet only those that understand your value.
The concept of cadence is formulated from continuous learning and practice. Athletes and dancers practice daily to broaden their strengths. They understand the value of self-mastery, learning all they can to heighten their performance. Take the first step and before you know it you will be swaying with the music.
2010. Drew J. Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.
Drew J. Stevens Ph.D. (Dr. Drew) is the author of Split Second Selling and the soon to be released Ultimate Business Bible and six other business books on sales, customer loyalty, self mastery and business development solutions. Drew helps organizations to dramatically accelerate revenue and outstrip the competition. He conducts over 40 international keynotes, seminars and workshops per year. Dr. Drew is the founder of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Acceleration. To discover how Dr. Drew can assist your organization visit his marketing and sales website or call 877-391-6821.
For over 27 years, I have worked with numerous organizations to improve their selling effectiveness. In the last several months stemming from the recessions, my phone rings frequently requesting help. At issue, the need to move more product as firms seeks higher margins during volatile times.
Contrary to popular opinion, sales managers and CEO’s do not need to increase goals, they need to increase communication and accountability with staff. There are two reasons why staff do not perform efficiently 1) poor employer and employee relationships and 2) unacceptable accountability.
First, sales managers today do not spend enough time in the field with representatives and do not take the time to create relationships with staff. A correlation exists between the relationship between employer/employee and the degree of satisfaction and morale at the job. Simply put, when employees are happy there is better work efficiency. Aiding this effort is the use of the MBWA principle (Management by Walking Around). Sitting in the office does little for relationships, knowing staff does. Invite staff for coffee, lunch or accompany them on account visits. Taking the time eliminates insubordination, tardiness and an array of other non work related excuses.
Second, accountability begins with developing metrics that staff understand and commit to. Qualitative and quantitative are the metrics used to evaluate staff. Determine those metrics by type and aligned with your sales process. Then create milestones so that individuals commit to dates and key performance measurements. Managers must meet with staff regularly to ensure progression. That requires constant communication and not waiting until performance time to review. Accountability also requires the emulation of the best practices of the best people and employing proper staff. Nothing else matters but measurements the denote account activity.
Goal revision does not alter behavior and poor business practices. Change the measurements and relationships and watch the alterations with observed behavior.
©2010. Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.
There are seven secrets for selling effectiveness. Click here For a Free Report 7 Secrets to Selling Success
Drew Stevens is one of the world’s leading authorities on business development and marketing. Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling. He is also the creator of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Fitness. To discover how Dr. Drew dramatically accelerate your business development and sales skills visit his sales and marketing website.
In the last several weeks I have solicited over 20 vendors for a variety of reasons; restaurants to home improvement centers. There is a stark contrast in treatment from one establishment to the next. Most bewildering is the general lack of focus and respect for customer service. The simplest issue for any business is retaining clients by treating them well. Research over many years proves that it is less expensive to maintain your current client base rather than acquire new.
As a business development and customer service consultant I am more sensitive to the issues. However let me offer some free advice that will save organizations money, time, stress and most of all, customers.
- When a customer walks into an establishment or walks to a cashier please have your staff smile and say hello. The world’s icebreaker is an empathetic smile.
- Remember customer’s names. The sweetest sound customers hear is the name of their name, do not screw it up, repeat it the name if needed.
- Have nametags available for all employees. Nothing is more bothersome than to not know the name of staff.
- Eliminate the ready, fire, aim approach to service. Start having employees listen and question. Nothing can be heard when both sides are speaking.
- Check the baggage. Consumers do not care if employees received a ticket before work; have a toothache or the myriad of other excuses. It is about the customer not the worker. Bad attitudes are to be left at home.
- When possible have all employees wear ubiquitous uniforms especially in service establishments such as doctors, specialists, etc. It is helpful to know staff from vendors or perhaps other customers.
- Have staff address me formally unless told otherwise. Respect is the better part of valor no matter the generational differences.
- Inform staff that cell phones and the rude act of text messaging are off limits during work hours. Attention must be given to the customer not the evening date.
- Ensure background checks on delivery personnel. In the last several weeks I have noticed seven traffic infractions. The most notable – Stop sign avoidance!
- Stop the banter. When clients arrive undivided attention is to be given to them. Refrain from rumor mongering and speaking ill of the previous client.
- Offer frequent customers some type of VIP service. The most treasured become your greatest marketing avatars.
- Create a customer culture all hired need to be focused on your greatest asset- customers.
- People remember the first thing they hear and see and the last. Make a positive first impression and a memorable last.
©2010. Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.
There are seven secrets for selling effectiveness. Click here For a Free Report 7 Secrets to Selling Success
Drew Stevens is one of the world’s leading authorities on business development and customer service. Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling. He is also the creator of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Fitness. To discover how Dr. Drew dramatically accelerate your business development and sales skills visit his sales and marketing website.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ExecSense Publishes Webinar on Increasing Sales Team Productivity for Sales Executives Led by Drew J. Stevens, PhD – President, Stevens Consulting Group
(San Francisco, CA) (April 8, 2010) Drew J. Stevens, PhD – President, Stevens Consulting Group, has been selected by the speaker board of ExecSense (www.ExecSense.com) to lead a webinar on How Sales Executives Can Better Engage, Incentivize, and Maximize the Productivity of Their Team. The webinar is now available for download and watching on a computer, mobile device, iPod or printed and viewed offline at http://ExecSense.com/details.asp?id=921
In How Sales Executives Can Better Engage, Incentivize and Improve Relationships with Their Team, ExecSense examines why sales executives need to spend the time to make sure their key people are happy, being challenged, and incentivized in a way that ties in with the goals of their team and company. Take the 60 minutes to view this webinar (on your computer, mobile phone, iPod or printed out) to learn easy-to-implement tips and tricks for how other leading sales executives are currently getting the most out of their team, regardless of the state of the economy.
According to Catharine Lloyd, head of speaker relations for ExecSense, “We were honored to have Dr. Stevens lead a webinar on this topic. His work is highly regarded in the industry and the webinar is a great resource for Sales Executives.”
According to Dr. Stevens, “One of the greatest issues sales managers have is motivating and energizing their teams. Now is the time to obtain the needed information as the push for more productivity grows post recession”.
For complete information or to purchase this webinar, please visit http://ExecSense.com/details.asp?id=921 or call us at (415) 453-3003.
About ExecSense Webinars
ExecSense is the largest producer of executive webinars in the world, developing over 500 webinars a year led by hundreds of C-Level executives (CEO, CFO, CTO, CMO, CLO) and partners from 60% of the largest 200 law firms. ExecSense enables business and legal executives to be in-the-know on the most important topics that impact their profession. News breaks every day, however the news stories and trends written about in newspapers, magazines and web sites are too general in nature or not explored in enough detail. To provide executives with more in-depth insights tailored specifically to their profession, ExecSense produces individual webinars as well as titles in our Instant Impact, What Executives Need to Know About…, SpeedBriefings, Legal Needs, Technology for Lawyers, Technology for CEOs, and What to Know Before… series. Depending on the webinar, it includes audio files and documents in PowerPoint, Word and/or Excel. ExecSense is a privately held company headquartered in San Rafael, California, founded in 2000.
About Stevens Consulting Group
Stevens Consulting Group works with organizations that seek to dramatically accelerate revenue. With over 27 years of experience and research, Drew Stevens Phd is one of the worlds leading authorities on business development and sales skills. Dr. Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling. He is also the creator of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Fitness. To discover how Dr. Drew dramatically accelerate your business development and sales skills visit his sales and marketing website.
I am noticing a trend developing across several industries. It is not only a systemic issue which will create depletion of customers and revenue but foundational. The reason why the issue seems to be more apparent now then prior to the recession is simply most organizations did not focus on rudimentary practices that assisted to retain and acquire new clients.
The fundamental issue that continues to escalate is a lack of attention to marketing and sales. Organizations simply did not focus on sales efforts prior to and during the recession. Nothing happens without a sale. It was great in the years 2005 to 2008. The phone was
ringing the orders were continuously coming in and many people were not concerned. As the bubble grew so did profits and so did egos; many individuals simply forgot the reason why they were in business. More importantly what originally got them there would not continue to get them to their end result.
I find now organizations in panic as revenues and subsequently clients have decreased. Yet when questioned about branding efforts or investments into the sales teams I am negated. If there is not investment in marketing and sales where is the money going. And more importantly, now that times are a bit slower, it is a terrific time to educate, stimulate and grow these imperative efforts.
It is vital in any economic cycle every company to invest a good percentage of its income on the sales and marketing efforts of its organization. Therefore it is necessary to understand that you are not only in your individual businesses but the marketing business. This requires pre-engagement marketing opportunities and post-engagement follow – up.
The tactics that businesses employ will assist in creating the allureand cache necessary that then develop brand. The concept of brand development is vital to be heard amongst the cacophony of competitors. Brand helps to create competitive differentiation. Consumers purchase because of the allure and trust. It is necessary that to concentrate all efforts on daily basis in building trusting relationships that create emotion and value. Consumers invest in brand and buy on emotion not from the bromide of features.
Consider this, the foundation of every business is the acquisition and retention of clients. The roof protecting the business is its strategy. There are than four pillars that connect the roof to its solid core and these include marketing, accounting, sales and service. If you truly want to build a profitable, productive and passionate business with less labor and more revenue than focus on these vital principles. Continually review you strategy in every economic cycle and I guarantee that your profits will be higher; your labor less as well is your stress.
Take the time now to retool your strategy, refocus your core energies and rekindle the energies of your organization. I’ll look forward to hearing your stories as you accelerate your business strategies!
©2010. Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.
There are seven secrets for selling effectiveness. Click here For a Free Report 7 Secrets to Selling Success
Drew Stevens is one of the world’s leading authorities on business development and customer satisfaction. Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling. He is also the creator of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Fitness. To discover how Dr. Drew can assist your organization to increase their business development skills visit him at www.stevensconsultinggroup.com
During a recent analysis of a selling organization, I conducted a mystery-shopping excursion to determine the best practices and limitations of the sales group. What I found is common in most organizations.
How often do you listen to your voice mail? How often do you change it? How often do you obtain specificity in the message?
Voice mail services two purposes: 1) to enable your caller to leave a specific message for you and 2) for you to leave specificity on your return call. However individuals will not leave specifics if you do not disclaim how. For example during my mystery excursion the following message was left [name changed to protect the guilty] “Hello this is Rhonda please leave a message at the tone.” The last time I heard this was 15 years ago when voice mail was introduced.
Proper business voice mail should stipulate your name, the firm name, what you want your caller to do and the actions you will take upon receipt of the message. I tell callers to leave a brief message, the best telephone number and time to ring them and that I return their call in 90 minutes. Action is required otherwise your message becomes driftwood in a sea of eternity.
Your voice message must depict your professionalism, your ethics and your responsibility.
The second common selling issue is the identity of the firm when calling a main switchboard. During recent client analysis I ring up the reception area only to have been immediately placed on hold or immediately transferred to another party. Emergency responders take more time to diagnose my issue!
Reception is the first line of organizational identity. Rushing parties off the line, placing them on hold, using mechanistic approaches are methods that destroy prospective client interactions. 45% of every customer interaction involves some level of customer service. Do not allow prospective customers to judge a book by its cover, make a good first impression and treat ‘em right!
©2010. Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.
There are seven secrets for selling effectiveness. Click here For a Free Report 7 Secrets to Selling Success
Drew Stevens is one of the world’s leading authorities on business development and customer satisfaction. Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling. He is also the creator of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Fitness. To discover how Dr. Drew can assist your organization to increase their business development skills visit hime at www.stevensconsultinggroup.com
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