Chuck Terry’s Blog

Entries from May 2009

Hiring Top Sales Performers (Part 3)

May 29, 2009 · Leave a Comment

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In Parts One and Two  of this blog series, Hiring Top Sales Performers, I explained the first three of five key attributes typically found in top performing sales people, as well as a few hints on how to spot Passion, Purpose, and Position in sales applicants. Those attributes comprise the first three (in no particular order) of what I call the 5 P’s of Successful Selling. This week I will be covering the final two of the 5P’s — Persuasion and Persistence.

To recap, the 5 P’s of Successful Selling are:
Passion
Purpose
Position
Persuasion
Persistence

The next essential “P” I will address is Persuasion. This is pretty straight forward, as it is the ability of a sales person to inspire others to take action on their ideas and products. I am not talking about snake oil sales trickery here; but rather the skill to help others reach the logical conclusion that acting in the suggested way really is in their best interest. I believe this trait is inexorably linked to the previously addressed Passion trait because one enables the other in a selling situation. Persuasive people tend to be very comfortable with other people and have a high degree of empathy, which allows them to explain things in a way that really connects with others.

The first and most obvious way to uncover the Persuasion trait in sales applicants is in how well they persuade you that they are a credible candidate. Done properly, the applicant should make you feel at ease, be easy to talk to, and ask you as many questions as you are asking them. You should feel like the applicant is engaged, confident, and not trying to “oversell” him or herself.

A great line of questioning to understand the depth of the applicant’s skills in Persuasion is to ask about previous selling and personal situations where they have faced resistance to their ideas. Ask about the method they employed to get others to agree to take their recommended course of action. The answers should reflect good listening and diagnostic skills aimed at uncovering the other person’s true objections. The answers should also reflect a method of involving the other party in crafting a solution that was in the best interest of all involved. You aren’t looking for a blunt instrument that over powers people; but rather, the deft touch that enables persuasion without later remorse. The Persuasion trait is absolutely essential in building consensus in situations where multiple people are involved in buying decisions.

The final “P” of the five is Persistence. This is the ability to bounce back from repeated rejection and also the ability to keep a high level of energy during tough times. One of the most challenging and daunting elements of selling is undoubtedly the rejection that routinely occurs as part of the job. In most sales jobs the representative will hear “no” with much higher frequency than they hear “yes.” Much like baseball where a batter that only fails to reach base seven out of ten times is hailed as a hero, selling successfully requires the ability to focus on the three times you actually succeed. A master of Persistence also has a well developed method to maintain a high energy and enthusiasm level, regardless of what else may be happening in their lives. If you are being sold by someone with a high level of Persistence, you won’t be able to tell the difference between a day when they won the lottery and a day when they received an audit notice from the IRS.

When looking for the Persistence trait in applicants, it is good to ask questions about the tough times in their lives and careers. You also want to ask questions centered on how they developed leads and prospects. How do they feel about cold calling (a high rejection activity)? How many times do they typically call on a prospect before they become a customer? How long was the sales cycle in their previous company?

Another line of questioning should be centered on how they maintained their focus, drive, and enthusiasm during tough times. Ask about how their performance has been affected by personal problems in the past? How have they fought through sales slumps? What process do they employ to get themselves “up” before a sales call? In short, you are looking for people that just keep pushing, no matter what, and put on a happy face in the process.

In conclusion, if you can find a sales representative that is a master in all 5 P’s of Successful Selling, hire him or her immediately. Ask them if they can refer anyone else like them, and then hire them too! It is extremely rare to find a sales professional who is extraordinary in all five Ps. As a general rule, the bar should be realistically set at “extremely high” rating for three traits, and at least “good” ratings in the other two. If you can consistently hire to that level, you will be well on your way to building a sales team of super stars that will keep your business in growth mode for years to come!

 

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 Chuck Terry is the Executive Vice President and CSO of Carew International and is regular contributor to Carew’s blog – Executive Insights

Carew International is a leader in sales training and leadership development; specializing in comprehensive, proven training programs for sales, sales management and customer service excellence. For over 30 years, Carew has earned its reputation of delivering increased productivity and profitability to our valued clients world wide.

Categories: Business · Sales · Sales Management · Sales and Leadership Insights
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Top 5 Words to STOP Using in Sales

May 22, 2009 · 1 Comment

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The language of sales has always been rich with metaphors in terms of how we describe the process of selling. Terms such as driving sales and winning the deal conjure up visions of a high stakes game where fame and fortune is only a good roll of the dice away.  However not all of the metaphoric language we sales professionals use conjures up such exciting visions. It is high time we take a good look at some words we need to STOP using to describe our selling process.

Mark Twain had a great quote, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.” With that in mind, here are the top five commonly used words which should be stricken from the vocabulary of sales professionals.

1. PROBE – In sales parlance it is generally used to describe the process of uncovering a potential customer’s needs.  Webster’s dictionary defines a probe as “a slender surgical instrument used for exploring the depth and direction of a wound.”  I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like much fun to me! How about substituting something like needs analysis or exploring?  Just about any word would be preferable to describe something we do to our customers.

2. COLD CALL – (OK, technically this is a phrase, not a word) In the world of sales, we generally use this phrase to indicate the process of making calls to prospects we haven’t met. But I have to wonder if the term describes the process so much as our feeling about performing this task.  And if that is the case, perhaps we are inflicting a self-fulfilling prophecy. Try using any sentence that contains the word cold to describe a positive sales outcome! Finding new sources of business is the most important function of many sales jobs, so let’s call this something else. How about introductory calls, marketing calls, prospecting, or something else more engaging and less frigid. Cold calling sounds like something The Terminator might do!

3. OBJECTION – This is one of my personal favorites. Usually followed by a phrase such as objection handling, it couldn’t sound more clinical or impersonal.  Webster’s defines objections as “a feeling of dislike, disapproval, or disagreement.”  Numerous studies on sales effectiveness have found that a sales presentation with one or more objections is much more likely to result in success than one where none are raised. Most successful sales professionals agree that an objection can also be a buying signal (don’t get me started on that phrase), so why not refer to it as something more hopeful than objection? How about unanswered opportunity, point of clarification, or request for additional information?

4. PITCH – Most commonly used in a sales reference as the act of presenting a proposal to a potential customer, it is better used to describe the act of erecting a tent. Not just any tent, but a carnival tent; because pitching something is what I would expect from a carnival barker, not a sales professional.  The literal definition of the word is “to throw, hurl, fling, or toss.” The last time I hurled a sales proposal, it rightfully ended up in the trash can! How about something more professional like solution presentation or solution proposal?

5. CLOSE – Here is a very common term typically used in a sales reference as the act of asking for, and getting, the business after a solution presentation. The dictionary describes close as follows:  “to put (something) in a position to obstruct an entrance, opening, etc.” I don’t know about you, but I am not too comfortable using a word with a technical definition like that to define the act of asking a potential business partner to enter into a relationship. We aren’t closing anything. In fact, we are opening a mutually beneficial business relationship! How about some terminology that reflects the reality of securing new business?

There you have it.  My “Five Least Wanted List” of sales terminology.   I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Selling is hard. It isn’t made any easier when the words we commonly associate with the process create conflicting or negative messages. Try some of my suggestions or come up with alternative sales language of your own. The key is to rethink the words you use to describe the selling process; particularly those that have incongruent or negative definitions. A positive attitude, supported by positive language, will generate more positive outcomes in your selling process.

 

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Chuck Terry is the Executive Vice President and CSO of Carew International and is regular contributor to Carew’s blog – Executive Insights

Carew International is a leader in sales training and leadership development; specializing in comprehensive, proven training programs for sales, sales management and customer service excellence. For over 30 years, Carew has earned its reputation of delivering increased productivity and profitability to our valued clients world wide.

Categories: Business · Sales · Sales Management · Sales and Leadership Insights
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Are You Ready for the Gold Rush?

May 15, 2009 · Leave a Comment

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goldrushIn January 1848, James Wilson Marshall discovered gold while constructing a saw mill along the American River northeast of present-day Sacramento. The discovery was reported in the San Francisco newspapers in March, but caused little stir as most did not believe the account.

The spark that ignited the gold rush occurred in May 1848 when Sam Brannan, a storekeeper in Sutter’s Creek, brandished a bottle filled with gold dust around San Francisco shouting ”Gold! Gold! Gold from American River!” The residents of the city now had proof of the discovery and the stampede to the gold fields was on.

It is now May 2009 and there are once again rumors of gold in the hills. Everyone wants to stake their claim. But is your company ready to cash in on the opportunity? Among the many signs of optimism and financial recovery — the stock market (DJIA pictured below) has begun a slow but steady climb after bottoming out at around 6500. Ironically, as the signs of spring are all around us, the first signs of the economy emerging from a cold hard winter are beginning to bloom as well.DJSI_chart

Now before you pack up and head out to pan for gold, you might want to make sure you are up to the task. Many companies are in a weakened state of readiness after the layoffs, cut backs, and belt tightening that was required to survive the last year. If your team has suffered staff, training and travel cuts, do they now stand ready for the task ahead?

One of the many services offered by Carew International is a “Sales Force Audit,” which allows companies to assess their readiness to strike gold in the coming months. Through a combination of predictive assessments and analysis of such things as pipeline strength, you can determine how well your firm is positioned to capitalize on future opportunity. Do you have enough people? Do you have the right people? Are your team members’ skills up to the challenge? Do you have enough in the pipeline? Are you mining in the right place? Answering these and other questions are the first steps to striking gold in the near future.

If you analyze any gold rush in history, you will discover a few common denominators. Those who “struck it rich” combined the ability to get there first, pick the right spot, and work the claim hard in order to maximize the opportunity. It took vision, resilience, perseverance, and a little luck back then. It will require no less today. Will you be ready for the 2009 gold rush?

 

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Chuck Terry is the Executive Vice President and CSO of Carew International and is regular contributor to Carew’s blog – Executive Insights

Carew International is a leader in sales training and leadership development; specializing in comprehensive, proven training programs for sales, sales management and customer service excellence. For over 30 years, Carew has earned its reputation of delivering increased productivity and profitability to our valued clients world wide.

Categories: Business · Sales · Sales Management · Sales and Leadership Insights
Tagged: , ,