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How to sell more when others are selling less
by John Graham
Selling is never easy. When the economy is zooming, writing orders, getting
contracts, and signing up new accounts may be easier. But it’s never
easy. Hot, new products and services help. And having the solution
to a pressing problem gives a salesperson an advantage.
An uneven, unpredictable, and uncertain economic environment only makes
selling more difficult.
If the hurdles out in the field aren’t enough to deal with, every
company is demanding more from salespeople––higher quotas, larger
territories, and handling more accounts. “How do they expect us to
do more with all this going on?” is the hot topic whenever salespeople
get together.
This is the world salespeople find themselves in today. And the road ahead
may be even more treacherous. Here are just some of the roadblocks––
and the list is getting longer:
• Changes in territories
• More in-auto driving time
• Added non-sales responsibilities
• Internet competition
• Increased quoting
• Greater customer demands
• Internal company changes
• Merger and/or acquisition
• Decreased sales support
• Product problems
• Shipment delays
• Order snafus
• Problematic customer service
• Back orders
• Competitor-driven rumors
• Curtailed T&E budgets
• Reduced marketing support
• And on top of it all, price increases
The list is formidable, and most every salesperson is faced with some, most,
or even all of these issues.
If all this isn’t enough, salespeople are not just being asked to
hold their own; they are expected to grow their sales.
If this sounds depressing, forget it. It’s the real world of selling
and it challenges every salesperson.
Is it possible to do more? Whether we like it or not, the answer is yes.
But to do so means looking at the sales job differently. It was business
writer Price Prichett who stated, “In the coming era, jobs are not
something you have but tasks you perform.” As we’re all discovering,
“the coming era” is here.
Today, it’s all about tasks––not time, just tasks. Unfortunately,
many salespeople have difficulty performing those tasks that are essential
to doing more.
• Plan––your month, week, day. Although
it sounds ridiculously simple and basic, it isn’t. A recent USA Today
survey shows that only 1% of employees plan their day and only 35% plan
their month. Another survey shows that only 25% of salespeople meet their
annual sales quotas. What good is a quota, if there’s no daily, weekly,
monthly plan to get there? If you don’t have a personal plan, you
can’t produce results.
• Do paperwork daily. Whatever method you choose
to use––a file folder, laptop, or a PDA––the mode
is less important than doing it. But what counts is that notes and records
be kept every day.
If you travel for business, you have watched salespeople on a Thursday evening
flight spending their time trying to retrace their past week’s steps.
How can their records be accurate and complete?
Planning and record keeping needs to be done when the information is fresh.
Those who follow this protocol never have to say, “I can’t remember,”
when asked a question.
• Prospect consistently. Salespeople have a handful
of people they are trying to get to become customers. But few in sales have
50 or 150 carefully selected (i.e., profitable) prospects they would like
to do business with if they had the opportunity. Few salespeople manage
this group with the same attention they give to taking care of their customers.
They don’t waste time making cold calls because they are too busy
working to further their relationship with their prospect group.
• Contact customers constantly. When it comes to
weekly sales reports, many salespeople can’t figure out the value
of the “paperwork.” In many instances, they have every right
to be skeptical. Since no one reads the reports, the salespeople fail to
get the necessary feedback.
There’s another way to look at the weekly sales report, however. It
may help you make sure you are staying in close touch with your customers.
Technology makes it easy for salespeople to distribute their own weekly
bulletin, product update, or market intelligence report, in addition to
making telephone contact and personal calls.
• Limit time spent with “favorite” customers.
It’s difficult to escape the temptation to call on “favorite
customers.” After a few tough meetings and a series of problems, dropping
in on the satisfied customer can be reassuring. It takes the pressure off
and it’s great to feel appreciated.
But more often than not, valuable time is wasted calling on these customers.
When time is at a premium, do they deserve the attention they are getting?
• Prepare meeting agendas. The first few meetings
with customers are often planned carefully. The agenda is sent in advance
and the support information is ready. As time goes by, however, meetings
tend to become less well structured, almost conveying the message that the
salesperson is shooting from the hip. Clients get the feeling that the relationship
is being taken for granted and the meetings are less productive. This is
when the salesperson begins saying, “I’ll get back to you on
that.” Or, “Let me go back and check my notes.”
• Work by appointment. Today, it’s as much
about time as it is about money. In some cases, saving time may be more
important to a customer. And it should be to every salesperson, too. One
of the most effective ways to be efficient with the use of your time is
to work “by appointment only.” Of course there are emergencies
and unexpected meetings that intrude into your schedule. Fit them in. But
don’t let the exceptions run your day.
The goal is to get more done in less time, not to fill the day with activity
that may not be productive. Working by appointment also allows the salesperson
to allocate more time, if necessary, for highly profitable customers.
• Evaluate every activity. Get tough with your self.
If a trade show is no longer productive or fails to attract the right customers,
build a case for getting out. In the same way, if you find an event or show
that fits your business model, advocate for becoming part of it.
Being focused means being rigorous about the way a salesperson uses every
minute of the day. The same applies to sales meetings. Offer to help set
the agenda. Try to make everything worthwhile.
• Anticipate objections. It’s surprising how
few salespeople actually anticipate objections on the one hand or fail to
recognize customer questions as expressions of significant buying interest.
If price appears to be an issue, don’t wait for the customer to raise
it. “You’re concerned about cost, aren’t you?” “Yes.”
“I can understand that. So, let’s start there. If I can show
you how buying from our company will actually lower your costs, can we have
your business?” If “no,” get going and come back at a
later date.
Some sales managers try to get salespeople to be better listeners. But what
should they be expecting to hear? The task is figuring out what’s
going on inside the customer’s head.
• Be ready. Too often salespeople rely on their way
with words rather than thorough preparation. This is very much the situation
when it comes to customer meetings. They present boilerplate proposals.
Details are missing. Notes are scribbled on the backs of envelopes. While
the customer expects answers, the salesperson explains that this is a “fact-finding”
session. It all adds up to one word: unprepared.
Customers see all this as either a sign that salespeople haven’t done
their homework or are simply trying to finesse their way through meetings.
Learning these ten tasks isn’t easy. Many of them fly in the face
of what experienced salespeople have been doing for many years and they
and mastering them can be tedious for those who are new to sales.
At the same time, the pressure to perform is on everyone, but it’s
particularly noticeable for those in sales.
© 2004 Graham Communications
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John R. Graham is president of Graham Communications,
a marketing services and sales consulting firm. Mr. Graham is the
author of four books on marketing and sales, including Break the Rules
Selling: Success Strategies that Beat the Competition (Superior Books).
Mr. Graham writes for a variety of marketing and sales columns for
business and trade publications and he presents his Magnet Power presentations
at company and association meetings. He can be contacted at 40 Oval
Rd., Quincy, MA 02170; by telephone at 617-328-0069; by fax at 617-471-1504;
or by email at j_graham@grahamcomm.com. The web site is grahamcomm.com. |
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