Understanding Behavior and How to Manage It

One of our three key areas to balance is what we call behavior. Behavior should not literally be how we behave, rather it's the critical habits, and activities needed to push sales forward. Logically, behaviors are things like, requests for referral’s, prospecting calls, appointments scheduled, face to face meetings held, closing sales, and any other specific activity that can be tracked and would lead up to an eventual sale and revenue.

How do you monitor your behavior? How do you determine what is the correct amount of behavior to be doing? Recently Sales Concepts invested in some new technology to help both our own organization and potentially our clients to maintain a healthy understanding of this behavior. Most salespeople need assistance when it comes to tracking and managing behavior. Accountability is often a missing link in developing the habits needed to achieve consistent success.

Do you have a realistic plan for your activity? Are you consistent with those habits? Do you know where to focus the training or management help to improve your performance? How effective are your sales tools to stay on task and how well have you structured a support system to make sure behavior happens? Ask yourself these questions or call Sales Concepts for help at 440-575-7000.

Be Wary of Our Own Assumptions

We find ourselves saying this very frequently, the job of a salesperson is to help prospects make a decision. Too often, as we are trying to get the prospect to make a decision we fall into the trap of making assumptions.

Assumptions are one of the root causes for many of the “sales nightmares” we can experience. Statements from prospects like “everything seems to be in line we just have to run it past our committee for a final ok, but you have my vote”. Or, “I am going to need a little time but I feel real confidant about what you have shown us”. We hear they are buying, but time may prove that was a hopeful assumption.

The result, we assume our contact is advocating for us, we assume that they are going to have enough horse power to push us through the committee or we assume they are telling us the truth. We may also assume that we have educated our contact to answer all of the questions that the committee might have? What if that one question we didn’t prepare our contact for is the question that the committee asks? This is called “Murphy’s Law”, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. What if we did not leave our results up to chance?

Great salespeople ask all the questions necessary to really understand the prospect’s intentions. Successful salespeople will not accept words that are not clear from their prospects. Avoid making assumptions rather get clear well understood commitments from your prospects. Before you go on your next sales call think about being wary of your own assumptions. Let us know your thoughts! Please leave us a comment.

“Sales Success Triangle”

What does it take to be successful? First, what is success? Success is one of those terms that could mean many things to various people. Often, it is associated with money and material things…suffice it to say, you are successful if you are among the best at what you do.

That being said, how do you become a successful salesperson? The key word is balance. Successful salespeople have mastered equal amounts of Behavior, Attitude and Technique. Picture a triangle with three equal sides, the minute one leg of the triangle gets shorter the space inside is reduced dramatically. In the same way salespeople need equal amounts of all three key components.

Behavior is doing the things that generate sales, every day. Top salespeople know exactly how much behavior needs to be done daily, monthly and even annually to reach their goals. Good examples of Behavior may be dials, walk-ins, contacts, appointments, referrals and sales. Make sure you know what to track and how many are needed daily.

Attitude sounds like a simple concept, stay “positive”. A positive attitude is really only masking the true issue. Great salespeople effectively control the Attitudes or feelings they have about so many different pieces of their life. To be successful you need the correct Attitude about things like, your product or service, your company, your clients and prospects, your competition, and the economy as a whole. Unfortunately, many miss the most important Attitude of all…how you feel about yourself.

Technique is the manner in which you carry out sales. That is, what you say, who you say it to and how you say it. Technique also gives you skills to escape difficult situations, or control meetings and conversations. Technique is having a systematic approach to the sales process, so you always know exactly what to do next. All these skills are demonstrated in such a way that your prospects feel like you have their best interest in mind…that is great Technique.

Success comes with a constant balance within your ”Sales Success Triangle”. Think about this before your next sales call, or ask for help from Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000.

“Want to Sell More, Start with your Clients”

Maybe it is the Holiday Season, but it’s also a time to reflect. As we make time to go see clients, share Holiday wishes and hope for a New Year a question becomes apparent, are we spending enough time with our clients?

In an effort to SELL MORE shouldn't we be more focused on our current clients? When we are in front of clients good things happen: referrals, new business opportunities, improved customer retention and maybe, best of all, the ability to maintain reasonable margins. Stale client relationships become commodity transactions, we all need to try and maintain healthy, growing relationships with our customer base. As better vendors we can help anticipate problems and changes in market conditions, we might even find some new problems we can help solve.

As you reflect on the year that has been, make every effort to “Start with your Clients” to grow your business, or call Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000 for help.

“No More Million Dollar Presentations”

Have you ever finished what felt like a great meeting, only to end up in the same old chase mode? Why does this happen?

Many salespeople comment how excited the prospect was when they were presenting their product or service, “they loved it, now I can’t get them to answer the phone”. Amateur salespeople think the sale is closed in the Presentation, great salespeople have learned it is all about solid questioning and listening techniques. Prospects close themselves when we learn their true buying motives, budgets, and decision making process.

Million Dollar Presentations lead to unqualified prospects, too many proposals and wasted time following up with people who will never buy. The result of these problems is prospects controlling your sales success. Antiquated presentations should now be replaced with Fulfillment, or helping the prospect understand how we will fix their pain.

Always focus on your customer and avoid the pitfalls of the Million Dollar Presentation.
Think about this before your next sales call or ask for help from Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000.

“What Is A Real Referral”

Have you ever received what you thought was a referral? Often times the prospect does not know why you are calling or who you even are…is that really a referral?

A referral is not a recommendation to call someone, it is also not, “these people could really use someone like you”. Real referrals are people who have problems, want to fix them, and are expecting your call.

Professionally trained salespeople develop techniques on how to ask for referrals and more importantly have the referrer set up the referral properly. Referrals are the single best source of new business, yet too many salespeople are spending time either not asking for referrals, or accepting imitations.

Help your clients discover, “What Is A Real Referral” and close more sales.

Think about this before your next client meeting, or ask for help from Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000.

“If Your Competition Does It, Stop Doing It Right Away”

We all have competitors, so what is the best way to deal with them? If Your Competition Does It, Stop Doing It Right Away.

What will this accomplish? Differentiation. One of the keys of closing and keeping business is being different. Competitive advantage greatly increases the probability you or your salespeople will sell. Understanding your market will help you create different products or services that will make you stand out.

Are you tired of Price Pressure? You cannot be a commodity if you are different than your competition. Do you grow weary of Comparison Shoppers? If you are different you will easily separate yourself from the pack.

How about cold calling and looking for appointments? If you look and sound like all your competitors, all salespeople for that matter, your prospects are justified in blowing you off. Try to differentiate yourself and your company in everything you do.

Remember, “If Your Competition Does It, Stop Doing It Right Away”, separate yourself from your competition. Think about this before your next sales call, or ask for help from Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000.

"Why Mailing Literature Fails"

Literature informs, but people sell. How many times have you forgotten that in your sales career?

Traditionally, sales people bombard prospects with literature and information that most people never read and are usually thrown away. People will buy a $50,000 automobile and never read the owner's manual -- yet we think our prospects are going to read 5 page color brochures cover to cover?

Prospects who ask for literature are typically trying to get rid of you. Learning how to get past the "Send Me Literature" objection is one of many skills that separate the exceptional salespeople from the rest. Stand your ground and help your prospect discover "Why Mailing Literature Fails".

Think about this before your next sales call, or ask for help from Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000.