Great salespeople are made not born.
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Stop telling and start selling. Ask questions and then listen carefully.By Michael Caron, President, Northbound Sales Training
In my business, I’m often asked, “What’s the biggest mistake salespeople make?” Of course, I tend to term them “opportunity areas” rather than “mistakes”. Whatever you want to call them, the most common is the area of questioning. The second area that goes hand-in-hand with number one is the inability of typical sales professionals to quit talking and listen after they’ve asked great questions!
The average salesperson is high in the “D & I” of the DiSC personality assessment, which means that they are “dominant” and “influential”, they like to control their environment and generally, they love to talk (to learn more about the DiSC profile, send me an e-mail for a sample). While these are critical personality traits for a sales professional to possess, they can also be their Achilles heel. In a meeting with the prospect, they think that selling is best done by being the one who talks the most. Their best definition of communication is “taking turns talking”!
How many times have you encountered a salesperson when you’re the buyer and they did the classic, “Show up and throw up!”?
The shortest course on selling is “ask questions and shut up”. Good use of open ended, closed and probing questions allows you to accurately determine your prospect’s priorities, challenges and needs. How can you truly provide a solution, which is an overused word in sales these days, without knowing precisely what the problems are and where the opportunities are?
You should never go into a sales interaction without a list of well thought out questions. At Northbound, we’re hesitant to use the term “presentation” as it implies that the salesperson is “presenting” while the prospect carefully listens while it should be just the opposite.
Except for very small and simple sales, I strongly recommend you use a two step meeting selling process. The first meeting, whether live or virtual, is used to uncover needs and is named the “Goal Aligned Sales Interview” for good reason. You should be essentially “interviewing” the buyer to uncover problems, challenges and issues.
Problems lead to needs and needs lead us to the next phase of the sale which is the “Goal Aligned Presentation” meeting. This is where you’ll be able to demonstrate to the buyer how you can solve the specific challenges uncovered in the previous meeting.
If you’re a sales leader, Northbound’s “Questions Are The Answer” workshop includes a solid skills building segment in this area. For more information or pricing, contact Michael Caron at [email protected] or 416.456.1440.
Growing a book of customers means more than doing your route.
By Michael Caron, President, Northbound Sales
You’ve worked hard over the years and now have a sizeable client base that you’re responsible for. When you get to this stage, your time will be spent less on attracting new customers and much more on going “deeper and wider” with your existing accounts. Here’s how to make the most of your efforts.
Drill where there’s the best chance of hitting oil
The tendency of many Account Managers is to make field calls on the biggest and best customers. Often, these are also the customers we have the best relationship with. It’s likely that we consider many to even be our friends. The argument is “I’ve got to take care of them because that’s one of our biggest accounts”. I’m not suggesting that taking care of your customers doesn’t make sense but the key here is balance.
Is it possible to over-service a client? Absolutely, when it comes at the expense of others that have tremendous growth potential. We’re already probably getting a big “share of wallet” with our biggest, most loyal customers and it’s questionable how much more business we can get by spending more time with them. I know the thought of calling on that account who favours our competitor and was kind of standoffish with you last time doesn’t sound appealing but that’s where your biggest gains might come from!
We recommend that you prioritize your clients using a combination of existing purchasing volume and “sales opportunity gap or SOP” — that is, the difference between their maximum potential volume and current volume. The customer who buys $10,000 annually from you but spends $100,000 on products/services in your sector has a $90,000 SOP. The client who currently spends $150,000 with you and spends $200,000 in total has an SOP of only $50,000.
To continue with our metaphor, the other oil wells have already been tapped. Let’s look for some new ones!
I spend a lot of time in the field observing sales reps do their thing and in my experience, this is how many field calls go. “Hi Bob. I just thought I’d drop in see if I can do anything for you.” This is usually followed with way too much small talk and finally when they do get down to business, it might consist of something like, “What do you need?”
Your job is to uncover sales opportunities, not be an order taker, and this requires planning. Before heading out and dropping in, brainstorm on what the opportunities are. What are they buying from our competitors that they could be buying from us? How can our product or service help them accomplish more than our competitor’s? Do they know about all our products? What problems, challenges or issues are they presented with these days?
When you can relate the expanded purchasing of your company’s products or services to the solving of your customer’s problems or the achievement of some goal that’s important to them, you will enjoy continued account growth. That’s why Northbound’s sales methodology is called “Goal Aligned™ Selling”!
If you’re a sales leader, Northbound’s “Bumper Crop! Account and Territory Management” workshop outlines a proven system to help your team in growing their accounts. For more information or pricing, contact us.
Sales managers are usually promoted into their positions because they were good individual performers. They were consistent performers in their work and they showed an interest in advancing their careers by earning their promotion into management. They were offered their sales manager position because senior management felt they were competent. But have they been trained on how to “coach and counsel” their people to be as successful as they were? Here are seven tips for coaching success:
1. Coach all the people on your team – the top performers, those in the middle and the bottom.
2. Coach each person one-on-one regularly – a good rule of thumb is 1/2 day a month – more often when possible. Some people will need more frequent coaching, depending on their development level.
3. Do not ignore the problem thinking it will get better by itself – it won’t.
4. The biggest mistake I see when I’m “coaching the coach” is that the sales manager takes over the call and doesn’t get a good look at what the salesperson does when they’re not there! When together, avoid jumping in at the first sign of trouble. You’re there to coach, not do the call yourself. Don’t let them drown either.
5. Find something positive to say in every coaching session.
6. Have them analyze their performance first – what they like best and least – and then give your feedback. You want your people to get into the habit of reviewing the quality of their calls even when you’re not there.
7. Recommend and model the preferred method – Goal Aligned™ Selling. Team less experienced people with your best people.
One of the most important jobs for a sales manager, is to help his or her people become successful. Starting right now you have to help your people become the best they can be. You will be successful when you help your people grow and enhance their performance. Perhaps they will become even more adept than you were in that function. How can you do that? By coaching and counselling your people to achieve the desired results.
Congratulations for reading this and not putting it off! Procrastination has been appropriately called the “silent killer of careers,” yet few people have ever had formal training on how to overcome this immensely costly habit. While managing this problem is a constant challenge to me, I have learned some strategies over the years that have worked very well.
Instead of thinking of how difficult the process may be to accomplish something, think rather of the end result and all the great things that it will mean to you. Turn thoughts of “I hate cold calling, it’s not much fun” into “if I make two hours of calls, I’ll probably book one meeting, I usually close one out of two meetings, so I’m 50% towards a sale if I make some calls!” Once your brain clearly connects the doing of a task with the major benefits of doing so, you will be unstoppable!
Last week’s post on time management got some really good interest even though managing our time is not a technical selling skill. This week’s post is a follow-up strategy. Frankly, most sales people, including myself don’t come by time management naturally because of our personality type. That’s why, at Northbound, time management is almost always part of a program. We often get a serious productivity boost, allowing us to sell more just by getting better organized and disciplined with our time.
I’m going to share one of the best ways to improve your productivity that is echoed in the #1 New York Times bestseller, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. The power of saying “no”. Clear states (you could say very ‘clearly‘) that “Not doing something will always be faster than doing it. For example, there is no meeting that goes faster than not having a meeting at all.
This is not to say you should never attend another meeting, but the truth is that we say yes to many things we don’t actually want to do. There are many meetings held that don’t need to be held.”
But how do you say “no” to people who you deal with on a regular basis without upsetting them? “It’s worth asking if things are necessary. Many of them are not, and a simple ‘no’ will be more productive than whatever work the most efficient person can muster.” says Clear.
He adds, “Saying no to these people can be particularly difficult because we like them and want to support them. (Not to mention, we often need their help too.) Collaborating with others is an important element of life. The thought of straining the relationship outweighs the commitment of our time and energy. For this reason, it can be helpful to be gracious in your response.”
For this reason, here are 17 ways to say no from our Goal Aligned™ Time Management workshop. My favourite is number 11. They can be used with customers, co-workers, even your boss. If you’re going to use them with friends or family, choose carefully!
Try these:
1 – “I’m sorry. That’s not a priority for me right now.”
2 – “I can’t help you on this now, but I can get to it next week. Would that be okay?”
3 – “I have so much on my plate now I don’t know when I can get to it. But I do know someone over here who can help you now.”
4 – “Before I take this on for you, let me show you a few things so that you might be able to do it yourself.”
5 – “I have made so many commitments to others, it would be unfair to them and you if I took on anything more at this point.”
6 – “If I can’t give you a ride to the school dance on Friday, how else would you get there safely?”
7 – “I don’t know how soon I can help you on this, but I will get back to you as soon as I am able to help you.”
8 – “I’m sure we’re close enough that when I say “no” you’ll understand it’s for a good reason.”
9 – “Sure I can help you with your request as long as we both agree and understand that the item I agreed to do for you yesterday is going to have to wait.”
10 – “Before I take this over from you, what do you think we ought to do about it?”
11 – “I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is, I sure can do that for you. The bad news is, I’m so overloaded with everything else, I’ve become delirious and have been lying about my commitments.”
12 – “When I get overwhelmed like I am now, I remove every third person who asks me for something, from my “Good Friends List” and the second person just left.”
13 – “No.”
14 – “Thanks for thinking to ask me, but, no thanks.”
15 – “I would like to help you out on this but you understand I don’t have the resources available to do the right job for you.”
16 – “Now that’s the type of thing I would love to help you on if only I had the time.”
“17 – Just like you, I get overloaded sometimes and have to tell some very special people, “no”. This is one of those times.”
And as you speak, smile.
Knowing where your time is being used will allow you to spend more time on the sales activities that make you money.
I don’t read many books but at least I try to implement good ideas from the ones I do get around to reading. One of the oldest books on my shelf that is still in my top 10 is “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. The chapter on time management speaks of all activities in you life fitting into one of four quadrants. The concept is that there are two variables that can be attached to any activity you engage in.
1) Level of urgency
2) Level of importance.
Plotting one of these against the other produces four quadrants as in the diagram below. Armed with this insight, you’ll be able to make better choices deciding what you’re going to spend your time on and be more effective.
Let’s first be sure we understand the difference between urgency and importance as people often confuse them with each other. “Importance” represents the amount of value that this activity brings to you. A good example would be preparing a proposal for a big prospect. On the other hand, “urgency” refers to how quickly it needs to be done. Responding to a complaint from your biggest customer is a good example of an urgent activity. Combining both urgency and importance allow us to place them in quadrants 1 through 4. You’ll see some examples of common activities also noted in the diagram.
The problem is when we end up spending most of our time reacting to urgent activities, quadrants 1 & 3, the important. The non-urgent activities in quadrant 2 take a back seat — sometimes forever! People who live in the world of urgency often love the thrill of the accompanying adrenaline and cortisol rush but fail to grow. They often find themselves languishing in key areas of their career and life. We’ve all heard the stories of hard driving executives whose health or marriage is failing.
Closer to home, I’ve see countless salespeople who want greater sales success but can’t manage to find the time to attend training sessions or do 1 more hour of prospecting each week. They spend their time on low value, urgent things or even worse, low importance, low urgency activities like social apps or watching Netflix. They “major in the minors.” I know catching up on social and TV can be very entertaining and addictive. If it’s at the expense of building your career, getting healthy or spending time with your kids, however, I’d argue that it’s not the best use of your time.
Why does this happen? Because quadrant 2 activities take planning and discipline to happen. They don’t just appear out of nowhere crying for your attention whereas urgent activities, by definition, do. If you don’t workout today, what’s the big deal? It won’t kill you — at least not today. If you don’t make those 3 extra calls, it’s not going to kill your career — at least not today.
Set the alarm on your phone or watch to alert you every half hour. When it goes off, write down what you did in the last 30 minutes. Do this for 3 days and then mark beside each item which quadrant it falls into. Add them up in total time. I promise you that you will be shocked when you see how much time you are spending in quadrants 3 & 4. I know you will want to spend more time on quadrant 2 activities. The good news is that after this exercise, it will start to happen as you gain increased awareness and focus of where your time is going.
Effective people are experts in managing their time and have developed a ruthless approach to “time suckers.” Apply this knowledge and you too can be one of these people.
Happy selling.
Spring Program
Starts April 17
Our live instructor-led online program, Goal Aligned™ Selling, will give you the skills & strategies to close more sales.
Last fall, we launched our Goal Aligned™ Selling program for individual salespeople and the feedback was fantastic!
If you’re a sales manager, this is a perfect way to develop solid foundational selling skills for a select few members of your team!
B2B selling is evolving and is more challenging than ever and you’ll need to equip yourself with sharper selling skills to capitalize on every sales opportunity. Our 8 module Goal Aligned™ Selling program equips you with the essential skills, strategies & tools that will not only help you exceed your target this year, but also set you up for greater sales success for years down the road.
You will be part of a small cohort of like-minded sales professionals and be taken through a carefully honed module each week.
When? 8 weekly 2-hour Zoom sessions lead by our Founder & President, Michael Caron
What’s included? Includes PDF workbooks, field exercises & customizable templates, 90-day email reinforcement, networking with fellow participants
What’s the cost? $1,395
200% GuaranteeYour fee is totally refundable if you’re not completely convinced that Northbound’s program has given you skills and strategies to at least double your investment in the first year!
RecordingsAll sessions will be recorded for exclusive access for 60 days after
April 17 – Bulls Eye!: How to set and reach your goals
April 24 – Goal Aligned™ Time:Manage your most precious resource
May 1 – Selling to Different Buyer Types:Learn how to adjust your selling style for all types of buyers
May 8 – Connecting to the Big Cheese:Connect to high level prospects and book meetings with them
May 15 – Questions Are the Answer:Learn how to create and deliver the most powerful tool in your toolbox
May 22 – Goal Aligned™ Sales Interviews:Uncover your buyer’s needs in face-to-face or virtual selling situations
May 29 – Goal Aligned™ Sales Presentations:Deliverpowerful presentations that will close the sale
June 5 – Handling Objections:Learn how to deal with price and many other common objections that get in the way of making the sale.
To reserve a spot or for more information, contact Michael at [email protected].
We all know that good questions are the most powerful tool in sales. But some are markedly better than others. One of the most powerful types is the scale question. What’s a scale question? (Good question!) A scale question is one that asks your buyer to answer on a scale, usually from 1 to 10.
To understand why they are so helpful in sales, we need to take a step back. Solutions, by definition, can only exist if there is a problem. Although many companies claim they sell “X solutions” it’s often not possible because their salespeople haven’t uncovered legitimate problems from the potential buyer that their solution can solve. It’s the dreaded trap of “a solution in search of a problem.”
Needs begin with problems and problems only exist when their is a gap between where someone is currently and where they’d like to be. This is commonly called the “tension for change.” Some might have an issue referring to this “tension for change” or gap as a problem. They might prefer to call it an opportunity instead. It really doesn’t matter what you choose to call it, however. What’s important is that we realize that without a gap, there is no possibility for a sale. The potential buyer sees no reason to change from the status quo. On the other hand, the bigger the gap, the more motivated a buyer will be to find a solution.
During the discovery phase of a sale, a good strategy is to establish what the key result areas are for the customer and then uncover the level of satisfaction in these areas. Here’s an example of a simple way to do this.
You: “John, could you share with me the 3 or 4 most important criteria to you in choosing a (your industry) partner?
Prospect: “Price is most important.”
You: “OK. And besides price, what would be next important?”
Prospect: “Great service.”
You: “OK. Could you be more specific as to what great service looks like to you?”
Prospect: “I’d like to see my rep every couple of months. I’d also like to have my phone calls returned quickly and my emails not as quick but still pretty quick.”
You: “So why is great service so important to you?”
Prospect: “If I have an issue and it doesn’t get fixed PDQ, it can cost us a lot. Plus it’s very frustrating not being able to get a hold of somebody with the vendor we use now.”
You: “So, if you were to rate the service you’re getting now from your current vendor, say on scale of one to ten, what do you think you’d say?”
Prospect: “Oh I don’t know. Maybe six.”
You: “OK. So is it fair to say that there’s room for improvement here?”
Prospect: “For sure.”
Repeat the above for at least 2 other areas. Through this process, you’ll have identified several problems — areas that are important to the customer and that he’d now like to do better in. You’ll see that in most cases, the customer concludes that they are not as satisfied as they could be in key areas and how the “gap” has negative implications. If you simply asked them to tell you what problems they have with their current vendor, not only will you get less valuable information, but they might also say, “I’ve got none.” At this point, you have nowhere to go except out the door!
Your homework for this week:
1) Come up with a scale question that will help uncover an area that you have a competitive advantage in.
2) Use it on your sales calls this week.
You should have your own list of questions that you constantly refer to in sales calls. If you don’t have any pre-written ones, these will give you a great start!
Northbound’s workshop “Questions Are the Answer” teaches you and your team the consultative approach to selling then helps you create dozens of powerful questions that you can immediately use to grow your sales. For more information or for pricing, contact Michael, [email protected].
When you’re in the field with your reps, choose one of these methods to help them make higher quality sales calls.One of the best single pieces of advice I can give to sales managers is to spend more time in the field with their salespeople. It’s shocking how many sales managers tell me that they want to play the role of coach with their people yet spend a pitiful amount of time in the field where coaching should happen. It would be analogous to a hockey coach discussing defensive play along the boards but not showing up at the games to watch his team put it into practice.
If you’re a sales manager, the only accurate way to gauge the skills of your salespeople is to observe them doing their thing. When you get out in the field to do some joint calls, it’s important that you agree ahead of time with your sales rep what type of coaching call it’s going to be. Here are your choices:
The Joint Call – In this call, you both participate. The goal is usually to get the sale or solve a problem which will require both of you. Agree before you go in who is going to do what as it’s unprofessional if you start tripping over each other when you get there!
The Training Call – In this call, you take the lead and the sales rep remains quiet for most of it. The purpose is for you to demonstrate a call and have the rep learn from observing. Don’t assert that you are going to do a perfect call. Rather, state, “I’m not saying that I’m better than you but you might pick up a few things by watching someone else do a call.” After the call, do a de-brief at your favourite coffee shop.
The Observing Call – As the name implies, this is where you as the sales manager, need to stay quiet during the call. This is easier said than done especially when you see your rep making mistakes! It’s almost impossible for us to keep our mouth shut when we see our salesperson struggling, but we need to. If you jump in, two things will happen: 1) You will undermine his authority and throw him off track and 2) You won’t get an accurate picture of what he’s doing when you’re not there! Take very detailed notes.
Important: Only do your de-brief after you’re finished doing several calls. Why? If you give him corrections after the first call, he will try to adjust on the second call. If you give him corrections after the second, he will try to adjust on the third and by the end of few calls, he’ll be a mess! Instead, pick out one or two things for him to work on and make your suggestions after the series of calls is over. People can only focus on learning a few things at one time. Keep your list in a safe place as you will refer back to it the next time you’re out with him.
Of course, there is a lot more to doing effective coaching calls than just the above. You can learn proven and powerful strategies by booking Northbound’s “Coaching People in the Field” workshop. Click on the link for a full description. It’s available in classroom format for groups or can be taught one-on-one with sales leaders.