Sales Team Issue #8 – Sales Team Synergy

 

 

Quite simply, another way of explaining this issue is to say Team Unity. As sales team members and sales leaders, we all understand that every person is going to handle their job responsibilities in slightly different ways. This is typically based on their personalities, past training, level of experience and how they understand management’s instructions.   

As a sales leader in your organization, it is a good idea to have diversity, however it is a great idea to have unity. Unity is driven by an understanding of the company’s Vision and Mission statement, the quality of the leadership provided, equitable compensation, team successes, recognition, authority granted, humility, a quality organization, and excellent products. Your vision and mission should be privately communicated and publicly displayed throughout the company’s facilities.

Whether you are a solo operator or a large team leader, it will be imperative to coach your associates on the importance of contributing to the company’s vision with every activity. If the proposed activity does not contribute to the vision, then it should be eliminated. These mission-based activities can be very diverse. The depth of expertise required will frequently demand working with other disciplines inside your organization, or possibly retaining that expertise outside from a contractor. As salespeople, we rely on manufacturing, operations, IT, logistics, product development, other departments, and people that have knowledge and responsibilities beyond our scope.

Your coaching should be thorough and consistent as you work to drive home the individual culture that creates unity.

The culture creation that creates unity should include training on every aspect of the sales team’s skill set. People appreciate the investment in their career and professional expertise. This appreciation is part of the loyalty you will receive from your team as they realize your interest in their success.

No matter the angst it might create, accountability and sales metrics are also part of the mix. Salespeople want to be treated fairly and equitably.

Metrics tied to compensation plans should allow for fair treatment to both the employer and employee. Metrics that become punitive to the salesperson because they exceed quota, should be discarded for a better system.

Practicing favoritism can quickly create divisions and instigate anger in the individual performers. The way people are evaluated should be clearly communicated to everyone involved. Ultimately this level of consistency helps your team understand they are an essential part of an organization they can be proud of.

Sales leaders must always be mindful of the fact that any individual will base their decision to stay and contribute upon the potential of the company to provide a viable future for them. Consequently, care must be taken with praise, reprimands, the timing, and quality of their reviews to ensure that each individual feels valued as a key contributor to the success of the company.

Recognition for a job well done is a viable way of creating unity with your team. If everyone has a win-win mentality, then seeing one of their peers receive an award should motivate them to a higher level of performance.

Another aspect of synergy is the personal authority given to an individual who has earned the freedom based on past performance and wise decisions. By delegating authority, the sales team leader can spend more time working with the less experienced associates to help them achieve mastery in their job functions.

Every company should strive to have the right frequency of team meetings with the salespeople to promote information transfer, company directives, and allow best-way information to be shared among the sales team. Meetings should be timely and not be held just for the sake of having a meeting. Seriously consider having strict time limits, a written agenda communicated in advance, and key action plans generated as a result of the meeting. Meetings should keep the team on the correct track (Policing deviations), which contributes to the unity of the team.

Having friendly competitions between teams and individuals can add a little spice to the competitive spirit normally found inside people oriented toward a sales occupation. The combination of the public competition and rewards can add a lighthearted, energizing effect to the attitudes of the individuals on the sales team.

The quality of your products is always an impactful aspect of the morale, productivity, and unity of the salespeople. Personally, I have left several long-term employment situations when the quality of the products and services declined to the point that I did not want to experience the grief from my customers over poor quality. This can be a fundamental aspect of retaining or losing the synergy that the company has worked diligently to build.

In summary, it is important to put some thought and energy into the unity of your organization for the sake of productivity and the impact it will have on your customer base. Every customer should be able to conduct business with one of your locations and expect to receive a very high level of effectiveness, efficiency, and service consistently across the board.

A last footnote to this section should not be neglected. Hiring well, and through onboarding is going to be a critical aspect of the synergy created in your organization. Applicants should be screened not just for sales abilities, experience, and education, but also the attitudes they will bring to the job. The attitude of strong confidence in conjunction with the humility to accept orders will carry the employee and the company a long way.

Do your utmost (I strongly suggest pre-employment screening tests) to hire people with a strong propensity for sales and a driving personality focused on excellence.

 

 

 

Sales Team Issue #7 – Pre and Post Sale Relationships

 

As professional salespeople we might assume that a pre-sale relationship will closely mimic the sales approach as we identify, qualify, and introduce ourselves to the buying influences in our prospective accounts. However, this pre-sale activity is somewhat more of a job responsibility than a relationship building activity.

Relationship building is a combination of the company’s marketing activities and the person-to-person interaction during the presale time period.

When you know the demographics of your target market, the marketing efforts can be crafted to approach those individuals with the appropriate graphics and messages that will attract them.

For example, baby boomers are more likely to respond to a traditional graphics display and a message that reflects the rewards of work and responsibility.

A younger demographic audience is more likely to respond to how the product supports the community, how it promotes upward mobility, and the level of freedom it supports. Graphics will be presented as more utilitarian, science fiction, or possibly superhero oriented.

As the prospect sees and hears the add campaigns, the solidarity with the message begins to build a comfort level and a trust element can begin to develop.    

As the company’s marketing efforts begin to have an impact, then the probability of person-to-person interactions will increase. Then it will be incumbent upon the individual salesperson to use their social intelligence to determine the age, personality style, and what part of the purchasing authority they will play. Then they will need to adapt their message to meet the needs of the prospect in conjunction with their personality style and the pressure the prospect is under to make a buying decision.

This is not advocating that the salesperson become an absolute chameleon, but that they adapt their presentation to the audience to the most persuasive message possible.

This message would not be complete without a word about truthfulness, integrity, and authenticity. Remember, you are suspect until proven trustworthy. And you are the human side of the company’s marketing efforts. Buyers are looking for you to be congruent with the marketing message and be a subject matter expert in your field.

Your professional approach with every individual that you have contact with is paramount. Courtesy and good manners never go out of style. Respect for the individual’s authority and the fact that you are a guest in their facility must be always kept in mind.

Blowing benefits out of proportion and fabricating stories will cost you grievously over time. Your buyers expect you to be prejudiced for your company and products. Let it stand at that.   

Part of any relationship building exercise during the presale approach has to do with the timing of the contact efforts the salesperson will attempt.

As salespeople, we must keep in mind that your prospects are typically very busy and in the early stages of the selling process, your approach and their responses are not a high priority. Sales researchers tell us that it may take eight to twelve attempted contacts before a response takes place. Consequently, persistence will need to be a large part of your efforts. It is my recommendation that starting with an every three-to-five-day frequency will be best, unless you have inside information that mandates a more frequent contact effort.

Let that stretch out to 7 to 10 days after 2-3 weeks, then 4 weeks and later a quarterly approach is recommended.

Use white papers, slide decks (short), third party references, video clips and technical updates if applicable during the process to avoid the “What’s happening now” question. Never use the term, “I’m just following up.” Your might as well say, I’m bored and you’re never going to buy anyway.

At closing, the salesperson must be the quarterback in charge of connecting all the necessary team members for the customer and your company to ensure the implementation process goes smoothly.

At closing, congratulate yourself, but don’t assume that your job is over. Unless you are selling a once in a lifetime product, the possibility of post-sale business always exists. This is very true if you are in a materials, repair, and operating supplies business.

Stay in touch with your decision makers to keep them informed of company changes, product changes, changes in terms and conditions and to present new innovations with your product category.

Keep in mind that every company has personnel turn-over happening on a routine basis. Don’t allow a change to place you in an outsider looking in position. As an MRO supplier for a number of years, we always saw a change in positions as an opportunity to get into the account.

This is a situation where some telephone work can come in very handy. Your calls can discover changes or perhaps that people and policies are staying the same.

There is still a place for birthday well wishes, thank you cards, birth of a child congratulations, death condolences, and major holiday well wishes become part of your relationship efforts.

I once had a supply contract with a major coal mine, power plant and aluminum smelter with 15-20 day to day decision makers. I made it a point to go by every individual’s office at least every six weeks to say hello and leave them a product announcement or little give-away item to stay in touch.  

In summary, your efforts to build a trust relationship can open new doors, give you a second chance when things go badly and help you renew business when a contract comes up for renewal.

Remember, the incumbent supplier usually has a competitive advantage and the salesperson is a huge part of that advantage because of the relationships that have been built.

 

 

 

 

 

                          

Your Selling Platform

As a professional salesperson, it is almost entirely taken for granted that you will have the confidence to present your products and services in a manner that demonstrates your deep belief in their value to the customer. Isn’t that the definition of being a professional?

This belief in your company, their support systems, their competitiveness, and the actual product itself are some of the keys to your ability to display the personal confidence required to win new business in the marketplace. (There may be more issues related to a personal self-image that would require an entirely separate discourse to discuss.)

Unless you have a badly scarred conscience, your confidence can be destroyed by your lack of faith that the products and services offered by your employer are substandard and consequently not competitive in the marketplace.

Please be aware that you can set your standard far to high. There will not be perfection in everything you promote. However, it does need to perform and compete very well in the class of products where you content.

My first experience in a professional selling job was with a major industrial and consumer products company that everyone would immediately recognize. The division that I was hired to sell for was out of their area of expertise. There were some poor decisions made regarding placing the company name on an inferior imported product.

 Even as a rookie salesperson, it did not take long to discover that not only were we not competitive from a features standpoint, but we were also badly overpriced as well. My confidence and morale were damaged to the point of draining energy from my selling efforts. I left for another sales position as soon as possible and learned a few years later that the division was sold to someone in the primary business we were attempting to enter. This new salesperson came very close to getting out of the selling profession based on my experiences and lack of faith in the products.

Here are some recommended steps to insure your “product confidence” stays high.

§  Know your products and your competition very well

§  Keep a competitive file so you can objectively evaluate your competitor’s strengths, weaknesses, and performance claims

§  Keep a record of your wins in the marketplace

§  Capture third party references for your own sake and your prospect’s possible review

§  Practice your presentation with a mentor or manager and video the demonstration for evaluation’s sake

§  Seek constant improvement in your sales presentation and your product confidence

§  Personally use your own product if possible or watch it perform in person

And the last comment on this topic is; There is no excuse for bending the truth in your sales role. Falsehood and cover ups will not last in the marketplace.

Good Selling