Black Sales Journal

Everyone does not have it, and it will come to light in a time of need.  Courage is the intangible that you must have to achieve your potential.  Those that have it waste less time, exercise more effectiveness, and create better more trusting relationships.  Read and find out why!

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We don’t talk about courage as the most important trait that a sales professional might need, but I will say emphatically that it is in the top couple of traits you need.  We might term it as ‘guts’.  It is the trait that keeps the sales professional in the game.

It is an ‘automatic’ in the careers for many of the best and because of that it is often taken for granted, but it is one of those traits that some professionals are born with, but it also can be developed.  Yes, sales professionals can develop this important trait, and many do.

Whether it is fairly natural, or developed over time, it is essential if you are in sales for the long haul.

What is Sales Courage?

We are not talking about going into burning buildings to save lives; we are talking about the situations that our profession places us in every day.  Sales couragemanifests itself in so many different ways.  I think it is more easily characterized by asking a few important questions.

You will enhance your career if you have the sales courage to:

• Ask the tough, difficult, and penetrating questions
• Clarify who is making the decision
• Make the next 10 cold calls (then the next 10)
• Walk away!
• Recognize and display your value
• Always be ethical and do the right thing!

Ask the tough, penetrating, and difficult questions – Example, “If we are successful in satisfying the questions you have posed, will we be awarded the contract?”  So many cannot bring themselves a question like this.  If the customer says yes, you can leverage it, and if they say no, you have some more questions to ask.  Ask!

Clarify who is making the decision – There is a way to do everything.  Feel some comfort in having the courage to ask who is going to make the final decision, and what in the product or service is going to make the difference.  Recognize that if you ask it correctly, you will find out whether your ‘buyer’ is gathering the information for his or her manager, is a party involved in the process, or the sole decision maker.  You might say, “Mr. Johnson, is the final decision yours, or are there others involved?”  You might also ask, “I know that price is important, but what other factors are going to determine the outcome for the winning proposal?”

Make the next 10 cold calls- You already know that you will not survive in sales without sourcing prospects.  Making the next 10 calls is a commitment to your trade, and the way you will stay in the game.  Have the courage to make them.  Why 10 calls?  A good reason would be that if you are making your calls in batches of 10 you can easily track your success ratios and keep your statistics on the basis of percentages.  This will help you generate your formula.  After several batches of 10, you will see patterns, your own patterns, which are the only ones that count.  You might take a look at BSJ – 2/28/2011 How Many Prospects do I Really Need.

Walk away! – Yes, you need the courage to say “no” and to walk away from situations that do not fit you or in the end will not work for your and your company.  Do it as early as possible in the process after you recognize the problem, and do it like the professional that you are.  There is no pride in wasting your time.  You might check out BSJ – 11/3/2011 Wanted Sales Professional to Work for Free!.

Recognize and display your value – As a Black sales professional you will be used and abused even when you do your best work, or have the best price.  Some buyers will still not work with you or buy from you no matter what you do.  But many will, and you are doing it for them.  Always display your value as a professional and work through your situations.  Everyone is not a good candidate to work with you!  Never lose the perspective that you have pride and plenty of it, and deserve your chances for success.  If you do the right things, you will have it.

Be ethical and do the right thing! This one is important as it embodies a courage that touches your customer, employer, and even your family.  You cannot run from this one in any aspect of your existence if you are going to be a consummate sales professional.  Have the courage to tell the truth and always do the right thing!

It Will Feel Right!

Seasoned sales professionals learn that when you do these things, you should feel ‘right’.  Courage in the face of the daily sales activities is a necessity.  It avoids the wasting of time, promotes clarity, assures agreement, and just makes sense.

Black sales professionals need to exercise courage, as it can be a perpetual struggle, especially early in their careers.  I will explain that by saying that as long as preference, negative perceptions, and prejudice exist, courage is the word of the day.

This is what gets you through the day, and takes you to tomorrow while you face the fact that your close ratios may be lower than your peers.  Knowing the techniques and the landscape you can be as, or more, successful than all of them.

Always exhibit sales courage!

Your comments are welcome.  You can reach me at michael.parker@blacksalesjournal.com.  Thanks.

The presentation gives you the opportunity that you need to secure prospects and customers.  The presentation can envelop customers and clients and hold them firmly while you show value and solutions. The most important aspect of this is your recognition of who this presentation is for…. the attendee. Let’s take a look at some ways that you can fulfill your etiquette responsibilities.  Whether you have a solid presentation or not, everyone notices the things you do wrong from an etiquette standpoint.

An ‘I’ Problem

Years ago I was in a presentation for financial products as a potential customer. The seminar/sales presentation was entitled “Retirement Moves You Should Make Now! It took place at a local hotel, and there were three speakers.  Each of them was noted as an expert in the field of retirement products, strategies, and investments. The three of them spoke for approximately 15 minutes each, and it was evident to me that they were all experts in their subject matter as they had been billed.  I quickly learned that two of them were ‘experts’ on themselves and felt it necessary to tell us over and over.  The other was a great speaker. It got a little sickening hearing them talk about all of the people that they ‘saved’ and how they were preeminent and what others did that could not compare.

They also did some other rather annoying things.  There were presentation slides with little wording and  numerous presentations featuring cartoons. One of the presenters dined on a piece of hard candy during his whole talk and could not keep it quietly in his mouth. I considered this actual presentation rude and a waste of time given the fact that I was supposed to be there to hear how their products and strategies could help me be able to have a happy and fulfilling retirement. What did they do wrong?  Based on the title of the seminar (and the fact that I understood that it was sales related.  The problem lies in that I just got a basic ‘bait and switch’.  The did not tell me how I could retire well, unless the answer to that is just to turn it all over to their operation.

What Are the Rules?

Here are some things that I am going to suggest that will help you as simple guide to the most vexing etiquette issues:

• Write or display your name prominently
• Establish eye contact
• Be Prepared
• Never waste a customer’s time
• Dress “up” at least one level
• Speak clearly and with intent
• Do not read slides or copy to your audience
• Get rid of the ‘uhs’, ‘ums’, and ‘you knows’
• No candy or gum
• Mind your time
• Take questions with a smile

Above all, remember that the presentation is not for you, but for the audience.  The quickest way to lose the audience is to forget this important point.

Write your name prominently – Always include contact information.  Some people are hesitant to ask questions as they forget the name of the presenter or do not know how to contact him/her.

Establish eye contact – Then you will want to keep it.  If you are going to read or focus on your slides then send it to everyone in an email.

Be Prepared - Prepare and practice, then make sure that you have prepared for the presentation and the things that go wrong such as overhead projector bulbs, media that does not work, and compatibility issues with others equipment.  Your audience deserves better.  Have paper copies ready.

Never waste a customer’s or prospect’s time – Avoid useless material, cartoons, and novelties.  Realize that the fewest slides and the most meaningful content is what you need, and what your customers deserve.

Dress ‘Up” a level – Presenters should be properly dressed, which means that they should be dressed that when every one else is casual, a tie should be the mode of dress.  Your appearance is important.

Speak clearly – No one is going to ask you more than once to repeat yourself.  They will just tune you out and begin to doodle.  Speak clearly and with intent for all to hear.

Do not read slides - The rudest action of all is to read slides or text to your audience. You might as well send the content to them and let them be read it for themselves.

Get rid of the ‘Ums’, ‘Ahs’, ‘like’, and ‘you knows’- nothing, I repeat nothing drives an audience mad like the chorus of these three phrases.

Lose the candy or gum – This one is easily self -explanatory.

Manage Your Time – Proper breaks and adherence to the schedule is in your audience best interest, and remember, “It is all about the audience”.  If you need to, assign someone in the front row to help you manage time.

Always leave time for questions – Did I forget to advise that, “It is all about the audience?” Advise them of the format for questions and honor it. Leave ample time for questions.

Have Your ‘I’ Checked

As I spoke of in the practical example, the last thing you want to have is an “I” problem.  That is of course when you start talking about yourself and don’t know when to stop.  If you are selling a product or service it cannot be about you.  You will alienate many, and not sell anything. Tell your qualifications and credentials quickly, and then deal with what you are there to do.  Keep it short, and give a link to a bio if they want to get assurance that you are the real deal.

Remember, the best presenter is the one who gives the audience what they need.

Be the best.

Your comments are welcome.