Black Sales Journal

Think about it…your utility as a sales professional is partially based on the benefits you bring to the customer.  You cannot escape the fact that there may be equal, or even superior products out there. There may be better services, and for sure better prices.  Remember that you have to bring something that others don’t deliver.  Piece of mind is just that important!

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A very successful sales professional once said to me, “The most important thing I can do is to have some true relationship time with my most important customers.  My objective is to determine what problem or future concern is keeping them awake at night.” She then stated, “If I can figure that out, I can give them something that they have not been able to get from anyone else, peace of mind and rest.”

Hmmmm, there is some truth to that isn’t there?  The problems that clients have are not limited to making money and having a sound balance sheet today, this concern goes into the future.  Our customers have a multitude of things on their mind, and most of them have nothing to do with the products that we sell.

Our job is to probe discretely and listen actively to determine if there is anything in the dialog that gives us an understanding of the customers biggest, most pressing concerns.  Help the customer solve pressing issues using your product, and when your product is not enough, use your knowledge and resourcefulness.

If you are able to solve them, you have cemented a stronger relationship that is security in itself.

A Real Life Example

This individual sold financial products.  This included business life insurance products and pensions and retirement instruments.  Here is how the story played out:

My friend, who I will call Deb, worked with a fairly large organization that was a leader in selling financial products to businesses.  Her relationship with the customer was 3 years in tenure, and solid in terms of openness and sharing of information.  She was in his office for a review of her products financial results and overheard a conversation regarding the turnover that her customer was having regarding their employees for the last 2 years.  It was getting worse, and once they finished training a new employee, it was often less than 18 months before someone snatched that employee from them.

While at a business lunch the following week, she shared that she overheard a conversation about this issue.  His response was that employee retention was a huge issue, and that the cost of hiring and rehiring, training, and downtime were taking a huge financial toll on his organization.  Bam! Do you doubt that this problem was keeping this individual and potentially others in his organization up at night?

They discussed some of the reasons that this might be happening, and the customer volunteered that much of this was the result of his location being far from the main town, as well as the fact that his major competitors were offering ‘sign on’ bonuses for skilled employees.  He advised that he was not in a position to offer anything like these bonuses, as it was fundamentally wrong, and way to expensive.  Deb stayed on this one and with help from one of her contacts at the organization determined that the hiring and training cost for a new employee averaged 32% of first year wage.   She scheduled an appointment and advised that they could save money by doing the following:

Initiate a profit sharing plan (Deb’s company’s main product) that the company’s employees could begin contributing to after the 1-year mark.  She urged them to make a matching employer contribution that would get interest from the employees and keep good participation in the plan.  Additionally she suggested that they should talk to their accountant about the possibility of reimburse their employees for their some of their travel costs as it was a factor in the turnover.  The costs would be minimal if the turnover abated according to Deb and the organizations financial people.

Deb’s point was that although they did not want to offer incentives, that they were paying for it anyway in training costs.  They were training for their competition.

They bought the concept of the employer matching profit sharing plan and they also started a plan that compensated employees for some of their travel costs.  This one sounds pretty simple, yet the important part is that this is what was vexing the customer.  It sold and made them happy even though Deb’s only portion was the profit sharing (401k).  The whole package was the attraction, and the employees embraced it.

What Did Deb Do?

It was pretty simple in the end.  She found something that was problematic, and she helped to fashioned a solution.  That is what a true sales professional does…. solve problems! She didn’t have to do anything earth shattering or magical.  It took time and patience to put together, yet this paid dividends.  She got them to realize that it would be good money to spend.

Her solutions beyond those products that her company could offer, they were designed to move the customer past the problem with simple solutions.  Deb made a good amount of money using tactics like this.

What Should You Do?

Be vigilant as to what problems your customers have.  Listen with the intent of knowing what you might be able to help solve with your product, but also what might help your customer even if you (or your company) are not going to benefit.

If you do the following you can help your customers profit, and you will as well:

• Listen attentively (Black Sales Journal 8/14 – Are You Listening to Your Customers?)
• Find solutions …Then deliver solutions (Black Sales Journal 6/20 – Deliver Solutions…Then Sell)
• Seek feedback (Black Sales Journal 8/28  – Should You Ask Your Customer For Feedback?)

Be a visionary and see past what your product does.  Solve problems and secure trust and your customer’s dependence on you.

You cannot do much of this without a good relationship (Deb had one before she knew about the problems).  Make sure that it is solid and realize that if you are not solving the customer’s problems, someone will. If you are spending time with the customer outside the office, you will find it a great tactic to use to get to the heart of many of the problems that the customer might even take for granted if he or she is sitting in the office when you talk.  A relaxing medium such as a restaurant or bar can help.

Be a problem solver and reap the benefits.

Master the Relationship!

I know that I seem to spend a lot of time and effort getting someone to re-boot their sales career, without as much regard for those individuals who are doing well, and just needing to fine-tune some of their efforts.  During this post we will spend some time talking about some activities that will help you to sharpen your skills.

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You may want to “sharpen your saw” for a variety of reasons.  Among these reasons could be:

• To make more money
• Exceed sales goals
• To increase your effectiveness and efficiency
• To get a promotion or better job

There are things you can to that will affect these areas.  If you are doing well, and want to consider these while there is not serious survival pressure.

The activities that a sales professional does can be common and some are based on particular situations.  There are activities that are done everyday, and there are those that are done as a reaction.  The good part about sharpening skills is that you move away from survival techniques and move to the items that make you more effective.

9 Items to Help You Tune it up

I know that you have heard these items somewhere before.  I hope the explanations will hope you understand why you need to consider them.

Here are some items that I would suggest:

• Seek out a mentor
• Mentor someone
• Get up to date on technology
• Examine your goal setting
• Institute a networking plan
• Attend a sales seminar
• Improve your knowledge – Take a class
• Join a group or association with common interest
• Get a sales coach

Seek out a mentor – You have heard this one from me before, and I cannot emphasize it enough.  I have done two posts about it, and the interesting part is that most Black sales professionals do not do it.  I will note that the mentor need to be accomplished, rather than of a particular race or creed.  It is always good to have someone that shares some of the same challenges in cold calling and organizational interaction.   If you want to see more, check out Black Sales Journal 1/27 Do You Need A Mentor, Probably Two, and Black Sales Journal 7/18 When Mentoring Goes Wrong.  Remember, mentoring can be formal and informal in terms of the arrangements.  Make sure that you arrange it so you can get what you need out of the relationship.

Mentor someone – Nothing helps you re-examine the most important areas of sales professionalism like when you are teaching it to others.  Whether it is the finer points of prospecting or the timing of a close, you think about it harder when you have to teach it to others.  You may refer to Black Sales Journal 3/28 Being A Mentor on this important topic.  You will be giving back, but also re-examining your sales base in the process.

Get up to date on technology – This is a good one to examine.  Increasing your mastery on your system at work is just as important as some of the actual face-to-face work you will be doing.  If you are on Sales Genie or SalesForce.com, you may need to bring yourself up to date to be most efficient.  These programs have good functionality, and your ability to shorten use times depends on your mastery, so get good at it.

Examine and change your goal setting – Stretch yourself on your goals and internalize them.  You all know what stretching means, now I will quickly say that internalizing them means that you will substitute them for the goals that you were given for the year or period.  The new number then is “your” number, and it is taken for granted that your new number is more ambitious.

Institute a networking plan – I will point to Black Sales Journal 2/21, Networking for the Black Sales Professional for this valuable suggestion.  The strength of networking is that prospecting can be less tedious.  They know why you are at the function (chamber meeting, business function etc.) and they know you are going to “touch” them at some point.  It is expected at this function, so your comfort level is high.  The good thing is that this is where your elevator pitch (Black Sales Journal 8/12, Know Your Elevator Pitch) comes in handy.  If all goes well, someone in there is in need of a widget, whether they know it or not.

Attend a sales seminar – There are many that believe sales seminars are a waste of time.  There are some that are worse than others, yet I believe that if you come out of it motivated, and believe in the boundless ability to make money, then it cannot be a total waste of time.  I went to a Zig Ziglar event one time, and he delivered a lot of platitudes, yet there were some sound messages delivered as well.  Note – If you pick up one kernel that develops you, you have been successful.

Improve your knowledge; take a class or course – It does not even have to yield a certificate, let alone a degree, but a course that strengthens you technically can yield strong benefits.  Knowing more about your product, marketplace, or the sales process is a plus and an excellent way to sharpen skills.

Join a group or association – This one is a solid way to network as well as capture an audience for your skills.  Joining a group or association is an excellent way to develop contacts, show expertise, and gather the backing that you need to be considered a true expert.

Get a sales coach – I saved this one for last because it may cost money.  A sales coach is a solid way to get someone to evaluate your sales style and help you improve your weak areas.  Do you have a problem probing, supporting, or probing?  If you sales manager is not giving you constructive comments, you may need someone to help.  Coaches are not free, yet depending on the resources that you have at your disposal starting with your sales manager this might be necessary.  Try your manager first, then a mentor next.  If that does not give it to you, consider a sales coach.  Sales coaching can be on-line, personal, or for teams of sales professionals.

Be Honest With Yourself

The most important thing is to be honest about what you really need help on.  If you are just low in spirits and need some uplift, consider attending the sales seminar.  If you are in need of someone to bounce things off of seek a mentor.  I think you get the drill.

If you career is not sputtering, this is really for you.  If you don’t need to do some emergency triage to stay in your position, you can strengthen areas that others are forced to ignore.  Pick one, and make yourself more complete with the objective of continuous improvement.

We welcome your comments.