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.  Please contact me with any questions.  Reach me at Michael.Parker@BlackSalesJournal.com.

Master the Relationship!

A sales department is best when it has a vibrant atmosphere and unbridled activity.  Once it gets going, sales professionals can be fueled by this activity and a desire to ‘compete’ with their fellow sales professionals.  If the atmosphere in your sales function is electric you will endeavor to be a part of it, hoping that success spills over to you.  If the atmosphere is more like a funeral, you will utilize your best judgment in attempting to separate yourself from it or at least insulate yourself as best you can.

You work with other sales professionals; some are on your team, and some you compete with.  Know them well and know their disposition as there is money to be made out there and you don’t need anything to slow you down.

Friend or Coworker?

As you already know, if someone is on the payroll they are a coworker.  The important issue is that in the sales profession, not all coworkers are your friends.

This is not meant to be divisive, but to stand in recognition that unless your sales function is organized in a different fashion than most, sales departments or functions are designed in a way that spurs competition.  This is not bad; it is just an environment that pits employees against other employees.  In sales you probably have learned to accept it.

Situations occur when you forget that ‘Emily and John’ are the competition and you believing they are friends share ‘trade’ secrets.  This is where feelings get hurt.  Be ready to compete fairly and recognize that these are coworkers, and you owe them respect, but give no quarter from a business standpoint.  Compete and win on the virtue of hard work, and doing things smarter.  Be relentless in terms of your persistency and always be ethical.  Your friends are not the same as your coworkers even though you may be committed to them.

Treat everyone with respect and don’t expect to find your ‘BFF’ at your job because that is not the way it is meant to happen.

Don’t “Buy” Anyone to Early

You will meet a world of individuals at your job and many will be in the sales function.  You will be asked at some point to give your impression of them to someone inside or outside the organization.  The most important thing you could do is to be cordial and helpful, but to reserve judgment on anyone until you are sure.  These are coworkers remember?  When someone rushes to judgement I call it “buying someone”.

Work with them, cooperate with them, but don’t “buy” them until they prove their worthiness over time.  You can be an excellent sales coworker without endorsing someone.  You definitely will know when it is time.

The problem with buying someone too early is that you may not have an idea of what that individual is really about until you have difficult times.  Tough times do not change people, it unmasks them. If you have given a premature endorsement, you could find yourself backing a real ‘loser’.

The Vampire

I once worked in a sales department that had a variety of characters.  There were journeymen, sage veterans, hard working upstarts, and then there were those who were full of complaints and found nothing right with the manager, the company, the product or…. the world.

I call them vampires and if you know some of these individuals, your quest will be to keep away from them.  You won’t need garlic, or a crucifix, but will need to strictly avoid this person whose quest is to ‘suck the life out of you’.  These unhappy sales people have the poorest of attitudes.  To them everything is wrong with the organization and that they bear not fault or blame for anything.

• The vampire is constantly on vigil to determine who is trying to accomplish anything new and innovative, so they can discourage them.
• This individual is peering over your shoulder to determine if you are taking any new training or courses for self-improvement, as he or she would love to talk you out of it.
• The vampire is trying to determine what prospect you are working on as he or she knows all of them and they want you to think it will be fruitless.
• This individual would do anything possible to engage you in a long 3-hour lunch as he or she has nothing to do, and they want to make sure you get the same amount done as they do…nothing!

The vampire can be bright and be full of knowledge, but just does not recognize that you get out what you put in.  They may have made a decision as to how much energy they will expend, but now they want to rob you of yours.

It is Real

I once had the challenge of working with a sales representative who was truly a vampire.  I was the regional sales manager in another state and this individual complained about everything.  His field sales manager seemed to accept that he was going to complain, but eventually it was realized that he was hurting morale.

The vampire assured us that management was sorely lacking (I did not take it personally), criticized our products, attempted to negatively influence new hires, and did everything possible to turn sales representatives against the organization.

On the basis of performance, we had to help him make a decision that he did not want to be with us.  It was for the best for all parties.  I resisted saying that we put a stake through his heart as …well you know why!  Remember, if your goals are so crosswise with the organization, read Black Sales Journal 4/7/2011 When to Consider Moving On, and think about your next station in life.

Always leave when it is wise and always, always be the professional.

Your comments are welcome.