Words to inspire others

This sales tip is aimed to motivate sales people hitting a brick wall.

When one of your newer team mates feel a little down because they did not achieve what they set out to do, reach out and let them know you care. Let them know you too went through these stages in your sales career yet never gave up. Perhaps share the below with them and inspire them to do better next month.

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns As every one of us sometimes learns

And many a failure comes about When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell just how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

By John Greenleaf Whittier

B2B SALES TRANSFORMATION

Read this short blog and find out whether appointing a competent sales coach is right for your business.

I describe what great sales coaches should commit to working with you and what credentials I believe they should have. Hopefully it will help you to select a great sales coach when needed.

We hear a lot about sales coaching these days. It is one of the “hot” disciplines the modern sales organisation/manager cannot do without. Sales coaching comes in many guises such as motivational speakers, digital gurus, social media experts and online training. Yet, despite all of this attention, sales coaching remains somewhat of a mystery for sales leaders.

So here are my views that might help you to decide appointing a sales coach to get better results from your sales team.

Fundamental belief

A great sales coach should believe sales results and personal development are 100% linked. Sales results can only improve at the same pace as personal development is progressing.

Accountability partner

A great sales coach works with clients acting as an accountability partner and applies “tough love” where needed. When a sales person is making excuses for his/her lack of success, the sales coach will address this fast and effectively. Great sales coaching is about achieving, not avoiding.

Trainer

Great sales coaches have the credentials to improve their client’s sales skills, sales knowledge and attitudes towards the sales role. They most likely have a professional sales background and certainly great sales experience.

Results getter

Great sales coaches want their clients achieve their sales objectives. Despite a methodical approach, a great sales coach understands that outcomes can be much more important than process especially for growth businesses.

Yet, he/she makes sure that at the end of the cooperation, a concrete sustainable result has been achieved.

If you are considering a sales coach I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to contact me direct on 07738010170. With 2018 around the corner, timing may be right.

Happy selling!

#salescoachselection #Whatisasalescoach #companygrowth #companystability

Inspiring the next sales generation

I am a lucky guy working with many young sales people and their leaders. My job is to share my experience and light the passion for all things sales. We actually inspire each other and together we are building businesses serving customers, earn a living and achieve a sense of belonging to something worthwhile. We have a joint and individual cause.

Besides customers and great products, building a business is done by focusing on the following 3 areas:

Processes

I am fascinated by processes that are simple yet highly effective. If you can do repeat a great results and know why, you have the building blocks for great process. Here is an example:

Asking customers for referrals and recommendations once they have become your company’s advocate. This will grow your business fast without high Marketing efforts/costs. Here are the process steps:

  1. Deliver outstanding customer service
  2. Confirm customer is happy
  3. Ask for a referral based on “help me to help others”
  4. Contact referrals

Back to top 1) Deliver outstanding customer service.

Systems

Why do things that can be done faster and better by a system? I am curious about systems that help sales people make more sales while delivering outstanding customer service. Working with young IT professionals we have configured CRM systems like Salesforce.com or Pipedrive to deliver two connected objectives; outstanding customer service and making more sales/profit.

People

Despite my fascination with the above, I am most passionate about sharing my sales experiences with the next generation of up and coming sales folk.

Of course, I share sales techniques and sales strategies using an innovative Making Sales and Making Music programme. I go out on sales visits with sales people and provide constructive feedback. Customers are our best teachers. Where the real inspiration gets tapped into is when I share my personal reasons for being in sales all my life as well as my other passions in life. My personal WHY is my personal inspiration. It is not how I do it or what I do. It is my WHY that drives my personal mission and purpose.

And some days it all happens right in front of us. We are at a team meeting or out on the road driving to the next sales appointment. I keep sharing my WHY and it inspires the next generation to also state their personal WHY.

And when we are in front of the customer and I hear the new sales rookie say:

“I joined this company because I believe I can make a difference in the field of xyzzy”, my mission feels momentarily complete…………

The wonderful thing is that this authenticity of purpose, is the strongest USP out there. It will inspire customers to buy more than any other such as price, features and benefits or customer service helplines. We all know by now, people buy from people (with an authentic cause)

Inspiring others starts with knowing WHY you do something. Try it and enjoy!

Find out more about my WHY

#inspiration #thenextgeneration #salesprocess #peoplewithacause #authenticity

3 easy questions to help deciding what CRM to deploy for your company

Many clients ask me which CRM system would be best for their business. I have used many systems over the years and suggest the following approach to take:

Start with one short statement explaining why you believe a CRM system is needed.

It could be you seek better sales efficiencies, fabulous customer experience or simply save costs across the board.

Decide what you need/want before scanning the market. There are many systems out there and most of them are pretty good. It can be a little confusing and independent advice is not always available.

Here are 3 easy questions that might help you to decide what CRM is right for your company:

1. What kind of organisation do you want to be?

One key question to ask yourself is what kind of organisation you really want to be. If you believe your company is all about operational excellence and customer service, then you will soon find out that some CRM systems are much better at that than others. This last point also applies if you see your organisation as high growth, gaining new customers at a high rate. You will find some CRM systems were built for proactive sales teams that are out on the road all day meeting new prospects.

2. What do the users of the new CRM system want?

The user question is critical too. Whoever is going to be a user, get them involved in building the specification. After all, the guys and girls on the shop floor often know best. Getting them involved will also de-risk a lack of enthusiasm and non use when the system goes live (a well known issue) So include the Sales team, Customer Service, Warehouse, Finance and Marketing in making a list of what they believe the need to make the business better and more profitable

3. What are the “must haves” and “nice to haves”?

Finally, start making a list with “must haves” and “nice to haves” and add hard business benefits to them. e g :

“we must be able to process an order in 30 seconds”. Business benefit: 15 more orders processed per day = £3000 revenue.

“We want automatic reminders to management if an opportunity has not moved from discovery to proposal stage after 14 days” Business benefit: 15% increase in monthly sales = £20,500.

“It would be good to have a lead scoring system in CRM so we can focus on hot prospects” Business benefit TBA.

Buying a CRM system is like a wedding: anticipation of things to come and happiness all around!

Living with your CRM is a marriage! It will have its ups and downs and if you don’t work on it, separation could be on the cards……..

One thing you may want to consider as part of your research is why the owner/business of the CRM system you are reviewing, decided to build their CRM in the first place. Just look at the name of some of the brands out there: Salesforce (not hard to guess where their roots are) Sales-I (clearly a reporting angle here) or Pipedrive where it is all about sales opportunity management.

Feel free to contact me for some free initial advice helping you to make an important decision. gert.scholts@thebestsalescoach.co.uk

#crm #customerrelationshipmanagement #salesforcecom #pipedrive #salesi #whatcrm

How to create a highly motivated team

Leading or being part of a highly motivated team is a fantastic experience. But one has to be aware of the strategies to motivate A team in general.

Winning is a habit and that is exactly what highly motivated teams are all about. The various strategies to motivate team ensures that the team members are ways ready to push their boundaries. There is a common cause, team members know why, what is expected of them and everybody knows how they are progressing. The team members support each other to achieve and are having great fun on the way to continued success. It is fabulous being on the receiving end too in whatever capacity. The customer experience is second to none. Stuff gets done! A highly motivated team consists of individuals who have their own specific drivers to make it happen day in, day out. The strategies to motivate team, in general, gives people the required nudge to achieve the set targets. An effective manager knows these drivers and uses them to keep performance high. Here are 5 simple strategies every leader should consider when building a highly motivated team.

1. Strategies to Motivate Team In Terms of A Clear Direction and Expectations, that is markets, products, activities, (sales) targets and culture.

Team members need to know the scope and purpose of their roles as well as the overall purpose of the organisation they contribute to. Strategies to motivate the team makes the team members aware of their responsibilities. Here are some questions they would need answering to perform:

  1. What problem does my organisation solve for its customers?
  2. Why was this business started in the first place?
  3. Why do customers come to my organisation rather than the competition?
  4. How do I best contribute to solving these customer problems?
  5. What results am I expected to achieve?
  6. What is acceptable behaviour in this organisation?
  7. What does “good/excellent” look like?
2. Strategies to Motivate The Team in Terms of Product Knowledge

Everybody in the team deserves the best tools and training to perform in their role and strategies to motivate team works towards that end. Relevant product training, process training and skills training are all strong motivators and enablers to top performance. It shows the leader is serious about investing in the team and its members. I recommend we make the knowledge gathering fun and an experience never to forget. Good training is not an just an event.

3. Make Every Part of The Job Fun and Exciting Through Gamification, Challenges and Competition.

At one time, we were all very young at heart, and life was full of fun. Why should work be any different? When you play together, you stay together. One of the sales teams I work with came to life when we repackaged cold calling activity to a dress-up day themed “From Arctic to Equator”. Every completed call warmed us up a bit. It was great fun and the team were motivated to perform. To that end, it is important to note that strategies to motivate team need not follow a given pattern. Any pattern which might be fulfilling the need can be made use of.

4. Monitor Performance and Provide Constructive Feedback.

I call this the “Sat Nav” for teams. Sat Nav is great in the car. Type in your destination and off you go. along with useful, motivating information on the way like ETA, average speed and suggested alternative routes. Team members will get motivation from knowing how well they are doing and how far there is to go. Thus providing feedback become essential. Charts, chats, ringing the sales bell or a flash email all helps. 121s are perfect too,

yet remember: “praise in public, reprimand in private”

5. Celebrate Success!

Success is infectious for teams. Celebrating and recognising individual team and customer success is a huge motivator for all in the team. It pulls everyone forward to more success. One team I work with celebrates every time a customer says: “wow, you guys deliver fab customer service!” Lead your team using these strategies and their motivation will rocket. So will their results. Every team should help driving the whole business forward. I’ve known Gert Scholts for many years. If you want a high performance sales team, he is your man!

gert.scholts@thebestsalescoach.co.uk

#attitude #belief #winning #why #how #what #performance #emotionalstrategy #intellect

Round pegs make sales

Are you in the right job in the sales team?

What does the job title say about the tasks and outcomes you should achieve?

Here are 6 typical sales role descriptions aiming to provide clarity.

Customer service agent

Mostly reactive support helping customers get the best service. Great role for passionate service orientated folk.

Sales person

Proactive role finding and signing new deals with new customers. Absolutely suited to people who enjoy making contact and developing relationships with new potential customers. Fainthearted need not apply as this role is one of highs, even higher highs and plenty of lows.

Account manager

The job of developing / defending existing named accounts. Superb for people who like to develop an account once boarded and have a project management based approach.

Sales support

This is the important backbone in any sales office helping sales people and account managers to spend as much time as possible talking to new and existing customers. Great roles for people who like to administrate and organise people and things.

Strategic Sales Manager

A sales person who lands deals that are big enough to change a company’s direction. Great for those sales people who have the stamina and desire to go all out on gaining that large account yet being patient enough to work through the long cycle sales process.

Telemarketeer

They are all about getting customers interested in a product/ appointment.

A key role, especially where the sales team have to be dependent on this. Well suited to the ones with great command of the local language, have good product knowledge and a thick skin. Rejection is part and parcel of the role.

All of the above are roles in their own right and ask for specific skills, knowledge and attitudes. If you or other team members are in the wrong role, sales will suffer and people will become unhappy.

Companies that have growth and stability high on the agenda avoid role confusion. They avoid, for example, a set up where a pure sales person is an account manager too.

If you want to know more on how to organise a motivated and effective sales team, contact me on +44 (0) 7738010170

#salesteamorganisation #salesteammotivation #salesroles #squarepegsinroundholes

Red or Blue

You may have heard of blue ocean strategies where companies aim to deliver products that are unique and yet deliver them at the lowest possible price. The idea is that this powerful combination creates a fantastic demand and leaves any competition behind.

Many companies find themselves in the red ocean though. They interact with the same customers most of the time and competition is fierce. Prices are always under pressure and the associated negotiations are as regular as the annual price list and product catalogue.

For sales people there are some interesting lessons to learn from the blue ocean strategy:

  • Be pro-active and always look for new customers.
  • Deliver value to customer based on their needs
  • Go beyond the obvious needs and capture new opportunities

Are you a blue ocean sales person? If so, congratulations! It is a brilliant position to take

A word of caution if you are in the red ocean.

If you are not aiming to be a blue ocean sales person, you may find out your role may well be on the redundancy list as digital selling applications are coming of age. Clients are increasingly for sales people who help them rather who sell a product.

If you want your sales practices move from red to blue and make more sales, feel free to contact me for a chat.

#blueoceanstrategy #salescoach #creatingvalue

Hire a coach to take your team to its destination

Read this short blog and find out whether appointing a competent sales coach is right for your business.

I describe what great sales coaches should commit to working with you and what credentials I believe they should have. Hopefully it will help you to select a great sales coach when needed.

We hear a lot about sales coaching these days. It is one of the “hot” disciplines the modern sales organisation/manager cannot do without. Sales coaching comes in many guises such as motivational speakers, digital gurus, social media experts and online training. Yet, despite all of this attention, sales coaching remains somewhat of a mystery for sales leaders.

So here are my views that might help you to decide appointing a sales coach to get better results from your sales team.

Fundamental belief

A great sales coach should believe sales results and personal development are 100% linked. Sales results can only improve at the same pace as personal development is progressing.

Accountability partner

A great sales coach works with clients acting as an accountability partner and applies “tough love” where needed. When a sales person is making excuses for his/her lack of success, the sales coach will address this fast and effectively. Great sales coaching is about achieving, not avoiding.

Trainer

Great sales coaches have the credentials to improve their client’s sales skills, sales knowledge and attitudes towards the sales role. They most likely have a professional sales background and certainly great sales experience.

Results getter

Great sales coaches want their clients achieve their sales objectives. Despite a methodical approach, a great sales coach understands that outcomes can be much more important than process especially for growth businesses.

Yet, he/she makes sure that at the end of the cooperation, a concrete sustainable result has been achieved.

If you are considering a sales coach I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to contact me direct on 07738010170. With 2018 around the corner, timing may be right.

Happy selling!

Sky high sales results and Key Performance Indicators

What is this blog about?

Many businesses seek growth and stability. In this short blog, I explain how many more sales can be made by setting and managing Key Performance Indicators for sales people.

Ok, it may sound a little official and boring but read on as it can grow your business and aid stability. I used this tool to win major sales prizes and developed highly successful sales people with it.

Background

Before the digital age, sales people spent the vast majority of their time cold calling, visiting trading estates, writing letters, attending trade shows and driving around writing down companies names. It was an activity called Prospecting.

It was a time consuming activity, yet when a prospect had been identified, the chances of success were pretty good because buyer’s choice and competitor activity was limited.

Many good sales people I work with, do this as part of their job and make plenty of sales from it!

During my sales career, I discovered key ratios related to prospecting and selling:

  • 21 door to door calls resulted in 1 sale
  • 4 booked appointments resulted in 1 sale
  • Every second 1st sales meetings resulted in 1 sale
  • 2 sales a week earned me enough commission to pay my bills (self employed)
  • At one stage during my B2B sales career I knew that 15 prospects at various stages in my sales funnel at any time would land me one chunky deal a month

Sales KPIs

The above ratios were related to the key outcomes during the sales process steps; prospecting, appointment booking, fact finding and closing. These were my key performance indicators. The level of achievements for these KPIs predicted my level of sales success. I also discovered that success would come as long as I achieved the activity levels set by my manager.

Much later I learned I was not alone in discovering this minor miracle. Sales people, who knew their numbers and ratios, were great recruits and went on to be great assets to their employers. I have worked with many of them.

  • They worked the numbers rather than just one or two opportunities given to them.
  • They knew that having enough prospects in the sales funnel was their ticket to success.
  • They knew that it was down to them to fill the sales funnel
  • They owned their sales process from start to end
  • They managed their days to ensure their sales funnel was filled to the brim

Only interested in results

A sales manager who is only interested in sales results, gives the wrong impression.

Sales results can not be managed. You either got the deal or you did not. What you can manage is the activity needed to get to a sale. What’s more, sales people becoming better at the key ratios by just a small percentage will start sending your sales results sky high.

Bringing it all together

If you want your sales results to go sky high,

  • work out what your sales KPIs are
  • work out the ratios based on your results to date
  • work it hard with the team
  • enjoy your sales going sky high

If you want to know more how Sales people KPIs can grow your business, feel free to contact me for a chat. It is what I do for a living.

Happy selling!

#saleskpi #salesresults #motivatingasalesteam

Complimentary offer to find out how good your sales team’s telephone skills really are……

HOW WOULD YOUR BUSINESS BENEFIT FROM A MINI REVIEW OF YOUR TEAM’S CALLING ABILITY?

Simply email the call you want reviewing with an overview of the call objectives and I will score it FREE OF CHARGE (worth £75) against the following elements:

​

1. Introduction

2. Positioning of the call

3. Quality of questions asked

4. Ability to listen

5. Gaining agreement

6. Call summary review and presenting next actions.

​

Mail the call HERE.The feedback you receive, can significantly impact on sales results, the customer experience and provide you with new approaches to coach your team.

You will also receive a free tip to improve your call technique.

​

terms and conditions:

  • Maximum duration for the call is 3 minutes.
  • Customer Service/complaints calls are excluded from the free mini review
  • One call per company only
  • UK based companies only
  • The free offer ends 27th Oct 2017

#salesactivitycalculator #sdr #prospecting #discoveryquestions #121