S&MM SoundOff

A Cure for the Summertime Blues

Yes, by all rights, anyone lucky enough to have remained employed during this recession should be counting their lucky stars and working harder than ever. But we also happen to be in the middle of summer, and human nature being what it is, let’s face facts: People aren’t exactly at their most productive right now.

Not that you can’t really blame them. After all, ’tis the season for beach sojourns, vacations, and barbecues, and all those kids on summer break sure seem to be having a grand ol’ time, so if there’s a certain “going-through-the-motions” vibe at your office, it should hardly be unexpected.

At the same time, we are adults, which means whether we like it or not, the working world does keep spinning year-round. And the reality is, the economy does stink, so no one with a vested interest in long-term employment has the luxury of slacking right now.

But if you think trying to inspire summertime productivity in your team is akin to drawing blood from a stone, think again. Kimberly Douglas, author of “The Firefly Effect,” shares some tips below for doing just that:

1. Gather the troops together, and set a specific company-improving goal to accomplish over the summer. It doesn’t have to be something as ambitious as launching a new product or service—even something as simple as streamlining a process can do wonders for productivity and morale.

2. Don’t make summer meetings the same-old, same-old. Break from routine and some fun. Consider bringing along a creativity toy, something interesting enough to engage someone's hands without proving too distracting. Techniques like mind mapping and brainwriting are also viable options.

3. Both you and your team would rather be outside…so go outside. An office field trip—i.e., a gathering in a nearby park—is a great vehicle for boosting creativity.

4. Good advice for all seasons, but especially the summer: As the boss, you need to guard against dominating and controlling your team in said meetings. There’s no quicker way to squelch enthusiasm.

5. Ditto for your more gregarious employees. Rather than letting them dominate meetings (like usual), give your more introverted charges a chance to voice their ideas.

6. Did you succeed? Don’t let your summertime initiatives fizzle away when the fall comes. Delegate very specific assignments to specific individuals and schedule a follow-up meeting.

Tiny Mistakes Cost You Big Money

Over the years I have noticed that sales people make a wide variety of small mistakes that can cost them money. This week’s tip is devoted to sharing some of those mistakes with you.

 

Here are twenty tiny mistakes that can have a dramatic impact on your results; I have grouped them into several categories for quick reference.

 

Prospecting Mistakes

1.       Not investing sufficient time prospecting for new business

2.       Believing that anyone or any company is a prospect

3.       Failing to let go of a potential prospect go even though they clearly have no interest in buying

 

Telephone Mistakes

4.       Not leaving a telephone number

5.       Speaking too quickly on the telephone especially when leaving their return number

6.       Not clearly enunciating their name or company

 

Initial Sales Meetings Mistakes

7.       Arriving late for their appointment

8.       Beginning the sale call by talking about their company, products or services

9.       Failing to ask enough high-value questions about the prospect’s situation

10.   Not listening carefully to the prospect/customer

 

Presentations Mistakes

11.   Not showing the value of their product

12.   Forgetting to adapt the presentation to each specific prospect or customer

13.   Failing to remove the risk factor, especially for people who have never done business with you

14.   Not engaging the prospect in the sales presentation

 

Objections Mistakes

15.   Taking objections at face value

16.   Becoming defensive when objections are expressed

17.   Not investing the time to uncover a prospect’s true objection

18.   Believing that price objection are price-related

 

Closing Mistakes

19.   Failing to ask for some form of commitment during each sales call

20.   Neglecting to ask the prospect for their business

Review these mistakes and identify which ones you may guilty of making. Then take action to correct your approach.

 

© 2009 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

 

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals close more deals in any economy. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or [email protected]. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter at www.Fearless-Selling.ca.

 

 

The (Consumer) Mindset of Moms

For all the signs of economic recovery currently peeking over the horizon, when it comes to consumer spending habits, it’s clear things are still pretty far removed from the status quo.

If a new study’s to be believed, that’s certainly the case for one influential demographic: namely, moms. The Marketing to Moms Coalition surveyed 1,225 mothers nationwide to gauge their spending habits, and the results were instructive.

While overall spending looks to be flat, moms will be spending less on school supplies and slightly more on clothes and electronics—with mothers of elementary-age kids favoring clothes and mothers of teenagers favoring electronics. Breaking from the past, respondents said they’re planning on visiting numerous retailers (both online and online) to get the best deals.

And continuing a three-year trend, more moms than ever will be shopping online this year—now 20 percent, a five percent year-over-year increase. Their favored online retailers (in order of popularity) are Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, and eBay.

Where's Your Focus?

During many of my workshops we discuss the importance of asking new prospects and existing customers high-value questions to determine buying motives, potential sales opportunities and to help gain an understanding of the other person’s current situation, concerns or problems. However, I have discovered that many sales people ask questions that are focused on the wrong person.

When you ask a prospect a question who does that question focus on? Is it your prospect or is it you? Many sales people ask question like these:

“Are you interested in this?”

“Do you want to see this?”

“Can I show you..?”

“Would you like me to tell you about..?”

These are NOT high-value questions because they focus on the seller’s agenda. However, buyers and decision makers want to focus on their agenda, not yours. Here are some examples of high-value questions:

“Tell me about your current situation.”

“How is that affecting your (sales, profits, turnover, time-to-market, etc)?”

“What is the impact of that on your (revenues, profits, productivity, stress, etc.)?”

“If that problem was eliminated what would you do with the extra time?”

If you want to differentiate yourself from your competition, start asking questions that focus on your prospect’s agenda, not yours.

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals reach their sales quotas and targets in any economy. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.

Writing the Second Act

Opinions may differ on how much longer the recession’s going to last, but it would appear companies are wasting little time in preparing for the rebound.

According to a new CareerBuilder survey, 80 percent of employers with employment brands say they’re proactively taking steps to strengthen said brands—ensuring they’ll be prepared when the recovery finally does come.

Needless to say, those brands have taken a beating as of late. In addition to the neverending rounds of layoffs we’ve all become accustomed to, the survey revealed some 46 percent of sales employers chopped benefits or perks at their companies this year.  Most affected were bonuses, incentive trips, and 401(k) matching.

To combat the adverse impact these actions have had on their brands, 32 percent of sales employers say they’re making a point to communicate company successes to employees more frequently (with 31 percent doing so through press releases).

In addition, sales employers are making significant tweaks to their recruitment efforts, outlining career trajectories for current and future employees (25 percent); offering more employee recognition programs (24 percent); offering more flexible work schedules (31 percent); emphasizing a positive work culture in job listings (30 percent); revising recruitment materials (16 percent); and revamping their career sites (19 percent).

"Let Me Recap"

Want to impress your prospects and customers? Learn to recap or summarize periodically during your sales conversations. The Summary or Recap technique has been around for decades but it is seldom used. Here is what you do:

 

After you have asked your prospect high-value questions to gain sufficient insight into their current situation or problem, you say, “Mr. Prospect, Let me quickly recap what you told me.” Then in bullet-point form, you restate the key points she mentioned. For example,

 

“Your employee turnover is currently 29.5%”

“You typically need to hire 2-4 people every week.”

“You spend approximately 8 to 12 hours each week recruiting new employees.”

 

This deceptively simple technique is effective for several reasons. One, it demonstrate to your prospect that you actually heard what they said and processed that information. Two, it forces you to carefully listen to your customer. Three, it helps you clarify in your own mind, what your customers key issues are. Four, it gives your prospect the opportunity to hear exactly what they said to you.

 

Develop the habit of recapping during your sales conversation and I guarantee that your sales will increase.

 

© 2009 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

 

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals close more deals in any economy. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or [email protected]. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter at www.Fearless-Selling.ca.

Happy Days Ahead for the Executive Job Market

Yet more glimmers of hope have appeared on the horizon for job-searching executives: According to ExecuNet, a private network for business leaders, signs are pointing toward an employment market recovery in the second half of 2009.

The company's Recruiter Confidence Index, a monthly survey of executive search firms, had skyrocketed almost 30 points in the last three months. June's survey of 145 executive recruiters has kept the good news streak alive, with some 50 percent reporting they're confident or very confident the executive employment market will improve in the next six months.

Admittedly, that figure is down somewhat from a high of 57 percent the previous month, but is still in marked contrast to February's absymal 28 percent reading. In fact, executive search firms are predicting an 11 percent jump in corporate search assignments in the back half of the year.

At risk of stating the obvious, all of the above makes a pretty convincing case that the recession has finally stopped its free-fall. "While recruiters are not expecting to see hiring rebound overnight," cautions Mark Anderson, ExecuNet's President and Chief Economist, "professionals seeking opportunities to take their career to the next level should have a plan in place to increase their visibility among search firms and their peers."

Pick at the Scab

Sales professionals usually ask a few questions in order to gain a better understanding of their prospect’s situation. However, most of them don’t probe deep enough into the size and scope of the problem or situation. I remember hearing a great phrase from another sales trainer/coach (I think it was Tom Stoyan). He suggested that sales people “pick at their prospect’s scab,” referring to the pain or problem that a prospect may be facing.

Your objective in taking this approach is to help your prospect discover the implication or impact of an issue or problem. When you talk to a new prospect and they express a particular concern or problem, take a few moments and probe a bit deeper.

For example, if they say they experience a few customer complaints ask them often they get complaints. You may discover that a “few complaints” actually means three or four per month. Follow up by asking about the financial impact of those problems.  In other words, how much does it cost the company to resolve those problems? Then, ask how those problems affect the prospect in terms of stress, time, and aggravation. This helps the prospect see the bigger picture and understand the impact of the problem on their business AND themselves.

Pick at your prospect’s scab and dramatically increase the value of your solution.

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals reach their sales quotas and targets in any economy. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.