S&MM SoundOff

How to improve sales performance without training

Many sales leaders look to outside trainers to give their salespeople a jump start, an energy boost, a shot of motivation and sometimes, some new skills and tools to help them succeed.  As one of those trainers myself, I can tell you that training is not always the answer.

Before looking outside for training, why not make use of the wisdom already at work in your firm?  It is waiting to be discovered among your positive deviants.  Every firm has them.  They are the people who make their numbers no matter what, even in tough times.    They are the people the sales team goes to when they need a new idea, when they need that special PowerPoint deck that no one else has, or when they are stuck on strategy and want to talk about it with someone they trust.

These people already have the answer to many issues you are trying to solve.  The key is tapping into this rich resource of insight and know-how.  Here is how:

1. Choose an important problem or objective.   What result is worth working on right now?  It may be as simple as making your numbers, maintaining or increasing customer share or creating referrals.  The key is to focus on something that matters and is urgent to your firm.
2. Identify the high performers.  Who are the people whose performance is exceptional, who perform well beyond what is expected?  The water cooler talk may be that times are tough.  Yet as you look around, you notice that there are some who simply defy the odds.  Who are they?
3. Discover their wisdom.   My colleagues and I have found that in three days, we can tap the knowledge, perspective and processes of high performers and make it available to the rest of the organization in a way that they can use immediately.  One of the keys here is to capture the essence in everyday language - not in "corporate speak."  The vocabulary of many training programs is an obstacle because the learner has to learn the meaning intended by the trainer - and then relate it to their own experience.
4. Put the wisdom into action.  You want the non-expert motivated enough to absorb, adopt and take action on what was learned from the high performers.  Structure the information in a way that captures the essence of the experts' insight and know-how,  while shaping it for adoption by the non-expert.  Credibility also comes from the energy, passion and realism of the content.
5. Reinforce follow-through.  Most training is wasted because it never makes it into the learner's day to day actions.  Create a way to positively incorporate the expert approach into the non-expert's behavior, personalized for the learner's understanding and paced for the learner's schedule.

You will find that the non-experts begin putting the ideas to work immediately.  Part of the reason is that it was created by the people they go to anyway when they need an expert - the high performers themselves.  Even the high performers benefit.  One of the surprises is that many high performers never take the time to understand why they are so exceptional.  Knowing what makes them great gives them a platform to get even better - and they do!

In many organizations, the person your sales and marketing people seek for guidance is not you, the sales or marketing leader or the trainer.  You are no longer the decider or "chief discoverer."  Get comfortable with your new role as facilitator and change agent.

Greg Krauska is President and Founder of The Change Agent Group.

Field Guide to Convention Wildlife

After what seems like a million conventions, I have compiled a field guide to the most frequently sighted specimens.  Perhaps you have seen some of these yourself:

1. Prospectus obliviata (The Wondering Prospect) – usually spotted walking slowly in a serpentine pattern, gazing up, without any clue as to what he’s doing or where he’s going.
2. Papyrus accumulata (The Literature Collector) – can be identified by its bulging bag of brochures, coupons, flyers, and catalogs, most of which will end up in a recycling bin at the end of the day.
3. Pathus coagulatii (The Aisle Clogger) – generally seen stopped in the middle of an aisle, or even better, an intersection, engaged in a long and involved conversation, usually involving hand gestures. This behavior is often preceded by a sudden stop, so as to force a collision with those walking behind.
4. Wheelium rotatus (The Wheel Spinner) – a convention attendee, usually one making $400k+, who will stand in line for 20 minutes to spin a wheel for a pack of gum or other trinket.
5. Baggus tripata (The Bag Dragger) – an individual who drags a wheeled suitcase around the show floor, while others trip over it.  Particularly common during peak periods when traffic is most heavy.
6. Bambino strollifera (The Stroller Pusher) – an increasingly endangered species due to new regulations at some shows.  Can be found pushing a stroller containing a screaming child through the hall, accomplishing both to clog the aisles and inflict various injuries on those who collide with it.
7. Baggus pendulumnus (The Tote Bag Swinger) – Closely related to Baggus tripata, this species can be identified by the pendulum-like motion of a full tote bag, which often results in clipping those walking in front precisely in the backs of the knees.
8. Samplus grabbiosa (The Sample Grabber) – Most often recognized by the darting motions of its hands as it scoops free samples and giveaways off counters while walking by.  Juveniles of the species are particularly prevalent.
9. Phonus blatherus (The Cell Phone Yakker) – Easy to spot as this species is generally oblivious to its surroundings.  May be stationary or transitory.  Quite common in all regions.
10. Juvenilis non-babysitterus (The Child Dragger) – This species mistakenly anticipates that its young will enjoy attending a convention and when it becomes apparent that the juveniles are becoming unmanageable, they entertain them by encouraging them to play with items on display, particularly those that can be stained, misaligned, or broken.

5 Best Practices in Web Conference Events

The web conferencing experience for users has changed a lot in the past decade or so since the first 'webinar'. The original web conference involved the sharing of a presentation with a group of Internet-attached users solely through the use of their computer’s browser. In those days it was not a certainty that all users had enough bandwidth, had the right version of the browser that could support the playback processes or that they had a stable enough operating system and processor that could keep up with the visual changes. Freezing screens and exploding browsers seemed to occur at about the same frequency as advancing to the next chart.

Like the dialup Internet of days gone by, the 1.0 of web conferencing services were awkward, often unreliable and usually less than productive. But today, thankfully, it’s not like that at all.



One of the most popular classes of web conference is the 'event.' In the world of instant information gratification, content is king. So, marketers offer content through special web events. Target participants are invited to participate in a scheduled web conference and learn something new that improves their job in some way. In exchange for this free information, participants provide their contact details, which are used for subsequent sales qualification processes.

Having participated in hundreds of web conferences as keynote, as organizer, as moderator and as participant, here are 5 best practices in delivering excellent user experiences in web conferences as events. I've blogged about the top 10 on my site: http://www.brockmann.com.

1. Don’t Worry About Long Invitation Windows:

Many marketers make a big deal about giving folks lots of notice. The best response and attendance come from folks who have time tomorrow or 2 days from now, not the folks who have time next week. And, oh by the way, people will skip the webinar if they have conflicts, even small ones.


2. Say it in an Hour:

Even if you have technical difficulties that consume the first 15 minutes, cut out charts. Complete the meeting promptly.


3. Have a Moderator:

This role is to welcome everybody, introduce the speakers, monitor the time, manage the question period (if you have one) and thank everybody for participating.


4. Practice the Presentation:

Even if you’ve hired an industry analyst as your ‘celebrity draw’ have them present a practice session. You want to hear the story and see the materials ahead of time. That way you can be sure the content is appropriate and that it meets the goals of the session. Don’t feel compelled to accept what they propose to deliver, either.


5. Do it at Lunchtime:

Lunchtime on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are convenient for many people, but never on Mondays or Fridays.

Keeping these 5 Best Practices in mind as you prepare and deliver the event will work to assure an effective web conferencing experience.



Peter Brockmann is President of Brockmann and Company, a consulting and customer insight firm specializing in the communications products and services markets. Learn more at http://www.brockmann.com.

Designing a Meeting for Max Networking

By Edgar Valdmanis

In my last post I discussed how we could see a seminar as a networking arena, in addition to the actual information exchange taking place.

One of the comments said: "For networking to take place the learning environment has to encourage it."
So how can you encourage networking if you organise a seminar? Because the reader is absolutely right—much is up to the organiser.

Let’s start with the invitation. Why not include a few lines saying straight out “Remember to bring your business cards. With more than xx attendees from the relevant industries this will also be a networking opportunity." This can be included regardless of the format of the invitation, whether is printed or e-mailed. The same message can be repeated whenever you send out confirmations and/or reminders.

If possible you can publish the attendees’ names on the seminar Web site. As long as you don’t publish contact information, but simply name, title and company this is acceptable in most countries. You could even draw attention to this by another message saying “Check who else is coming—complete list here(link to the page)."

Another One Bites the Dust

DAMN, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I was sitting in on a VC pitch and the presenter had a great story to tell. Great story. She could have knocked everyone’s socks off.
        And what happened? Same old thing. A compelling story buried under too much other information that either needed to come later in the presentation (instead of dominating the first 20 minutes) or could have been left out (or left to questions afterwards).
        There was terrific potential for dramatic, visceral images (and related commentary) to explain this offering. Images that would have stirred all but the coldest hearts. And what did we get? Some weak graphics, some confusing charts strewn with numbers, and a lot of self-aggrandizing statements.
        So — once again — the people on the receiving end had to work harder to decide if there really was a viable offering, one that would captivate the market. And it may be that the ultimate path for this firm is too uncertain anyway, and thus maybe a killer presentation wouldn’t have —
        NO. It DOES have a lot of potential. It has a GREAT story to take to the market. And this company may yet get there. But the founder could have made the process much easier for all considered (especially for herself) if she had made the story of her offering come alive.

Why didn’t she?
Who knows? Maybe she (and countless like her) are following an outdated formula? Maybe she thinks that merely mentioning the idea and showing one example is enough? There could be lots of reasons. (I wasn’t there as her advisor, so I don’t know what went into it.)

What can YOU do?
Find the one thing that matters most about your offering — the one thing, not three or six or twenty. Tell that story from the beginning. No, show that story from the beginning. Don’t rely on logic to make your case, and don’t presume that others will “get it” just because you do.
        Make it easy for them to understand why your offering is so necessary, and express it with images that will stay with your audience long after your presentation is over. That’s how you make your story come alive — then frankly, my dear, they will give a damn.

[You can find more on this and related subjects at The YouBlog — practical ideas on presentations, persuasion, selling, and communications.]

The 5% Rule

THE NATURAL TENDENCY for many people, when pitching a product or service, is to tell prospects almost everything they know about their offering. Maybe the hope is that if they throw enough stuff out there, something will stick. And it's really easy to do, because you can just keep adding slides or paragraphs, or continue talking. Besides, if prospects don't hear everything about the product, they might not think it’s good enough and they’ll choose something else.
        The reality, however, is that people on the receiving end are rarely so enraptured with the product. They may have a need, so they'll hang in there while the feature dump goes on (and on) (and on).
        But, at best, they may only remember 20% of what was said. And if they pass on what they recall to their boss or other decision maker, that person may only get 5% of the original pitch. Meanwhile, that 5% could have very little resemblance to the original dump of information. Result: a watered-down (or wasted?) opportunity.

So what should you do?

If only 5% of your message will filter through your prospect’s company after you're gone, make sure that 5% — your core message — is so crisp, concise, and compelling that it will be easy for your prospect to not only remember your message, but to pass it along pretty much as you gave it. In fact, if your message really hits home, your prospect is likely to amplify your message and make a stronger case on your behalf.
        Give them a clear view of how they can benefit from your offering and include only those items that are necessary at that moment to help explain the value you provide. Be ruthless in stripping out details. Either delete them entirely or put them at the end of your presentation, ready to show if and when required. That way, you won’t bury your prospects with information unless they specifically ask for it.

Keep your message short and compelling, and you'll stand a better chance of success.

[You can find more on this and related subjects at The YouBlog — practical ideas on presentations, persuasion, selling, and communications.]

How Do You Get More Interaction During a Presentation?

An often-recurring question: How do you get more value from meetings? I'm not talking about the weekly sales meeting where a handful of salespeople report their figures and go through the targets ahead. I'm talking about meetings in the form of seminars, conferences and congresses.

One way to increase value and to ensure that attendees take something home is to engage the attendees.
Many have probably heard the quote from Chinese philosopher Confucius: "Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I will learn." Now that we know we must involve the audience, the next question is "How?" Most of those who have heard the quote have probably delivered a presentation on a podium, and asked for questions afterward, just to see a roomful of mostly blank faces.

Forget About Butterflies

   

OH, THOSE BUTTERFLIES . . . Rising up inside as we face all manner of situations: presentations; asking for a raise; cold calling; presenting a new idea to the team — every individual has their collection of situations in which their insides start churning.
        You’ve probably heard the advice about getting those butterflies to “fly in formation”. Or maybe you follow the advice to “imagine your audience naked”. There are almost as many approaches as there are butterflies.
        But here’s the deal: Much (or most?)(or all?) of what you’re feeling before a particular event is natural. Granted, it feels weird — body revving, muscles on alert, as you wait patiently for your moment to be “on” — but it really is how we’re all wired.
        I struggled with this myself, during my days as a Broadway actor, expecting that I should be caaaalm before my auditions. Then I realized that if my body and mind weren’t at their peak when my name was called, I was not going to make the best impression. So I learned to embrace this animated state, rather than fret and try to fight it, and it made a world of difference.
        The same rule applies in business, as well. It’s natural to feel revved up before an event, even if it’s just asking your boss for that raise you clearly deserve. If you’re prepared, if you know your stuff, then it really is “performance energy” you’re feeling, not nerves.
        So the next time you feel that swell of energy rising up inside, don’t think “Augh! Stop! Go away!” Instead, smile and say to yourself, “Good. Right on time.”

[You can find more on this and related subjects at The YouBlog — practical ideas on presentations, persuasion, selling, and communications.]

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

WOULDN’T IT BE NICE IF LIFE WAS AS CLEAR AS THESE SIGNS? Okay, that might take a lot of the fun and flavor out of things, but sometimes it would be really helpful to have a simple guide for how to do things better.

And since this is business blog, I’m going to give you a simple guide for how to improve your communications.

Now, when I say “simple”, I mean SIMPLE. It really comes down to only two words: “You” and “Me”. That’s it. Just two words.

But those two words can help you be more effective, more persuasive, and more connected in all your communications. They work whether you’re putting together a critical presentation for your board of directors, preparing for a client call, or maybe just trying to lobby support for a new initiative.

How does it work?

Go through whatever it is you’re working on — a presentation, a prospecting email or letter, your outline for a meeting, etc. — and mark it up as follows:

Wherever you find something about your company, your products or services, your idea, your agenda, or your plans, write “Me” next to it.

Wherever you find something about the interests, goals, needs, or pains of your audience or reader(s) or prospects, write “You” next to it.

[If you’re not sure whether something is about “You” or “Me”, put a “Me” next to it.]

Pretty easy so far, right?

Now, count up the number of “Me”s and “You”s. How’s the balance? More “Me”s than “You”s? If so, you’re probably not helping your case. And, if a lot of those “Me”s come before you get to the first “You”, you’re really in trouble. (And if you don’t have any “You”s — well, don’t tell your boss about this post just yet . . .)

[Theory alert]

It’s probably not going to shock you that people are more interested in themselves than they are in you. That’s just life, right? So it makes sense that if we want to influence or persuade or motivate someone, we’ll have a better chance if we focus on what matters to them.

But it’s not enough to have something relevant to them somewhere in your presentation or letter or discussion. If the focus isn’t on them from the beginning, you’ll lose them before you ever get to the good stuff. People are not going to patiently wade through five paragraphs until they finally find something to care about, and they won’t sit in rapt attention through forty-five slides if you don’t get their brains engaged on the first slide.

That’s why the words “You” and “Me” are so powerful. They give you a quick way to see where the focus of your communications are. They also guide you to those parts that could/should be revised for greater impact.

So go through your emails, docs, plans, and presentations. Wherever you find a “Me”, either change it to a “You”, move it to the end, or delete it altogether. You’ll find that these two little words can point you to more effective and compelling communications every time.

[You can find more on this and related subjects at The YouBlog — practical ideas on presentations, persuasion, selling, and communications.]

Making Good Impressions

Many factors come into play when determining a salesperson's level of success: There's strategy, networking ability, and experience to name a few.  But this weekend, I discovered the key to a successful sale has nothing to do with skill.

I visited a local mattress retailer this weekend in hopes of buying a new bed. Upon walking into the store, I was appalled at the appearance of the salesman who came up to assist me with my selection.  He was disheveled--wearing an old, faded suit that looked as if it were bought 30 years ago and never dry cleaned and scuffed worn-out shoes.  The hair on his head was muttled and greasy--I couldn't tell if he had too much gel or needed a good shower--and he smelled of stale cigar smoke that made my stomach queasy.

The entire time he spoke I was so busy focusing on how bad he looked I couldn’t even listen to what he had to say about the products.  I just wanted to get out of there, and  I left before he finished his spiel.  If the salesman had put more effort into his appearance, I could have been a sold customer--the bad first impression was enough to ruin any chance he had in making a sale.