Sales Blog for Sales and Sales Management

I'm thinking that sending sales tips live from various locations might be of interest to you.  I always seem to get some interesting thoughts and have unusual experiences while on the road. Today, it's Sales Tips Live From Hollywood Fla.

 A couple of things:

1. I get up early to work out only to discover that the fitness center doesn't open until 6:00 AM.  Like many of these hotels that host conferences, if you are not first in the door for the aerobic equipment, you are out of luck.  We have breakfast scheduled for 7:00, so I have to do something now because I don't want to have to wait for a piece of equipment if I show up at 6:01.  So I decide to run up and down the escalators in the hotel.  At first glimpse, you might think 'What kind of work out is that?'  The escalators cover two floors and there are two sets; try it and you'll see. The key is to run up and down and around.  Go 25 to 30 minutes; your heart rate will be where you want it to be.  Morale of the story:  Don't let anything get in the way of your objective.  Make due with what you have and don't allow excuses like the gym was full.
2. I finish the work out, grab a grande of morning blend from the coffee shop and head out to watch the sunrise - the picture here about 45 minutes after sunrise - and look at the ocean.  Here is the sales tip - aha:  Prospects for your business are virtually endless like the ocean. That is for most for us.  Unless you are selling to the Fortune Something, then you will never run out of prospects.  But the key here is you have to actually get in the water to go get them.  If you wanted to fish, there are endless places to find fish.  And if you catch a fish that you don't want maybe someone else does and that's a good thing.  Just like working out, there really isn't a reason to run out of prospects; you just can't make excuses for not fishing for them.
3. Let's suppose you are in a sales segment where your access to prospects is limited.  You are staring out across a lake instead of an ocean, AND you have other people at the same lake trying to catch the same fish.  The rules still apply - NO Excuses - you just have to work harder at it.  Very similar to a bass tournament.  There are several boats fishing for bass in the same lake, and in many cases, vieing for the same location and same fish.  What this means is that you have to work harder and smarter if you want to win.

Tony Peckich from Lincoln Financial Distributors, this is a great question.  I have an answer - it is short, but not simple.

First, my previous post about personal goals should help with the process of getting sales people to change behaviors.  But a process alone won't do it.  You do have to dig deeper and explore.  What I mean by that is:  Do the sales people in question actually have the motivation to change?

Think about the last time you were unhappy with a result that you got.  Let's start with sales results.  In a word, how would you describe your results today?  If you didn't say extraordinary, then you need to change something that you are doing to change your sales results.  But, unless those results cause you stress, you won't change.  Other areas to consider:  could be a physical check up from your doctor or a round of golf; if you are studying to get an MBA, it could be a test result.  Bottom line is this:  If the results didn't bother you enough to change, you simply won't change. In other words, let's suppose that you were expecting an 'A' in the test and you ended up with an 'A-'.  Not too bad right.  If that grade didn't bother you, then you WON'T do anything differently to get the 'A' that was your goal. But suppose you got a 'C' and your company won't reimburse the course fees if you get below a 'B'; now your motivation to change increases if you don't want to pay for the course.

So to answer your question simply:  The number 1 process to change behavior is to get people in 'severe mental anguish' over the results they are getting today.

• This starts with goal setting
• Followed by identifying the specific activity that needs to be executed on
• Followed by appropriate behavior - actual execution of the activity
• Inspect what you expect of them
• Gain insight from what you expected 
• And finally coach to the results

 Your coaching will fall into one of two categories:  Coaching to effort or coaching to execution.  If we assume for a second that they are putting in the effort but the results aren't there, then you have to coach execution - how they do what they do (behavior).  To do this you have to:

• Ask them if they are happy with the results they are getting
• Ask them if they are unhappy enough to change
• Ask them if they are sure they are willing to change
• Tell them it is going to be hard and you'll help but only if they are committed to change
• Then outline a disciplined approach of one-on-one coaching or observational coaching to help them improve the behavior that is causing the lack of results.

Over the last several years, we have spent hours with clients helping them overcome the crucial weakness of excuse-making.  'Excuse-making' quite simply is when sales people, or anyone for that matter, decide that when an outcome isn't reached or results fall short of agreed to standards, it must be something or someone else's fault.  In 'today's economy' ( I hate this phrase), we all have a built-in, ready-made excuse to not hit sales goals. Let me state here that I am not denying the economy does make it difficult to sell.  It,however, does not make it impossible.  Surely someone in your market is selling.  In our upcoming webinar on accountability, we will uncover the keys to solving the problem.  But it starts with how you think, not what you do.

The market did not disappear.  It shrunk.  It slowed down.  It isn't what it used to be 18 months ago.  But the market is still there.  I have a suspect on the east coast that told me today that they don't have money to spend on sales people.  I have a new client on the west coast that committed $200,000.00 to kick of a program this month.  It will last a year.  I promise you their industry is suffering as much as any other financial services.

What is the difference.  One is using a convenient excuse.  I could use one for my failure to generate a lead from the suspect on the east coast. But as I sit here and analyze the situation, the problem was that I called on the wrong person for making a decision on spending dollars to improve sales results.  I have to go back and call again to get to the right person. But that is just one opportunity.  How about the rest of the year?  I cannot allow myself to use the economy as a reason to not hit targets.  Yes, it might keep me from making 'a' sale but it shouldn't keep me from making my sales goal.  I have to work harder and sell smarter.

Take a minute or two to analyze your business and find out what you have to do differently to get results.  Ask yourself:  If I didn't use that as an excuse, what would I be doing differently?  I promise you, it will make all the difference in your results this and every year.

As sales people, we can be very creative in identifying why we fail to execute and today we have a built-in reason: that is the headline news story in every media.

The economy!

I just attended a conference where Al Torrisi took the group through an exercise to help shed light on the reality of the current state of the economy as it relates to generating sales revenue.

• 1. Identify your geographic area.
• 2. What is the normal sales revenue is generated in your geographic area?
• 3. What are the factors negatively impacting sales?
• 4. How much should you discount normal revenue based on these economic factors?
• 5. What is the gap between the normal sales revenue and the discounted revenue?
• 6. Do you own 100% of the market that is left?

If not, then that is the business you need to go after.  It is out there; you just have to work a little harder because the market has indeed shrunk, but it didn't go away.  This can be your best year ever if you decide to participate in this time of economic opportunity.