The Word For 2017: FOCUS

Momentary distractions can lose an order

A couple of years ago, there was a psychological study of distraction.  They "investigated the effect of short interruptions on performance of a task that required participants to maintain their place in a sequence of steps each with their own performance requirements. Interruptions averaging 4.4 s long tripled the rate of sequence errors on post-interruption trials relative to baseline trials. Interruptions averaging 2.8 s long--about the time to perform a step in the interrupted task--doubled the rate of sequence errors. " (Journal of Experimental Psychology, February, 2014)
We are living in an age of constant distraction.  We all know (although we don't practice) that a glance down at our phone, or responding to a text while driving, can have fatal consequences.  But what does this have to do with a blog on sales?
Since I started this blog, I have been preaching about Listening Deeply.  This post is about the inverse of listening deeply.
Any distraction can have consequences--can result in a loss of an order.You glance down at your phone--2.8 seconds--and you've lost the string of thought your customer is laying on you. 
Many people think they can "multi-task".  They're not multitasking.  They're doing many tasks badly.
If you can't put your phone aside, and put your computer aside, and listen deeply to what your customer is saying, what he is asking, then you're not a good salesperson.  It's that simple. 
If you're in a sales meeting and you feel that you need to answer emails while a product presentation is being made, then you're failing your company and your customer. 
The key word for 2017 is FOCUS--focus on the task at hand and put the things that cause distraction aside.

New Year's Resolution: First Impressions Matter a LOT

Or not

 

Make a Great First Impression

From Inc. Magazine: "Science has just discovered exactly how long first impressions linger.... To test the durability of quick first impressions, a team of researchers at Cornell University had 55 volunteers view pictures of a woman they had never met before.  In some photos she was smiling, in others she was serious-faced.  After viewing the picture the subjects rated her personality for qualities like extraversion and friendliness.  Then these same volunteers actually met the woman in real life between one and six months later. ... The impression of the woman's personality the subjects received from the photograph still heavily colored their face to face conversation."

So, what can constitute a bad first impression:  not paying attention; having your head buried in your computer or cell phone during the meeting; not smiling; not asking intelligent questions that show your interest in what is being discussed; sitting with a frown on your face and your arms folded.

And what makes a good first impression: smiling; firm handshake; listening deeply to the conversation; asking questions that further the discussion; putting your computer and cell phone away; good posture.

A good first impression is a lasting impression; make your first impression a great one.

Details, Details, Details

We go through our sales day not really thinking about the details--the little things--about the customer's issues and personality, about his business, about little things in his office that display his personality, etc.  Let's take a lesson from Bill Belichick, New England Patriots coach.  This is from an article by Kevin Duffy, published on MassLive.com December 16, 2016  (emphasis is mine):
"Its essence: Entry-level coaching assistants are responsible for weekly breakdowns of the upcoming opponent, handed in to Belichick more than a week in advance of the game so he can use them as reference points as he conceives a strategy. Offensive assistants focus on the opponent's defense. Defensive assistants focus on the offense. Both focus on details so insignificant that you'd think Belichick was playing a prank on these kids. 

Phil Savage, who worked as a coaching assistant in Cleveland under Belichick, remembers logging the direction in which the quarterback turned his head prior to each snap.
Between the identification of scheme and detail, each play could take as long 20 minutes to diagram in full. Each game had 50-70 plays on each side of the ball. Each coaching assistant had three breakdowns per week....
In this job, McDaniels said, 'you learned the most valuable lesson that you keep to this day: everything is important.'"

We love to watch football--without realizing the preparations that these teams make for each game.  If we prepared for sales calls the way coaches prepare for games, we'd get every order.  Keep a pad, make notes on what you see in your customer's office or facility--details are important.  They are the key to understanding your customer's needs and understanding his needs can get you the order! We recently got an order for a product because our color scheme fit in with the customer's requirements.  You just never know, and if you're not attentive to the details, you could lose the order--even with a better price.

Strategy and Tactics in Selling

Hannibal Crossing the Alps into Battle 206 BC

From Wikipedia: "A tactic is a conceptual action aiming at the achievement of a goal. This action can be implemented as one or more specific tasks. The term is commonly used in business, protest and military contexts, as well as in chess, sports or other competitive activities.

Strategy is undertaken before the battle. Tactics are implemented during battle. These two concepts must work in tandem, without doing so, one cannot efficiently achieve goals."

In many ways, sales is, indeed, a battle and your enemies are your competitors. The prize is the order--planting your flag on your customer's desk.

I want to stress strategy in this post.  Your strategy is to bring all your forces to bear in order to win the order.  And what are these forces?
1.  Product knowledge.  This is the absolute foundation for success in sales.  Your customer will see right through you if you don't know your product thoroughly.  I can't stress this enough--know every little detail of your product; understand why every component of the product is used and what its function is. Do not go forth into battle until you do.
2.  Knowledge of your competitors' products.  You need to know your competitors, not in order to belittle them, but in order to address the questions your customer may have regarding those products.  Remember, your competitor is the enemy in this war and you need to know and understand your enemy.
3.  Know your customer.  This is the third leg of the strategy stool.  If you don't understand your customer and his needs, then you don't know how to present your product in such a way that you will win the order--win the battle.  Understanding your customer is more tactical than strategic and we will discuss this in the next post.

If you go into battle with knowledge of your product, knowledge of your competitors' product and knowledge of your customer and his needs, then the battle is yours to win!

Etrategy is undertaken before the battle. Tactics are implemented during battle. These two concepts must work in tandem, without doing so one cannot efficiently achieve goals.^[1]

The Welcome Mat: Getting Customers to Like You

Back in "the day", there was an elderly salesman on our staff.  He used to love to tell stories when he went in to see customers--often the same stories over and over again.  It got so that, when he got out of his car and the customer saw him coming, they would head out the back door.  This is not recipe for success in sales.

What is the trick to being welcomed when you visit customers:  

Always have an agenda--know what you're going to talk about before you get there, and be prepared with the proper information.  OK, that gets you the appointment; what gets you welcomed back:

1.  Know your customer's interests and be prepared to talk about it for a minute or two.  (Sports is always a good way to start.)  Or you may want to bring up a good book that you've just read; or a good movie that you may have seen.  These are conversation openers.  But keep it short; respect your customer's time constraints.

2.  Know your customer's industry.  Understand what's going on in business news that affects your customer.  Have a handle on personnel changes in the business.  LinkedIn is a great source for this kind of information.  Get on LinkedIn and use it.

3.  Bring your customer a lead or an idea that he can use to enhance his business.

Make yourself a valued and welcomed vendor; learn the art of small talk:

whatever your profession, you are in sales.

Thinking Like a Journalist

Salespeople often think they stand alone in their profession.  As I've stated several times in this blog, everyone's a salesperson and, therefore, we need to look at other professions for inspiration.  Today we look at journalism.
Journalists are among the bravest information gatherers on the planet.  They go to dangerous places and ask difficult questions.
What can we learn from this profession?

Ask questions, always and everywhere.  Ask your customers why they like or don't like your product and build a list of product assets; ask your customers about your competitors' products.  Talk to your competitors--don't be afraid.  Just be careful how you ask the questions so that you don't want to appear to be prying.  Ask, ask, ask--only by asking can you learn.

Journalists let the answer to one question lead them down a path to further questions--digging deeper into the issue.  You need to do the same.  Delve deeply into the issue.  And listen deeply. 

What are you trying to learn?  How to sell your product better by knowing what your customers like about your product.  How to answer their objections to the issues with your product.  And how to understand your competitors' strengths and weaknesses.

Salespeople spend too much time talking and not enough time listening and learning and asking questions.  Watch a journalist or TV interviewer next time and learn from their technique.

Back to Basics: When the Thrill is Gone

 

There are days and weeks and even months in every salesperson's life when we wake up and don't have any idea where we're going today or even in life.
What do you do when that day comes?
When a football team starts to falter, the coaches take the team onto the practice field and they run, over and over again, the fundamentals that made them great: blocking, tackling, running, passing.  Over and over again.
And what is the selling equivalent of blocking and tackling?  It's talking to the people that have brought you to the level that you've reached.  It's talking to the good and loyal customers about their business--getting ideas from the discussion; it's talking to your managers and listening for ideas that they may have. 
Do not sit in your office and feel sorry for yourself.
Salespeople are natural talkers--like blocking for a football player.  Find your five best and loyal customers and go see them.  Listen to them.  Let them talk about their businesses and where they see their sales coming from.
Talk to your best customers and Listen Deeply to what they're saying.  This is guaranteed to get you out of your funk.

"I Hate Salesmen"

How often over the past 40 years have I heard that statement: "I hate salesmen".  My response is always--"what do you do for a living?"  The answers range from: "I'm a priest", "I'm a full time mom (or dad)", "I'm an auto mechanic", or "I'm a supervisor (or manager) at XYZ factory (or XYZ store)".

And then I launch into my lecture: "Everyone's a salesman".  

 

If you're a mom, you're always trying to convince someone (your husband, your kids) that your decisions or ideas or methods are the right ones.  When you do that, you're a salesman.  And when you truly believe what you're saying, you're a good salesman.

The same can be said for a floor manager in a store or factory.  Sales is a part of everyone's job--a minister or priest trying to convince people to follow biblical precepts, a cashier in a store trying to convince a customer to sign up for a loyalty card.  Sales is everything; salespeople are everywhere.  They just don't think they're selling.  But the components are there:

• Product knowledge (why should I sign up for your loyalty card?)

• Firm belief in the value of your product (a waiter who has eaten that special plate and vouches for its wonderfulness.

• Personal belief in the value of what you're trying to convince the other person: "you can't get that tatoo, you're only 3 years old".

The problem is that there are people out there who try to convince you about something that you know they don't believe in.  They are NOT true salespeople.  True salespeople believe in what they're selling.  What I called "transactional" salespeople are not true salespeople; they are NOT interested in the sale, or bringing a product or idea to you that will make you or your life or your company better.   They are interested in the commission or achieving a quota.

Relational salespeople are the only true salespeople and when you hear the statement "I hate salesmen", you should challenge it.  Sales is a noble profession and we should be proud that we are part of it.

What does it mean to "sell a song"

Alicia Keys: true salesperson

We occasionally hear the phrase: "She (or he) really knows how to sell that song".  What does that mean?
Any salesperson who understands what it means to really "sell a song" will understand what it means to truly sell a refrigerator or grinding tool or insurance policy.
It means that you believe so strongly in what you are saying (or singing) that you can convince your audience (or customer) he should buy your product (the song or the refrigerator).  A singer who cannot sell his song is boring; when you hear a song that is just being sung and not being sold, you turn it off.
This is the same in sales.  If you can't believe in what you're selling, your customer will be bored--will turn you off and you won't make the sale.
If you don't believe in what you're selling, you need to find another product or another profession.
If you do believe in what you're selling--if you believe it will change your customer's life, or his business, or the world, reach into your soul and SELL IT, just like a singer sells a song.

The Winding Path to Sales Success

From a September 9, 2016 article by Neil Irwin:

"How does a person get to be the boss? What does it take for an ambitious young person starting a career to reach upper rungs of the corporate world — the C.E.O.’s office, or other jobs that come with words like “chief” or “vice president” on the office door?

The answer has always included hard work, brains, leadership ability and luck. But in the 21st century, another, less understood attribute seems to be particularly important.

To get a job as a top executive, new evidence shows, it helps greatly to have experience in as many of a business’s functional areas as possible. A person who burrows down for years in, say, the finance department stands less of a chance of reaching a top executive job than a corporate finance specialist who has also spent time in, say, marketing. Or engineering. Or both of those, plus others."

We often think, as salespeople, that our jobs start and stop with knowledge of the product that we're selling.  That couldn't be further from the truth if you're seeking to become a real sales success story.

A successful salesperson understands all aspects of his customer's business; all aspects of his company's products; and all aspects of his competitor's products.

If you think that you're done once you understand a little bit about your product because you have great sales skills and you think that will carry the day, you are wrong. It may get you an order, or a contract, but it won't get you to the top of your field.

I met a young new car salesperson recently who was developing his capabilities as an entrepreneur by running a small weekend business, who was developing his capabilities in engineering by racing a car he built and repaired, and developing his sales skills in a car dealership.  This young man is doing all the right things to get to the top because he doesn't stop work at 5pm, he STARTS work at 5pm and never stops.

Preparation: the lesson of Rick Porcello

Rick Porcello: Pitcher

We have talked a lot about the Mission and how important it is to have a clearly defined mission when you start your week, or when you go into your sales call.  It would seem that the job of the baseball pitcher would be simple and easy: the catcher tells you what pitch to execute and then you execute it the best that you can.

Although that may be the norm, that is not the way that Porcello has achieved his success.  As of September 10, 2016, Porcello is the first major league pitcher to reach 20 wins (with only 3 losses).  That kind of achievement is not accomplished by either luck or doing what the catcher signals.  Porcello spends hours before a game watching videos of the opposition hitters.  Every hitter has weaknesses--they swing at splitters into the dirt; they are suckers for the changeup; they can't handle a curveball.  Porcello studies this and then executes.  He doesn't walk hitters because he knows what their weaknesses are.  Study and preparation are the hallmarks of this 20+ game winner.

As salespeople, we become sloppy in our preparation.  We think, because we know our product, that that will carry us through the sales call.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In today's world, the dynamics of the sales call changes every day--for example, your customer may have bought a new company or have been bought by another company.  So much changes in this dynamic world we live in.  And, walking into a customer unaware of the current dynamics is a recipe for failure.

Google has made our jobs easier.  Prepare for each sales call by checking all the current dynamics out: the company's website; their Facebook account; your contact's LinkedIn profile; the company's Manta profile--all this information is available and will make your call productive.

Preparation is the key to being a 20 game winner in sales.

"Brief" and "De-brief" in the sales process

Major "AB" Bourke

I was fortunate, recently, to be present at a keynote address given by Maj. "AB" Bourke, fighter pilot and motivational speaker.  He stated that he had two concepts to discuss in his speech: 1. "Briefing" and 2. "De-briefing" and to show how these they were essential to achieve peak performance in our jobs.
The ideal of the "briefing" is obvious: what is the mission?  Everyone involved in a mission needs to know the purpose and intended outcome. 
In the military, the de-brief is when all involved in the mission take off their name tags and rank insignia and get together as "equals" to assess the mission and evaluate every component of the process.  According to Bourke, the de-brief is the most powerful way to accelerate results.  The de-brief is "a sacred learning environment and a path to getting better".  
Without these two components (brief and de-brief), peak performance is not achievable.
I asked him how this concept applies to an individual sales person who works alone.  His response was that we must create a checklist of outcomes that we want to accomplish for the week and for each meeting during the week. This is the "briefing"; this is the mission. We know we're going to be thrown off track during the week, or during the meeting, be we need to continuously refer to the list to put ourselves back on track.
Then, most importantly, at the end of each meeting and at the end of the week, we need to evaluate our performance--the "de-brief". Did we accomplish our overall objectives?  If not, why not.  Be brutally honest with yourself.
How essential is this?  Bourke gave an example of the Blue Angels flying group. At the end of an air show, the pilots land and walk from their planes. The crowds want autographs; want to touch them and talk to them.  But the pilots all head to a quiet room for the de-brief.  It is never, never skipped.
Sales people who aspire to peak performance should never skip the brief and the de-brief; should always have a "mission" for the week and for each meeting and then evaluate the success of the mission with an honest de-briefing.

Sales Lessons from the Olympics

Katie Ledecky

Watching the Olympics, we see these incredible performances by athletes like Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, Michael Phelps (of course), and so many others--and say "Wow!"  Then we get up the next morning and go about our mundane jobs of selling insurance, or refrigerators, or air compressors, or houses, or whatever.  "What do they have that I don't have"? you may ask.   They are human beings just like us, born with bodies just like ours; some have overcome great physical, mental, or environmental obstacles--just like us.  What is it, then?
"Inc." magazine's Jeff Haden did a write up on Katie Ledecky and the psychology of success.  How do Katie, and other Olympians, do it?
1.  They work very, very hard.  "You can't be great at anything--unless you put in an incredible amount of focused effort."  Katie swims 6,000 yards in the morning and 7,000 yards in the afternoon. Every morning and every afternoon.  Not just when she feels like it.  "There are no shortcuts."  You have to work harder and longer hours than everyone else and that's the simple fact.
2.  They put in the time.  Jeff Haden: "Every extremely successful entrepreneur ... works more hours than the average person -- a lot more.  They have long lists of things they want to get done.  So they have to put in the time."  If you think you can be successful working 9 to 5, it ain't happening.  When everyone else goes home, you need to keep going--learning, growing, searching for new customers.  One of the best salesman I know told me the other day--"when I'm feeling really good about myself, I make cold calls because I know I can deal with rejection then."  He just keeps working--there's no way to be successful without continuous, hard work and long hours.
3.  Set hard goals--not easy ones.  Ledecky's goal was Olympic gold.  Wow!  How about setting a goal to get that customer that you never thought you could get?  Make a plan and work that plan step by step.  As Haden says, "Never start small where goals are concerned.  You'll make better decisions--and find it much easier to work a lot harder --when your ultimate goal is ultimate success."  ... When your ultimate goal is that impossible customer.
4.  And never stop.  "Ledecky won gold medals at the London Olympics and then set her sites on Rio".   Successful salespeople never stop establishing goals and then working harder than anyone else to achieve them.