Oops. What happened? He promised me the order.

Inc. Magazine had a very insightful article recently about a step that is often missed in the sales process.  ("The One Sales Step that Most Sales People Miss", by David Finkel).  You get the order, you go back to your office and celebrate with your colleagues.  Next day the customer calls you (if you're lucky) and tells you he gave the order to your competitor or that he decided he didn't need the product after all.  This has happened to every salesperson at least once.  What happened?  He promised you the order.

What could have happened was that your competitor was more aggressive than you.  He got a second look.  He went back and back again and made a better deal. You tell your boss that your "greedy" competitor took the order by "dumping the price". And you know that's not what happened.  You know he took the order by one-upping you.  He was last in and he could have taken it by just promising better service or by showing the customer he wanted the order more.

When a customer says you have the order, that is NOT the order--a promise to place the order is not the order.My wife, who spent her carreer in credit and collections, says an order is not an order until the customer's check has cleared.  I can't tell you how many times a salesperson has called me and said "I got it--I got the order".  And my response is always--you don't have the order.  You have a promise of an order.  So many things can happen after the customer promises you the order: your competitor one-ups you; your manufacturer can't deliver when the customer wants the order; your customer credit doesn't pass; etc. etc.

The lesson is simple: stay close to your customer all the way from the promise to the delivery to the payment.  Then, and only then, can you celebrate.

Finkel suggests a "post sell plan":  Make sure the customer is comfortable with his decision by making them feel good that they made the right decision.  Make sure there's no room for buyer's remorse or for testing the market with other suppliers. And make sure the customer knows what the process from now until shipment is.

To quote Finkel: "By strategically and systematically building in a 'post sale' step into your sales process, you'll keep more of the business that you would otherwise have lost through buyer's remorse" and other reasons.

Stay close to your customer until the product is paid for.  Then celebrate.

Collaboration

General Stanley McChrystal, with Chris Russell, has just published a book entitled "One Mission".  It is a discussion of teams and teamwork and how teams are more effective than individuals because teams bring the power of multiple brains to a task.  But we are sales people, and sales people are loners.  We don't want to involve others because that will effect our sales dollars and maybe our commissions--and bosses will think less of us because we can't close without help.
The facts show that success comes from collaboration--so how do we reconcile our need, as salespeople, to go it alone and the fact that we can be more successful if we collaborate in our efforts?
Fortunately, technology comes to our rescue here.  There are lots of "apps" that allow us to collaborate and still go our ways as independent salespeople.
The hottest new app for collaboration is "Slack" (www.slack.com).  Someone described it as a text messaging system on steroids.
Matt Mansfield, in his Small Business Trends blog states: "Integration is what catapults Slack into a category all its own. The solution enables you to centralize all your notifications, from sales to tech support, social media and more, into one searchable place where your team can discuss and take action on each."
So, instead of scrolling through your text messages to find that note that you sent your sales manager, you use Slack to keep track of all messages on all subjects.
Three things that are very very important--Slack is free for small businesses: Slack is very customizable so that you tailor it to your business; and Slack is available for all platforms--smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops, Android and IOS.
Slack is organized by "Channels", so that you can have a separate Channel for different parts of your business, including Private Channels for management, you can share files, send notifications to your team--all the stuff that is difficult to do with texting.
Check it out.  Collaboration is the secret to future success in sales with the world moving so fast; Slack is a free and easy way to collaborate.  Much better than email, and more effective than texting.

Take the Blinders Off When Making a Sales Call

I was stunned when I read this LinkedIn post from Joshua Wamser, President of Industrial Compressor Solutions:  "During your interview, I was there. You didn't notice me, because I was dressed like a service technician. You walked past myself and another potential coworker 3 times without ever saying hi. You were very cordial to the people you believed to be in charge though. None of us are better than anyone else. Say hi, smile, wave, or engage everyone you can." This is a classic example of how to lose a sale--of not being aware of your surroundings; of not understanding who your customer is; of not doing basic research before your sales call. So, a salesperson makes a call on Industrial Compressor Solutions and ignores the president and talks to the guys in the polo shirts or suits--thinking that they're the decision makers. Anyone who has been reading this blog knows that this has violated several sales commandments. If any salesperson walks into a customer's facility without understanding who the players are then he needs to go back to Sales 101. And this goes for any kind of salesperson. Have you ever been in a situation in which there have been two customers together, one male and one female, and the sales person addresses the male, thinking the female is NOT the decision maker? Underestimating the influence of one or the other person while making a pitch is a sure way to lose the sale. I have a customer who are a wife and husband team and the wife is the president of the company. I can't tell you how many times I have watched sales folks address the husband and ignore the wife--and LOSE the sale. When you're making a sales pitch, make sure you understand who the players are and their roles in the decision making process. If you don't know, ask. Take your blinders off or risk losing the sale--it's that simple.

Getting Organized--the Old Way

ScanCard Organizer 

Back in the 80's, before Facebook, Twitter, email, texting, and cell phones, I used an organizing system called ScanCard. Good old paper and pencil.  Notes written on a card and inserted into a "control panel" for easy viewing.  The original owner sold the company and computers and cell phones made scan cards too "old style".   The system went out of use.
Recently, one of my colleagues reminded me of this system.  He was overwhelmed by all his emails, texts, phone calls, sales calls--with no way to organize at the things he had to do for customers.  He remembered the card system I used to use.  He thought that this would be a good way to organize himself.  You can use a note pad, but then you have to find the page you wrote the notes on--you have to remember that you were supposed to do something for someone, you spend a lot of time reading over old pages to find what you're looking for.
So I Googled "ScanCard" and found the system has been revived and was now owned by the original owner's son.
With the ScanCard system, you see it all in a glance: emails that have to be followed up on, texts that need your attention, calls that have to be returned--everything is there to be looked at every day.
Keep the cards by your side making notes as you read your emails, as you watch TV, during customer visits--all your notes go into the binder for easy viewing.
I have stepped back into the 80's and ordered the ScanCard system once again.  Sometimes things that are old are better than things that are new.  (I speak from personal experience.)
You can find the system here:

Reply to All ...... DON"T

From The New Yorker Twitter

Have you ever "Replied to All" and found out your comment went to someone you didn't realize was part of the email?  And then you had to apologize to that person?  Everyone has.
Sending emails to multiple recipients is very very common. Some of my emails will have 40 or 50 people in the "To: field".
And if I "Reply to All", then all 40 or 50 people get my comments.
And then all hell breaks loose.  Email after email, response after response, now barrages your Inbox. "Yeah, great idea", says one.  "Right on" says another.  None of these responses contributes to anyone's knowledge.  The responses are nonsense.
But there is a solution: BCC.
Hidden in your "Compose Email" window, usually over on the right side of the screen, are two links:  CC and BCC.  You have to click BCC with your mouse to get it front and center in your email composition page.
BCC means "blind copy".  This means that the person receiving your email will not see the other people who received your email and if the recipient Replies to All their email will only go back to you and not to everyone else you sent it to. The only names and email addresses the recipient sees are yours and his.
If you want recipients to know you sent this to a Group, then state it in the email body: "This email has been sent to all field salespeople".  Don't put all the names in the To: or CC: fields.
And if all your sales staff are in a group called "Field Sales" and you send it to this group in the To: field, everyone is copied in a Reply to All.  If you put the Group in the BCC field, problem solved.  (So many sales managers list every salesperson in the To: field when sending out emails.  Put the list into the BCC field and just state in your email that this is being sent to all field sales staff.  Simple, right?  If you want to make sure your group list is correct, send the list out every once in a while to have it checked by the recipients.  How many group lists contain employees who have left or been fired?  Keep your groups clean to prevent competitive information from getting out.)
Use BCC when sending emails to many people and everyone will love you for it.   Use BCC when you don't want the recipient to know who else you copied on the email.
Use BCC.
If you want cooperation and comments, don't use email.  There are better methods that I will discuss next week.

So You Think No One's Watching.....

Inc. Magazine published an article entitled "8 Small Things People Use to Judge Your Personality" by Travis Bradberry.
The article hits the nail right on the head.  We think no one's watching us--but they are.  And they're using our actions to judge whether they're going to do business with us--whether they're going to buy the product we're selling.  Remember, you have competition and often the competitor is selling something very similar to your product.  So how does the customer tell which one to buy?  The customer uses clues; often clues that we're unaware that he's using; often clues that even the customer is unaware of.  I know these 8 items are important because I've used them to judge people myself.  (Note, the words in quotes are directly from Inc Magazine. The comments after the quotes are my own.)

The first one is a real insight into a person's overall personality:
1.   "How Do You Treat Waiters and Receptionists?"  You're out to lunch with a customer and the waiter brings the wrong meal to you or to your customer.  Are you sensitive to the mistake ("everyone makes them") or do you fly off the handle? The receptionist doesn't get your name and you have to repeat it three times.  Do you get angry?  Your customer is watching--and judging and making his mind up about whether you're going to get his business.  Everyone watches how you treat other people and judges you based on how you react.  I could expand this to "how do you treat your colleagues, your employees, and others".  More than anything, how you treat others in public is a window into your soul. 

 2.  "How Often Do You Check Your Phone?"  I have mentioned this often in the blog.  You think you're being sneaky--looking at your phone on your lap; you think no one's paying attention--they are and it could lose you the order. Check out my blog post: "Checking your smartphone"

3.  "Repetitive, Nervous Habits."  The best way to approach a sales call is to sit still, listen, take notes and ask questions. Fidgeting with your hair, clicking your pen, glancing at your phone--all bad.  Be aware of your nervous habits and get rid of them.

4.  "How Long Do You Take To Ask Questions?"  This little issue can drive a customer crazy.  And this goes to an issue I've mentioned several times in this blog: have an agenda and prepare your questions.  Taking a long time to ask a question = poor preparation and poor product knowledge.  That's the message you're giving to the customer when you hem and haw: I don't know my product and I don't understand your business. Check out my blog post: "Owning the Agenda"

5.  "Your Handshake".  In a previous blog post I discussed the importance of body language.  Standing straight and tall and offering a strong handshake will start the sales call off right. Check out my blog post: "New Year's Resolution"

6.  "Tardiness."  Being early for an appointment shows respect; being late shows lack of respect.  We have all had the experience of sitting in a doctor's office and waiting, waiting, waiting.  The message that I get when that happens is that the doctor has no respect for me or my time.  Well, that is the message you are sending when you're late for a sales call.  If you're going to be late for traffic or such, call.  Or better, plan ahead so you're early; take account of possible traffic issues. Check out my blog post on Respect.

7.  "Handwriting."  Cursive writing is not even being taught any more so I don't feel that this applies to a sales person.

8.  "Eye Contact."  This relates to item 5 above--body language. Standing straight and tall, offering a firm handshake, making eye contact, turning off your phone--all indicate a person who wants the order.  The customer reads eye contact with "truth". It's very difficult to look someone in the eye and not tell the truth.  Check out my blog post on body language.

Examine yourself--honestly--and change the things that need to be changed to make yourself a successful sales person, a successful employee, a successful person.

What Do Winners Do?

Joe Maddon, Manager, Chicago Cubs

In a recent interview with Joe Maddon, Manager of the 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs, and Theo Epstein, President of the Cubs, they pointed to a couple of things that they did differently and that contributed to their success.  Most notable, and the thing that really jumped out at me, was that they scouted out their opponents before every game.
Normally, baseball scouts are out looking for new talent.  Not Cubs' scouts.  Cubs' scouts were analyzing the next opponent's hitters: what do they swing at?  where is their sweet spot--where do we not pitch?  Their strategy was to secure a team of strong hitters and scout the opponents' hitting weaknesses so that their pitchers started with an advantage.
Bill Belichick, head coach for the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, had a similar strategy.  He had a room full of assistants looking at every single play of an opponent's previous games, analyzing minute changes in everything, from the angle of the quarterback's head, to the slight movement of the right guard--all to find out the opponent's weaknesses.
I have said over and over again in my blog that product knowledge is a critical component of sales success.  And that is true.  But just as critical is knowledge of your opponent--understand your competitors and their weaknesses and strategies.
What motivates a customer to make a decision in favor of your product can be very subtle.  Bill Belichick and Joe Maddon understand that fact.  Everyone who wants to be successful in sales must also understand that fact.
Take the time to know who you are competing against; take the time to understand your competitors' product--because taking that time could mean the difference between success and failure, between winning and losing.

The "Triple Double"

Oklahome City Thunder's Russell Westbrook

A "triple-double"  happens when a basketball player reaches double digits in three of five skills--usually points, rebounds, block, steals and assists--all in the same game.  The most common way to achieve a triple-double is through points, rebounds and assists.  The most triple-doubles in one NBA season is 42--by Russell Westbrook.
Why do I bring this athletic feat into a conversation about selling?
Because, in order to accomplish a triple-double, a player needs three essential skills: knowledge of the game, knowledge of his competitor, and passion.  And these exact skills are the same required for a good sales person.
In a recent interview with Westbrook, when asked how he manages to achieve so many triple-doubles, he stated that, during the game, his only friend is the basketball.    It's all about the ball.
In fact, during the 2017 playoffs, for the first time in NBA playoff history, he got a triple-double in the first half of the game!
Remember, a triple-double is not just scoring points; this involves assists and rebounds--it involves teamwork; it involves being in the game at every mimute; it involves knowing and understanding the game.
And what is the triple-double for us sales folks?  Product knowledge, customer knowledge, and passion.  With all three of these components, we succeed.  They are essential components to success:
Know your product and your competitors' product inside and out;
Know your customer and his needs and how you can resolve his issues;
Passion: believe in yourself and your product and company.

Can A Robot Do My Sales Job???

 

 Everywhere we look today, robots are taking our jobs.  Back in 2012, travel agents began to be made obsolete because airlines installed new ticketing systems that allowed travelers to buy tickets online and make their own travel arrangements.  In the 1980's there were almost 50,000 travel agents in the U.S.  Now that number is less than 15,000.
Cars are being assembled by robots and driven by computers. 
Where is this all going?
First of all, by "robot", I don't necessarily mean a robot like the one pictured above.  I am referring to general automation of any job, from online ordering to self driving cars to actual walking, talking robots.  I am referring to having your job automated in some way--making you obsolete.
So, what exactly is "selling" and how can it be automated and should we sales folks feel threatened?
This is a huge subject with lots of examples of what not to do.  Once upon a time there was a huge, big box, computer-selling store called Circuit City.  People went to the store, determined what they wanted, and then went home and ordered it online.  And Circuit City went out of business.
The underlying cause of the problem is Failure To Adapt to current conditions.
Another example is McDonald's.  During the past few years, burger restaurants like Five Guys, and Burger Fi have risen to tremendous popularity.  McDonald's had the kitchens, the personnel, the hamburger supply chain, but they failed to adapt and now they are losing their market share to these boutique burger joints.
Using the Einstein post from last week, we need to spend 55 minutes thinking about what our personal strengths (and weaknesses) are and make sure we are playing to those strengths (and eliminate the weaknesses).
Circuit City would be around today (like Best Buy, for example) if they had recognized the trend to online purchasing and made their stores into showrooms and allowed purchase online.  McDonald's could have chosen to make some of their stores into boutique, made-to-order burger restaurants.
As sales people, we have to adapt to future trends.  We need to understand automation and how it will impact our jobs and we need to use it to enhance our abilities; we need to be specialists in our products--no matter what that product is, and be the absolute best at what we do. 
What is it that automation cannot duplicate? Real product knowledge, the ability to apply that knowledge to the customer's problem, and PASSION for your product.
If you are not committed to your product, to your industry, to your customer--if you are not passionate, the computer will win.
And do not ignore the benefits of online purchasing.  Embrace it.  Understand it.  And make sure your customer knows that what you give him can't be automated:
knowledge of your product,
knowledge of your customer's problem and how to solve it,
service after the sale,
and PASSION.

Asking the Right Questions

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein, the Nobel prize winning physicist, famously said  'If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions because once I know the proper question, I can solve the problem.'
Put another way for sales folks, I'd rephrase Einstein: "if I had an hour to prepare for a sales call, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the questions I'd ask and 5 minutes thinking about what the answers should be."
In order to develop a line of questioning for a particular customer, a good sales person needs to really understand the customer, his company, and how your product fits into the mix.
So, how do I approach a customer, even an old customer?
1.  I Google the company to see if there have been any changes in ownership.  We're in an environment where the buying and selling of companies has become common.  One of my old time customers was recently bought by a corporation who also owns one of my competitors.  I need to know that going in.  It helps me frame my questions.
2.  I go to www.linkedin.com and I search for the person that I'm meeting with.  You will see insights into the person that you can't even imagine.  And, if the customer's information on LinkedIn is up to date, that means he's approachable.  If you don't have a LinkedIn account, get one.  It's essential to successful sales.
3.  I go to Facebook.com or Twitter and search for the customer.  I do NOT friend him, I just try to get an insight--similar to looking around a customer's office to understand his interests and hobbies.  Make sure you have the right person when you do this, or you could be led down the wrong path.  LinkedIn gives you an business insight, Facebook gives you a personal one.
4.  Now I'm ready to start framing the questions I'm going to ask to show how my product fits into the customer's and his company's needs.
NEXT, "Framing the Questions"

Asking for Help

In my experience, employees often do not ask for help because they consider the issue is not important enough or are afraid they would display lack of product knowledge.  I found this blog post today and it is entirely accurate and should be read by all:

Today's blog post is by Christine Harrington, The Savvy Sales Lady. She is a facilitator for Peak Performance Mindset Workshop and a personal sales coach. Christine helps sales professionals develop their beliefs to improve their sales performance.

“Did you ask for help?”

A long pause ensued over the phone. Then I heard a sigh. “No, I never ask for help,” came the weak reply.

“Really? Why?” I asked.

“Well….” Another pause. “It’s a sign of weakness.”

“How did you come up with that belief?”

“I suppose as a child. My father always said, ‘Never ask for help.’ If you don’t know how to do something, then don’t do it.’”

Sadly, this sentiment seems common among clients in my sales coaching practice. This particular client was new on the job, new to sales, and had not been properly trained. The client acknowledged she needed help, but felt she was disappointing her boss by asking.

Is asking for help a sign of weakness or is it a strength? What’s your belief?

If you struggle with asking for help on the job, chances are your belief system is saying

• Asking for help makes you look vulnerable.
• People feel put out when you ask for help.
• Successful people never ask for help.
• You like helping others, but you don’t like it when others help you.

However, not asking for help can keep you stuck and can wreck your career."

Ms. Harrington is exactly correct.  Asking for help shows strength and a willingness to learn from people who have been around the corner and have made mistakes.  Asking for help should be a positive experience.  The most frustrating thing for me is for my salespeople to make the same mistakes I did--which could have been prevented by Asking for Help!

"Owning" the Agenda

First and foremost, I believe that every single meeting or activity, whether it's a sales call, or a sales meeting, or a board meeting, or even a daily activity like writing a blog, should have an agenda.
And every agenda should have a "mission" or purpose.  And every item in the agenda should have its mission or purpose as well.
And why such a big deal about the agenda? 
The person with the agenda is the person who controls the meeting.  If you, as a salesperson, go on a sales call with an agenda and present the agenda to the customer, you "own" the meeting.
And this is true for any meeting.  Every meeting should have a mission or purpose and that purpose is the title of the agenda; and every item on the agenda should have a purpose: to achieve the mission.
This is a fact: the person with the agenda OWNS the meeting and taking control of the meeting gives everyone in the room confidence that you know what you're talking about.
One warning, however:  make sure you anticipate all the issues that your agenda will raise and be able to answer questions related to the agenda.
In summary:
1. Make an agenda for every meeting;
2. Make sure every item on the agenda focuses on the mission of the meeting;
3. Make sure everyone at the meeting has a copy of your agenda--even ahead of time so they know you are in control;
4. Stay focused on the agenda.  If the meeting moves away, get back to the items as soon as reasonable;
5. Summarize the meeting before everyone leaves;
6. Send an email summary to everyone in attendance as soon as possible after the meeting ("minutes").
OWN THE AGENDA; OWN THE MEETING; GET THE ORDER.

Focus Focus Focus

Julan Edelman's Superbowl Catch

112 million people watched the "Catch" by Julian Edelman.  It was amazing; and no matter who you were rooting for, it was still amazing.  But what is the lesson that we can learn from this great catch?
The lesson is that there is an absolute requirement to focus completely on the task at hand.  There is no room in the sales cycle for distraction.  The customer deserves your complete 100% attention. 
It is easy to get distracted from the task on hand in this age of emails and texts.  Your customer deserves your focus, your boss deserves your focus. 
And what is the major downside of loss of focus:
1. Mistakes.  If you're not focused on the project at hand, you make mistakes.  Mistakes are costly.
2. Opening the door to your competitor.  There is always someone else who is after the same order you're after.  Once you lose focus, you give a chance for the other salesperson to get in the door.
Focus won the superbowl; focus will win the order.  Get all distractions off the table; turn off things that are taking your attention away from the task at hand. Make the "catch"--focus on the order; focus on the customer.  Don't lose sight of the football and don't let the competitors steal the ball away!