Jim’s dad died when he was just 15, and he had a stay-at-home mom who didn’t have marketable skills.
So he dropped out of high school to work, choosing encyclopedia sales as his ticket to an income sufficient to support himself and his mom.
There was only one small, technical difficulty.
Jim had a terrible speech impediment, a stutter, so how could he make it through presentations?
He asked for a glass of water before he started his pitches, and when he began to stutter, he took a sip.
He was always well hydrated.
But he was also well compensated, because he simply had to succeed. There was no other option.
As his success grew, his stuttering improved until it became barely discernable.
Jim went on to publish his own encyclopedias and he started a finance company to make them affordable. Now, he and his family live in one of the most beautiful and famous golf communities in America.
This goes to show the curative power of selling.
One of my consulting clients told me, “I’ve never met a problem in business that a few more sales couldn’t cure!”
Let me add to his thought.
I’ve never met a problem in my personal life that a few more sales couldn’t cure, either!
One of them is SHYNESS.
When I started to sell I was a shy, 19 year-old teenager, but pleasantly, people took me seriously because I initiated my career by working on the phone. I can’t tell you how broadening and confidence-building it was to successfully persuade mature businesspeople, many decades my senior, to buy what I was offering.
Every “yes” I got chipped away at my shyness and insecurity, and this benefit carried over into interpersonal relationships, face-to-face selling and to public speaking.
So, the next time someone thinks he needs one of those pills that you hear touted on TV for “social anxiety” or some other disorder that involves a lack of self-confidence, do him a favor.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Sales Team Psychology
Goal setting is powerful way of keeping sales psychology on the up-and-up. We all know that goals dictate future performance by giving team members a sense of purpose and direction. I can think of nothing less motivating than not knowing why I’ve been asked to do something. Instill in your team members what the end objective is and explain to them the necessary steps to get there. It is much easier to put forth the effort when we can answer who, what, where, when, why and how. Make sure your goals are realistic and attainable, but lofty enough that they are inspiring.
It is a general rule of thumb that greater or more difficult goals actually increase performance. The reason for this tendency is that loftier goals or objectives set higher expectations, and expectations in turn strongly influence behavior. The power of effective goal setting or setting a target can be seen in the following example: In a particular production plant, workers with little experience were divided into two groups. One group was told to simply observe the experienced workers and try to be able to perform at a skilled level themselves within twelve weeks.
The second group received specific weekly goals that were progressively more and more demanding. Needless to say, the second group fared much better. Similarly, Yale University once conducted a striking twenty-year study that found that the 3 percent of students who put their goals in writing had significantly higher incomes than those who did not—in fact, higher incomes than the other 97 percent of students combined. From these examples, it is obvious that proper goal setting goes a long way toward promoting sound sales psychology amongst your team members.
Years of observation and study have produced personality profiles of what are considered to be outstanding salespeople. Perhaps the most recognized of these profiles is the model that was developed by Gallup Management Consulting Group. Gallup has spent more than two decades interviewing hundreds of thousands of top salespeople to help corporate clients form and develop their own sales teams. Its findings suggest that the top four qualities of top-tier producers are: 1) solid persuasion and closing skills; 2) self-motivation; 3) strong work ethic and 4) excellent people and relationship skills.
Why do I highlight these findings? It is likely that as a sales manager, you already look for these skills when you hire someone anyway. But how do you enhance these essential sales characteristics after your recruits are on board so that your team can become even better? My hope is that by giving you four key concentration areas, you can streamline your efforts into getting the greatest results with the most focused effort. When you are trying to draw out any one of these characteristics, or any characteristic for that matter, it is helpful to assess the kind of personalities you’re dealing with. For some, a strong drive to close a sale exists just because they possess a need to “win.” Whether that “win” translates into financial rewards, recognition, the glory of being at the top or whatever, some individuals just have an almost instinctive need to win. This need is compelling enough that they are not deterred by long hours, rejection or time away from their family.
For others, it is not just about winning in and of itself. Beyond that, some individuals have a competitive edge that relishes the defeat of others—even their own colleagues. Half of the victory for these types of people is seeing others left in the dust. I believe that some competition can be a good thing, but you’ve got to be on your toes to buffer this type of personality. If you think pitting your team members against each other might actually create unhealthy rivalries and negative feelings, then you’ve got to have a way to counteract those negative effects.
Next, there are those personalities who are very ego-driven. They aren’t motivated by a need to conquer others. Rather, they want success solely for their own personal satisfaction. This is the type of person who is constantly out to beat her/his own previous records. In other words, these types of individuals compete with themselves. Moreover, they are very focused on being experts. While this competitive orientation has significant strong points, its main downside is that it is too self-focused—even in a well-intended way—and not conscious enough of the team element. The self-motivated person is the one you want to be sure you can draw into the team so you have the best that both approaches have to offer.
Then you have those individuals who seem to get the most satisfaction out of seeing their customers happy. They don’t really have the burning desire to win or compete, but they are very much into relationship building. These people are naturally gifted at being empathetic, caring and good listeners. They are the ones who are much more inclined to stay in touch with clients after the sale has come and gone.
As you step back and evaluate what kind of team member mix you have, realize that no one is purely one temperament or another. We tend to be a combination of at least two of these different types of producers. However, we are usually dominated much more by one area than the others. Your job is to get a grip on what you have to work with and figure out how to make all the pieces of the puzzle fit together so your team solidly represents all of the best qualities of top sales producers.
In closing this section, I wanted to touch on the topic of working with a rep who has hit a plateau. Why? Because it’s a very real obstacle that sometimes happens even to the very best. The most typical cause for a plateau is simply feeling burned out. In this case, a very obvious solution would be to lighten the stalled rep’s responsibilities or even give her/him some time off. On the other hand, it may be that the rep is burned out with doing the “same old thing.” If that’s the case, simply changing her/his responsibilities would provide the necessary stimulation to get her/him moving again. New responsibilities could be things like training, forecasting or recruiting. Even performing the same tasks with new prospects or in a different community may alleviate boredom and present exciting, new challenges.
Sometimes it works to have reps come up with their own solutions. They may be more apt to pursue something they feel they’ve come up with on their own than something that is imposed. Furthermore, this way they really know what’s at the heart of the issue and would, therefore, likely know the best remedy better than anyone else. Lastly, review the possibility of how bonuses and other forms of recognition might spur renewed motivation. This approach is especially effective when your team members’ financial needs are already being met and they’re looking for reward and acknowledgment in other forms. In the next section, we’ll discuss what kinds of rewards and incentives work the best.
Kurt Mortensen’s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! His message and program has helped thousands and will help you achieve unprecedented success in both your business and personal life.
It is a general rule of thumb that greater or more difficult goals actually increase performance. The reason for this tendency is that loftier goals or objectives set higher expectations, and expectations in turn strongly influence behavior. The power of effective goal setting or setting a target can be seen in the following example: In a particular production plant, workers with little experience were divided into two groups. One group was told to simply observe the experienced workers and try to be able to perform at a skilled level themselves within twelve weeks.
The second group received specific weekly goals that were progressively more and more demanding. Needless to say, the second group fared much better. Similarly, Yale University once conducted a striking twenty-year study that found that the 3 percent of students who put their goals in writing had significantly higher incomes than those who did not—in fact, higher incomes than the other 97 percent of students combined. From these examples, it is obvious that proper goal setting goes a long way toward promoting sound sales psychology amongst your team members.
Years of observation and study have produced personality profiles of what are considered to be outstanding salespeople. Perhaps the most recognized of these profiles is the model that was developed by Gallup Management Consulting Group. Gallup has spent more than two decades interviewing hundreds of thousands of top salespeople to help corporate clients form and develop their own sales teams. Its findings suggest that the top four qualities of top-tier producers are: 1) solid persuasion and closing skills; 2) self-motivation; 3) strong work ethic and 4) excellent people and relationship skills.
Why do I highlight these findings? It is likely that as a sales manager, you already look for these skills when you hire someone anyway. But how do you enhance these essential sales characteristics after your recruits are on board so that your team can become even better? My hope is that by giving you four key concentration areas, you can streamline your efforts into getting the greatest results with the most focused effort. When you are trying to draw out any one of these characteristics, or any characteristic for that matter, it is helpful to assess the kind of personalities you’re dealing with. For some, a strong drive to close a sale exists just because they possess a need to “win.” Whether that “win” translates into financial rewards, recognition, the glory of being at the top or whatever, some individuals just have an almost instinctive need to win. This need is compelling enough that they are not deterred by long hours, rejection or time away from their family.
For others, it is not just about winning in and of itself. Beyond that, some individuals have a competitive edge that relishes the defeat of others—even their own colleagues. Half of the victory for these types of people is seeing others left in the dust. I believe that some competition can be a good thing, but you’ve got to be on your toes to buffer this type of personality. If you think pitting your team members against each other might actually create unhealthy rivalries and negative feelings, then you’ve got to have a way to counteract those negative effects.
Next, there are those personalities who are very ego-driven. They aren’t motivated by a need to conquer others. Rather, they want success solely for their own personal satisfaction. This is the type of person who is constantly out to beat her/his own previous records. In other words, these types of individuals compete with themselves. Moreover, they are very focused on being experts. While this competitive orientation has significant strong points, its main downside is that it is too self-focused—even in a well-intended way—and not conscious enough of the team element. The self-motivated person is the one you want to be sure you can draw into the team so you have the best that both approaches have to offer.
Then you have those individuals who seem to get the most satisfaction out of seeing their customers happy. They don’t really have the burning desire to win or compete, but they are very much into relationship building. These people are naturally gifted at being empathetic, caring and good listeners. They are the ones who are much more inclined to stay in touch with clients after the sale has come and gone.
As you step back and evaluate what kind of team member mix you have, realize that no one is purely one temperament or another. We tend to be a combination of at least two of these different types of producers. However, we are usually dominated much more by one area than the others. Your job is to get a grip on what you have to work with and figure out how to make all the pieces of the puzzle fit together so your team solidly represents all of the best qualities of top sales producers.
In closing this section, I wanted to touch on the topic of working with a rep who has hit a plateau. Why? Because it’s a very real obstacle that sometimes happens even to the very best. The most typical cause for a plateau is simply feeling burned out. In this case, a very obvious solution would be to lighten the stalled rep’s responsibilities or even give her/him some time off. On the other hand, it may be that the rep is burned out with doing the “same old thing.” If that’s the case, simply changing her/his responsibilities would provide the necessary stimulation to get her/him moving again. New responsibilities could be things like training, forecasting or recruiting. Even performing the same tasks with new prospects or in a different community may alleviate boredom and present exciting, new challenges.
Sometimes it works to have reps come up with their own solutions. They may be more apt to pursue something they feel they’ve come up with on their own than something that is imposed. Furthermore, this way they really know what’s at the heart of the issue and would, therefore, likely know the best remedy better than anyone else. Lastly, review the possibility of how bonuses and other forms of recognition might spur renewed motivation. This approach is especially effective when your team members’ financial needs are already being met and they’re looking for reward and acknowledgment in other forms. In the next section, we’ll discuss what kinds of rewards and incentives work the best.
Kurt Mortensen’s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! His message and program has helped thousands and will help you achieve unprecedented success in both your business and personal life.
Feasts, Failures and Food for Thought
It’s the year end. It’s holiday time. It’s time for banquets and budgets. Along with assorted food items accumulating in the office, most companies are deep into their budgeting process. Those responsible for revenue are getting the emails, calls, and memos saying “more.” Those controlling expenses are getting emails, calls and memos saying “less.”
It is the same stuff different year. Cut the cake and cut the costs. Have some sweets and sweeten the revenue. When all the snacks have disappeared and the office party is only a blur, the revenue goal will have been set and the expense budgets confirmed. The sales manager’s food for thought will be, “What can I do to hit my number this year?” The answer may well be the calculated and consistent avoidance of the top three mistakes sales managers make.
I hasten to add, I have made each of these mistakes myself more than once. I have observed them habitually being made by others. They creep back into the sales manager’s life like dessert into a diet. They are neither new nor surprising. They are simply the most common mistakes made. Because they are so common, the corrections are simple. A disciplined approach to correcting each is a sure ticket to a better revenue feast in the year ahead. Go ahead, help yourself.
1. Mistake: Feeding the weak: --Giving your weakest producers the biggest cut of you management time sandwich. Because your biggest producers are producing, you invest your time in the lowest producers. What would time and support for your best producers do to your overall revenue picture? Often a 10% increase from the biggest producers will be greater than a 20% increase by our weakest producers.
Correction: Feed the Strong first
2. Mistake: Ignoring the food you ordered --Sales people respect what you inspect not what you expect. Have in place and pay attention to a sales activity reporting system. Most companies have one, but do most sales managers check it daily? Asking sales people to report their activity and outcomes is basic to the sales management process. Reading their reports and examining their input daily is a primary management task. The fact is, as managers, we dislike reading the reports just as much as most salespeople dislike creating them. Writing and reading the reports, however, must be a non-negotiable element for everyone, including you.
Correction: Feed on the food you ordered
3. Mistake: Failure to feedback: -- If you ask sales people to do something and they do it, acknowledge it. If you ask them to do something and they don’t acknowledge that too. It goes to the heart of mutual respect and accountability. Reading sales reports is one thing, taking the time to let a sales person know you have done so, is another. A quick and specific note that indicates that you have read the report is not only courteous it is productive. It says you are paying attention, care, and take them seriously. Sales reports and feedback are a critical communications vehicle in the well run sales organization.
Correction: Feedback what you’ve been fed
Three steps to making next year better:
1. Feed the Strong first
2. Feed on the food you ordered
3. Feedback what you’ve been fed.
It is the same stuff different year. Cut the cake and cut the costs. Have some sweets and sweeten the revenue. When all the snacks have disappeared and the office party is only a blur, the revenue goal will have been set and the expense budgets confirmed. The sales manager’s food for thought will be, “What can I do to hit my number this year?” The answer may well be the calculated and consistent avoidance of the top three mistakes sales managers make.
I hasten to add, I have made each of these mistakes myself more than once. I have observed them habitually being made by others. They creep back into the sales manager’s life like dessert into a diet. They are neither new nor surprising. They are simply the most common mistakes made. Because they are so common, the corrections are simple. A disciplined approach to correcting each is a sure ticket to a better revenue feast in the year ahead. Go ahead, help yourself.
1. Mistake: Feeding the weak: --Giving your weakest producers the biggest cut of you management time sandwich. Because your biggest producers are producing, you invest your time in the lowest producers. What would time and support for your best producers do to your overall revenue picture? Often a 10% increase from the biggest producers will be greater than a 20% increase by our weakest producers.
Correction: Feed the Strong first
2. Mistake: Ignoring the food you ordered --Sales people respect what you inspect not what you expect. Have in place and pay attention to a sales activity reporting system. Most companies have one, but do most sales managers check it daily? Asking sales people to report their activity and outcomes is basic to the sales management process. Reading their reports and examining their input daily is a primary management task. The fact is, as managers, we dislike reading the reports just as much as most salespeople dislike creating them. Writing and reading the reports, however, must be a non-negotiable element for everyone, including you.
Correction: Feed on the food you ordered
3. Mistake: Failure to feedback: -- If you ask sales people to do something and they do it, acknowledge it. If you ask them to do something and they don’t acknowledge that too. It goes to the heart of mutual respect and accountability. Reading sales reports is one thing, taking the time to let a sales person know you have done so, is another. A quick and specific note that indicates that you have read the report is not only courteous it is productive. It says you are paying attention, care, and take them seriously. Sales reports and feedback are a critical communications vehicle in the well run sales organization.
Correction: Feedback what you’ve been fed
Three steps to making next year better:
1. Feed the Strong first
2. Feed on the food you ordered
3. Feedback what you’ve been fed.
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