A Career In Sales Will Change Your Life

Forty-two years ago I decided I wanted to pursue a career in business.  Selling was not really on my radar.  My vision was putting deals together and making things happen.  I took business classes, accounting classes, advertising classes, management classes, marketing classes and even classes dealing with importing and exporting.  I enrolled in every class I could conceive of that would educate me in business.  Strangely though, I didn’t take any sales classes.  It has been a long time, but I don’t think there were any sales classes offered.  My career in business turned out to be a career that involved selling in addition to management and business.  A career in sales changed my life and it has changed the lives of countless millions of other people as well.  Let me tell you the stories of three people who either chose, or fell into a career in sales.  I have changed their names to protect their privacy, but the circumstances and details are real.

I met Bob for the first time when he was about twenty-four years old.  He had enrolled in a community college to study business and prior to enrolling in college had worked construction.  Bob was recently married and after taking a break from his studies, accepted a sales job that paid $12 per hour or about $25,000 per year.  Like most salespeople, Bob had no sales training, but he was good with people and tried to do what he thought was best in bringing sales to the company.  After Bob’s first year of selling, I started to teach and train him in the principles and skills of salesmanship.  In Bob’s second year of sales he earned a commission of $48,000. Bob continued to study, learn and apply his skills and in his third year he earned $92,000.  Bob had a great fourth year in the sales arena with an income of $184,000.  He has truly enjoyed the fruits of his labors and has provided for his family admirably.  There are very few young men, twenty- eight years of age making that kind of income.  A career in sales has changed Bob’s life forever.

Let me tell you about Sally.  Her story is an emotional one for me, one that could only have come about through a career in sales.  Sally was a single parent, raising three children and struggling to put food on the table when I first met her.  Her life and that of her family was one of constant challenges and a feeling just accepting the bad situation that life had dealt her.  Many people assisted her and at the same time pitied her and suggested that she would never rise above he dismal situation.  Last year as Sally applied the new skills she was learning as part of her sales training program, she achieved a benchmark that others said she would never reach and one the she never thought possible.  Sally earned more that $50,000.  This month she will earn more than $10,000 and should have a total income in excess of $75,000 for the year.  With tears in her eyes she confided with me that she was now in a position to reach out and help others financially.  Only a career in sales has the ability to change a person’s financial situation as dramatically as Sally’s.

Mike had lived a challenging life, complicated by some of the demons of addiction.  His employment, family, and self-esteem were all affected.  At one point he was homeless, family-less and penniless.  He eventually found the personal strength and the support of others to piece his life together.  He found a sales job, conquered his demons, reached out to his children and discovered happiness again in his life.  After working with Mike and helping him perfect his natural ability through establishing certain skills and procedures, he more than tripled his income.  In just a few short years, a career in sales allowed Mike to pull himself from nothing, to a stable and happy life with an annual income in the mid six figures.  One of my favorite expressions comes from Don King, the famous boxing promoter.  He would often say, “Only in America”.  To Mike, I would like to say, “Only in America and only through a career is sales.”

 To all of you looking to improve your financial and career situations let me say this:  Anyone can enjoy the same success shared by Bob, Sally and Mike.  A career in sales provides greater potential with less risk than most any other opportunity.  Selling isn’t easy, but if you will work hard, smart and receive the proper training, there is no limit to what you can achieve financially in a relatively short period of time.

The Power Of A Personal Performance Interview

Several years ago during the early days of my professional sales career, I was exposed to what I believed at the time, to be a very novel and progressive aspect of employee management.  As part of a very formal management activity, I met with my direct supervisor in an annual goal setting and performance evaluation.  The tool was an official booklet that provided an outline for the establishment of goals for the coming year.  It also included a template for the reporting of the prior years performance, bench marked against the goals that were established for that year.

As I participated in my first annual performance evaluation, I marveled at the ultimate power and simplicity of the process.  Imagine, actually setting goals and performance targets and then being held accountable for the results!  How truly profound this principle was and yet, so easily implemented.  There was no guesswork to the expectations of my performance.  It was clearly defined and written so I knew, as well as management, the expectation of my performance.  I was held accountable for a very specific result and would sit in front of my supervisor in twelve months time and report my achievements.

I was very familiar with the concept of accountability.  When I was in my youth, my father would give me a list of jobs to be completed in our yard the beginning of each week, and each evening when he returned home from work, I would report on my progress and accomplishments.  I tried to never disappoint him and to live up to his expectations.  I honestly believe that my father planted weeds just to provide work for me.  Then there was the three hundred foot driveway that required shoveling after each snowstorm in order to drive the car up the hill to the house.  I believe the driveway was strategically engineered just to teach me how to work.  Every year at the beginning of the winter season I was ceremoniously presented a brand new snow shovel to replace the one that was totally warn out by the end of the previous snow season.  There was a standing winter rule at our house:  the family car was never to be parked on the street at the bottom of the driveway.

Accountability is the discipline of setting goals and then reporting progress on those goals.  Assign and report is a principle so profound and powerful, that very little in this world would be achieved without its application.  And yet, the principle is only half applied at best, by most companies and managers.  Accountability is simple and yet basic in concept, but formidable in application.  Let me explain how this principle has been taught and applied with all of our clients at The Business Performance Group.

1.  At the beginning of our sales training and coaching program we set goals with each client.  The goal setting is a collaborative effort between the business owner or sales executive, the salesperson and the sales coach.

2.  All goals are broken down into monthly and then weekly increments.

3.  Each week the sales coach, working closely with each salesperson, determines the expectation for the coming week and then gives the salesperson the opportunity to report on their performance for the prior week.  Fifty-two times each year the salesperson has a performance target and fifty-two times each year the salesperson reports their performance.

4.  Each week the sales coach teaches and trains the salesperson how to apply the specific principles and skills necessary to achieve the goals for the week.

5.  In addition to reporting their performance against the weekly goals, each salesperson is asked the following four questions designed to keep themselves focused on achievement:

a.  What did you do well this past week relating to your sales activities? 

b.  What could you have done better in pursuit of your sales goals? 

c.  What single activity do you want to focus on this coming week for improvement? 

d.  What will you need to do to implement the planned improvement?

At the beginning of my sales career I was impressed with the power of an annual performance review.  The skills of goal setting and regular accountability were principles that I had learned in my youth, but had not previously considered pertinent to sales achievement.  I have since discovered the concept of “assign and report” to be so profound and basic to success, that I can truly say that to not apply the principle in your business, puts you squarely on the road to failure.  In my youth I was taught the discipline of assign and report and in my business I apply its powerful application fifty-two times each year with the salespeople I train.  I challenge you to do the same.

Six-Step Process For Receiving Sales Referrals

The very best next source for new sales is with an existing customer.  That existing customer can also produce the second best source of new sales and that is through referrals.  A referral from a happy, satisfied customer will keep you from consuming large amounts of time making cold calls.  Cold calls can produce sales, but not at the same time and effort ratio of referrals.  I have listed below, the six-step referral process we teach all of our clients at The Business Performance Group.  It takes time, requires precision, and cannot be short cut if you are going to use it to your ultimate sales success.  Every aspect of this system works in concert with every other step of the process.  Use this system with my blessing to achieve your ultimate sales success.

Step 1:  Make a written list of every happy and satisfied customer you have ever sold to.  Visit with each one of them either in person or on the phone and ask them if they would be willing to help you.  Explain that the way you make your income and support your family is by selling products and services to companies like theirs.  Explain the way you grow your sales is through a referral system, and that all of your satisfied customers participate in the system.

Step 2:  Explain that the system is simple, non-threatening and very successful.  It is based on sending a letter to the people they will refer to you.  This letter will introduce you, your company and products to them.  It will be brief, only a couple of paragraphs.  In your letter, you will ask for a few minutes of their time and mention that you will call to schedule an appointment within a couple of days.  (If they are local, schedule a personal visit.  If they are out of the area, tell them you will schedule a convenient time to talk on the phone.)

Step 3:  At the bottom of your letter of introduction will be a short note from your satisfied customer recommending you to them.  You will write the note of recommendation and show it to your satisfied customer and ask them if they like it.  If not, have them make changes.  An example of the note might say something like this:

Bob,
I have been working with (your name) for some time.  He has provided us with excellent products and service.  He has been a real joy to work with and has benefited our company greatly.  When (your name) calls, do yourself and me a favor and schedule a few minutes to meet with him.  It will be one of the most profitable meetings you will have had in some time.
Personal regards,
(Referrer’s name)

Step 4: Ask your satisfied customer for the names of five people they know personally, who might have need for the products and services you sell.  These people need to be in a position of authority to make a purchasing decision, or at least influence the decision.

Step 5:  Make a list of referrals, with their name, title, company, phone number, address, and email address.  Send the introduction letter and follow up within a couple of days of the time you believe they will receive it.  If you let too much time go by without following up with a phone call, your success will drop off dramatically.

Step 6:  When you meet with, or present your products and services to the new prospect that has been referred to you using this system, mention to them that the way they were referred to you is part of a system.  Tell them the system is very successful, and is the process you use to grow your book of business.  Ask the new prospect if they would be willing to give you referrals if and when they become a satisfied customer.  They will typically say yes.  Don’t bring the subject up again until they become a satisfied customer.  When that time comes, remind them of their prior commitment and ask for five referrals and start the process all over again.

If you are disciplined using this system, within a few months it will become your most effective source of new customers and your sales will have improved significantly.

The Ten Steps Of Successful Goal Setting

Setting a goal is easy. Anyone can decide they want to do something and set a goal. However, all goals are not the same, and most goals are never achieved. When it comes to goals and achievement, most salespeople don’t correctly use this powerful principle to their advantage. Let me take a few moments and outline ten basic steps of goal setting. The proper application of this principle will dramatically improve your sales success.

Step #1: Choose goals that excite you. Nothing is so motivating as a goal that unleashes passion. Too often salespeople take a passive approach to goal setting and find themselves pursuing goals that they don’t really care about. Once you have selected your goal find a picture. We are all visual and nothing is so convincing as a picture. Psychologists tell us that a picture is worth a thousand words. Find a picture that represents the achievement of your goal and look at it daily.

Step #2: Determine if the goal you have selected is one that is of value to you and your personal success. Review the positive aspects of achieving your goal and then evaluate the negative aspects of reaching your goal. Then take the opposite view and review the positive aspects of not pursuing that goal and then evaluate the negative aspects of not achieving the goal. You want to make sure that the goal has value before you commit time and effort towards its achievement.

Step #3: Once you have determined that the goal is in harmony with your objectives and you are committed to the time and effort to achieve it, write a positive, present tense affirmation relating to the achievement of the goal. Write down the names of those people that inspire you and would be proud of your achievement. Write down the names of a few people that might not believe you could reach your goal and focus on proving them wrong. Finally, tell those that you are close to about your goal and give them periodic updates on your progress.

Step #4: Without a “time frame” for completion, a goal is just a wish. Determine a realistic completion date and work towards completing the goal by that date. Remember, Someday is not a real day. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc, but never Someday. Someday is another word for never.

Step #5: Goals must be achievable, realistic and challenging. It is far better to aim a little bit lower and achieve the goal than to aim too high and fall short, even if in both cases the same result is achieved. In the first case you were successful. In the latter, you failed even though the results were the same. Don’t program your mind for failure. Once the goal has been achieved, set a super goal. A super goal represents that “little bit more” you can achieve after having reached your goal.

Step #6: Lack of determining the steps necessary to achieve a goal is the major reason for failure. You have all heard that the way you eat an elephant is one bite at a time. The same is true with achieving goals. Once you have determined your goal, break it into small steps. Give each step a time frame and then move forward one step at a time until you have achieved your goal.

Step #7: Just because you have set a goal doesn’t mean you are capable of achieving it without the proper training or education. Make learning and training part of the goal achievement process. Consult those who have previously accomplished your goal or something similar. Take advantage of the knowledge and wisdom of others to achieve your goals.

Step #8: Plan time each day for the achievement of your goals. Too often people become so focused on the day-to-day urgencies associated with their employment that they forget to plan time to accomplish the specific steps of their goals. Without proper daily planning you will never find the time to reach your goals.

Step #9: Create a structure of accountability relating to your goal. It is not good enough to just be accountable to yourself. Involve family, friends, co-workers and anyone else you feel comfortable with in the steps and achievement of your goals. You will find strength and courage when you involve others. A definition of courage is “doing what you say you will do even when the emotions of the moment are past.”

Step #10: Goals are achieved mentally before they are ever achieved physically. The world of sports is a very good analogy for winning first in your mind and then on the field of play. Envision yourself achieving your goal and then your physical actions will follow. In the Law of Success, Napoleon Hill’s first book, he describes the insight he gained from his research into the power of goal setting. He said, “Any definite chief aim that is deliberately fixed in the mind and held there with determination to realize it, finally saturates the entire subconscious mind until it automatically influences the physical action of the body toward the attainment of the purpose”.

People Don't Buy If They Have Unresolved Concerns

Some salespeople talk fast.  Others never stop talking.  Still, there are those who talk fast and never stop talking.  There is an ill founded notion that if you talk fast and talk longer, that you will discourage others from asking questions or bringing up issues you would rather not discuss.  Then there are those salespeople who will conclude their presentation without asking for questions, believing that if they can avoid the appearance of a concern, then there must not be any.  
 

There is no victory in avoiding questions or ignoring a prospect’s concerns.  If a sale is to be made, concerns must be resolved.  We all heard the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi proclaim, in regards to the new national health care bill, “We must pass it so we know what is in it.”  For most Americans, that comment fell short of answering their concerns.  In fact, the majority of Americans were offended because Government would buy a product with unresolved concerns and the people would not.  Concerns must be resolved or the prospect will not buy and if for some reason they do, they will want their concerns resolved after the sale or they will end up dissatisfied and will either return the product or share their negative feelings with everyone they meet.

Here are two very effective methods for revealing the prospects true concerns and then resolving them:

1.     Ask for the prospects buy-in with every point you make during your presentation.  As you describe a feature or benefit, ask the prospect for their opinion.  Ask them to describe the value of each point that you present.  Ask them to share their perspective relating to the values and benefits to their situation.  When you ask for their perspective you will know if your solution is on the right track and you will be receiving their approval or disapproval as you move forward in your presentation.  Through effective questioning during your presentation you will draw out their hot points, their concerns and their objections.  You will be in the “driver’s seat” allowing you to determine the final direction of your presentation. 

Remember this key principle:  The presentation you make to any prospect is the solution to their needs, wants and desires which were discovered in the assessment phase of your presentation.  Always present your product or service as a specific solution to a need.  Presenting a product or service without focusing on a specific need is a waste of your time and theirs.  The typical parting response to that type of a presentation sounds like this.  “Well, thanks for your time, I’ll contact you if I ever have a need for your product.”  And you would probably say, “Thanks for your time and I’ll be in touch.”  This is pure wasted time and effort added to a stagnant bucket of hopeless opportunities.

2.     When you complete your presentation which, as I previously mentioned is a solution to a need, want or desire that the prospect has revealed to you, ask them to share with you any concerns they have with your solution to their problem.  Encourage them by suggesting concerns you have heard from others, or by bringing up points that typically are more difficult to understand.  Once they raise a concern, place it on a “mental shelf” in your mind and ask the question, “besides that, is there anything else?”  Keep asking for other concerns until the prospect finally suggests that they don’t have any other concerns or objections.  Having placed each concern on a mental shelf in your mind, you can now reach up, pull each one down individually and go to work resolving their concerns.  (By-the-way, the last concern they mention is probably the one of most importance to them).  As you resolve each concern, move on to the next.

An important element of resolving the prospect’s concerns is developing a dialogue with them.  They express their concerns and then you discuss a resolution.  As the dialogue develops you both gain greater insight into each other’s needs and solutions.  You become comfortable discussing a broad spectrum of possible solutions and you gain greater insight into the prospects situation as they come to appreciate your depth and breadth of understanding.  The prospect will respect your perspectives and you will have empathy for their position.  This is the nature of true salesmanship. 

When you avoid concerns, you are literally avoiding the opportunity of make a sale.  Practice these two methods of revealing and resolving a prospect’s concerns and watch your closing ration improve and your sales success soar.