Motivate Your Sales Team With Regularly Scheduled Meetings

Picture this: A group of sales reps are heading down the hall to the conference room for a meeting with their manager. They are definitely taking their time getting there. They stop for coffee, peek at their Blackberrys and seem to be pondering something silently in their heads.Wouldn't you like to know what's going on in their heads? We do, so we decided to find out. We asked two groups of sales reps "What reaction comes to mind when you hear there is going to be a sales meeting?"Group One was not looking forward to the meeting. Their responses included:- Uh oh. What are they going to make us do now? - Is this going to be another day we'll have to blitz because we haven't made numbers?What did we do wrong? - What fire are we going to have to put out now?Group Two's responses were very different:- Look forward to them. Always learn something. Starts my morning off good. - My manager always makes it interesting. We brainstorm and I learn something new. - I hope my manager doesn't go off on a tangent. It wastes my time. - I look forward it because it's a time to hear success stories as well as some objections that each of us may hear throughout the week. We also get some tips and advice for overcoming objections as well as additional selling techniques.Why are the responses of these two groups so completely different? Because Group One's manager does not have regular meetings while Group Two's manager does.Which responses would you like from your sellers? Many would select Group Two. Yet the responses from Group Two aren't all good either.As a sales manager, how do you get a positive reaction from your team when you ask for their time?One of the best ways to do this is to hold regularly scheduled meetings. With the availability of teleconference bridges, even remote teams should be brought together regularly. How often? That's up to you. Weekly or once every other week works, quarterly is generally not often enough. The keys to making the meeting regular are to:- Decide on the dates/schedule - Commit to the time - Communicate your schedule including the expectation of participation (Yes, participation, not just attendance!) - Stick to the scheduleHow often does your sales team meet? Do you think their comments would be more in line with Group One or Two? If you are part of a sales team, let us know what you're thinking as you're heading toward that conference room.

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Create Clients for Life With Low Pressure Sales Techniques

Low Pressure Sales Techniques and the Problem Solving ApproachSales are the bottom line of any money-making business, be it online or offline. In order to make money, a sale must occur. Professional selling has taken on a new dimension. Today, you see more low-pressure sales techniques along with a problem solving approach. This shifts the focus from making a single sale into building a client for life.Out With the Old Techniques, In With the New TechniquesThe old sales techniques revolve around tricks, gimmicks and techniques of pressure, persuasion and coercion. The key to traditional selling is constant pressure and relentless attempts to convince the buyer to purchase.You may achievehort-term success, but it comes at the expense of the relationship. These techniques leave a bad taste in the buyer's mouth. The same buyer will be reluctant to work with you next time around.On the other hand, a problem solving approach focuses on building relationships with customers. The techniques involve discussing the prospect's problems and describing a path that will eliminate those problems.You need to have an open mind; sometimes that best path doesn't involve your product or service.As a salesperson, you become the facilitator to empower the customers to solve their problems through the best products or services. A genuine concern for your prospect's wellbeing builds trust and encourages repeat sales from the customers.The Advantages of the New Sales TechniquesBuilding relationships with customers and having an open mind as to the right solution removes the pressure in the selling. Customers will be more open and honest with you, if you can show them you have their best interest in mind.Further, you build clients for life and in the end sell more with less effort. The new sales techniques do not only improve sales performance, but they also add prestige and dignity to the sales profession.Selling Through the Problem Solving ApproachWhen using a problem solving approach, you spend time understanding your prospect's problems, needs, want and desires. You know that in order to help your prospect, you must understand their problems are and how your products and services eliminate those problems.Armed with the necessary information, the salesperson can have a meaningful discussion with the prospect. A discussion about solving their problems and which products and services will do that. In the discussion, the focus is on solving the customer's problems rather than highlighting the products or services. Your prospect is much more likely to maintain interest, if it is all about them and their needs.Customers are smarter, better informed and more jaded than ever before. Manipulation and strong-arm tactics will not build long-term relationships. Buyers value trusted business partners and long-term relationships because in the long run they are less expensive and more productive than changing suppliers.As a salesperson who wants to improve sales performance, you should take a problem solving approach to build long-term relationships and clients for life.

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Sales Prospecting How Sales Prospectors Generate Leads Effectively

Sales Prospecting can take up a huge amount of a salesperson's time. It can also eat into the time of small business owners that sell their own services. That's why some businesses use prospectors to generate sales leads. A prospector focuses only on lead generation. They provide the sellers and closers with a regular supply of potential customers. That means the sellers can focus all their time on selling, which is what they are good at and that's great for the business.Sales prospectors can be employed by the business or the role can be outsourced to a lead generation service. Because they are focusing on gathering sales leads they can use the most appropriate and effective method of cotacting customers: Door knocking, telephone cold calling, or mail shot and follow-up. They also know how to generate leads at exhibitions and trade fairs. The prospectors can either pass the leads to the sales professionals or they can make appointments and update the seller's diaries.The Benefits of Using Sales ProspectorsIt leaves the sellers free to meet with prospects and sell to them. Sales prospecting is not effective use of a sales professional's time. They should be focusing on presenting and closing, which is what they are good at.The sales prospects gathered by the prospector can be qualified to a high standard before being passed on to the seller. This means it has been established that the leads are potential customers with a need, and the ability to buy.If you employ your own prospectors it can be a great way to train future sales people. They get to learn about the products, the customers, and the competition. They are learning the role from the ground floor and gaining good experience.When you use a lead generation service you can save money because you will not need to employ as many sales people. If all your sellers are doing their own prospecting the selling process will take longer and fewer closed deals per day will be brought in.Sales Prospectors - A Great Addition to the Team The sales process covers a wide range of different actions. It starts with cold calling and prospecting, and then qualifying the prospects as potential customers. It may include making sales appointments, and email or mail shot campaigns. Free trials or presentations may be an early selling stage. Then you get to the sales pitch where you try to close the sale. Is it realistic to expect a sales person to be an expert in each of these areas, and be able to manage their time to do all the varied tasks and actions? Take a look at your sales process and see if it makes financial and business sense to have sales prospectors that become experts at sales prospecting and providing sales opportunities for your closing experts.

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