Focus on the WIIFT for a Powerful Presentation

A while back I had the opportunity to work for nearly two days with the best-of-the-best sales pros in a client company. We spent our time together focused on taking their game up another notch with a workshop titled "Powerful Presentations." One thing I noted is that really successful people generally are very open to new ideas and skills that will allow them to be even more successful!A key idea I shared in this workshop was that our sales presentations are more powerful when we focus on WIIFT - What's in it for Them - from the open of the presentation through the close.To engage your audience, it's incredibly important to tie the message about YOU into what it means to THEM. Who wantso listen to 10 or 15 minutes of background on the speaker and their company? Do you really care if they have been in business for over 75 years? About three minutes into the "background" about you, they have disengaged - you can see it in their body language. Instead, focus on WHY it is beneficial to them that your company has been in business so long. Will it mean a better product? Or more expertise that will solve a problem for them?Initially there were some skeptics in the group who weren't sure the WIIFT was THAT important. Until the first practice presentations began and each professional had to sit through all the other presentations. Being on the other side allowed them to feel what its' like to have a lot of information shared AT them and not tied specifically TO them.As we ended the workshop, these successful sales professionals commented that it IS powerful to make our message not about us - but that it is hard to do! The more successful and experienced we are, the harder it may be to do something different. To send a message adapted to our audience, with only enough detail that is important to them and then to link WHAT we do into WIIFT statements is not easy. But it is worth the effort for an engaged audience!How much effort does it take to link the WHAT of your message to the WIIFT? Post your comments and let the rest us know we are not alone!

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Interview With Suzanne Paling Author of The Accidental Sales Manager

Suzanne Paling is the principal and founder of Sales Management Services. She has over twenty years of experience in sales consulting, sales management, and sales for both field and inside sales organizations. Ms. Paling founded Sales Management Services in 1998 to provide practical advice to business executives, owners, and entrepreneurs seeking to increase their revenue and improve their sales organization's performance.About your book:1) Let's begin by talking about your book, The Accidental Sales Manager. What's the idea behind the book? Why did you write it?In my consulting practice I work with presidents of small companies. Most manage the sales force. None have any formal sales exprience. Not one of them wants the responsibility of overseeing sales. When I first started my consulting practice in 1998 and had worked with 3 or 4 presidents, I began to notice the common frustrations they all experienced as they attempted to hire and train new salespeople as well as run the sales effort. The book addresses the 15 or so mistakes that these otherwise intelligent, hardworking executives make with the sales force.2) In a short sentence, who should read your book? What kind of advice should they be looking for?Any executive who finds themselves "accidentally" managing the sales department and doesn't have the training or experience to do so. Most commonly, this would be the president of the company, though sometimes other executives take on the job. They should be looking for budget-friendly advice about what salespeople (especially newly hired salespeople) need to do their job effectively. As well, the book offers tips, forms, templates and checklists to guide them as they make the changes I suggest.3) On the other hand, who shouldn't? What will readers NOT find in your book?This book is not for a sales manager working for a large corporation. Bigger companies have a training program, protocol, systems and processes in place that they will need to follow.Readers will not find a long-winded philosophical treatise on sales management. I don't analyze and question every aspect of the subject. The advice I give in the book is straightforward, practical and actionable.4) What's the first thing someone should do after reading your book?If they're hiring a new salesperson, they should put together a schedule for the rep's first 2-3 weeks. Have them work with an employee in every department in the company - at least for a brief period of time. During these 2 weeks, make sure the rep learns how to use the sales software, give a product demonstration and can answer most customer questions before they start calling on customers.As far as the current sales staff goes, they should create a sales reporting system including a productivity report, pipeline report and sales forecast at the very least. Manage the effort. Make sure that the reps are turning in good quality reports on a regular basis.About your preferences:5) Besides your own website, what other sales websites would you recommend?- www.businessbyphone.com - www.salestrainingcamp.com6) How about your preferred sales/business books?Stop Telling Start Selling by Linda Richardson Ask Questions Get Sales by Stephan Schiffman Selling to VITO by Anthony Parinello Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions by Keith RosenAbout you:7) How did you get started in sales?I started my sales career in HBA. I covered the New England states (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire) for a perfume company.8) Most memorable sale?The perfume company I was working for designed a display piece containing perfume, lotion, and body powder. I thought it would be ideal for a large customer of mine in Maine. I presented it to them and they turned the idea down flat. I couldn't believe it. Several hours after the sales meeting, I gave the buyer a call. I told him I thought the display piece was tailor made for their stores and that I was stunned when he said no to the proposal. He agreed and ended up buying display pieces for almost every store. It was a good lesson in never giving up.9) Most disastrous sale (or funny situation)?For years, I called on an independent department store. The buyer loved my product and placed large orders. It just so happened that I really liked the clothes they sold. One day I arrived a little bit early to do some shopping before meeting with the buyer. I purchased several outfits. During our meeting the buyer placed an uncharacteristically low order. I was surprised and disappointed. When I got home and looked at my receipt, I realized I'd spent more in clothes at their store than they purchased from me. It was unbelievable.About your work as a sales expert:10) What is the biggest mistake you see as a sales expert?Salespeople talk too much and don't ask enough questions.11) What is the best sales advice you have ever received?Keep your questions open ended (can't be answered with a yes or no). Ex: Do you like our product? (closed) versus What are your impressions of our product so far? (open).12) What are you working on right now that makes you feel energized? What's your next big project?Several of my clients are ready to hire again and that's very motivating to me. Right now I'm helping one client hire their first dedicated sales rep and another hire their first sales manager. Both of these clients have realized the revenue growth to justify these newly created positions. I'm honored that they asked me to help them.13) What is the best testimonial/comment you have ever received?Whenever a client tells me that I've made their professional lives less stressful by helping them to create a more organized and structured sales environment it really makes my day. That's why I do what I do.To know more about Suzanne Paling, author of The Accidental Sales Manager, please visit http://www.salesmanagementservices.com

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Training New Pharmaceutical Sales Rep 2 Main Focus Areas

I am going to skip the hype and myth about training new pharmaceutical sales rep, and go straight to two main focus areas. This is not to say these two areas are all trainers need to focus at but focusing on them will create significant difference in their mindset and performance eventually. I am not recommending this based on assumption but there is a strong research to back it up.The first focus area is creativity.Creativity is defined as going as far as you can with all that you have got. In the current marketing environment where budget is scarce and getting thinner every day, making the most out of available resource is the best course of action. But it is not enough to tell salesperon that they have to make do with what available.They need to be shown the way.There are many creative thinking courses available. One important consideration when choosing them is to consider its practicality. Yes, creativity sounds a tad too idealistic but there is a practical part for it. Company can sit down and wait for an inspiration to come or they can utilize a creative method to generate hundreds of ideas at will.The second focus area is emphasizing on process.There are strong researches to back-up the facts that focusing on results, like focus on closing a sale creates more pressure than any other factors in selling process. Such focus causes a detrimental effect to salesperson, for example, reduction in call rates, low moral and weak performance. This has not changed for the past six decades and unlikely to change if the current pattern persists.The fact that 80 percent of company sales are contributed by 20 percent or less salesperson goes to prove that the traditional strategy for selling is ineffective. Many companies still continue with this model because it is easy to do; not because it is the right thing to do.They think that change is expensive but it seems like not changing is more expensive. My former trainer likes to say, "Change pays but status quo cost!" The 'cost' might not be apparent in the short-term but it will in the long run. Many can change in a blink of an eye but the decision to make that change can take forever.Right now, if you have been through the traditional sales training, I have a quick question: "Has your result been any different today compared to a year ago?" If you look at the answer closely and find there is no significant different, you must know that it is about time for you to change. But of course; deciding to change might take forever.

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Ensuring You Select a Professional Speaker for Your Event

If you check out Google you will find page after page of motivational speakers - so how can you guarantee the quality of your selection?The Certified Speaking Professional designation is an international measure of the standard of professional presentation skills of a speaker. It is granted by the National Speakers Association USA or Australia to those who have met their strict criteria. CSP following a speaker's name is an indication of a speaking professional with proven experience who knows how to deliver customer satisfaction.The worldwide association for speakers is the International Federation for Professional Speakers (IFFPS) and it is made up of professional speaking associationsorldwide. Less than 7% of the speakers who belong to IFFPS are CSPs. It is the international standard that these associations agree represents competence in the speaking profession.Every CSP must:ย� Maintain membership and subscribe to the Code of Professional Ethics ย� Serve a minimum of 15 different clients and present a minimum of 50 professional speaking engagements within 5 years ย� Submit and be assessed on testimonial letters from clients served ย� Submit and be assessed by a Peer review board on their Eloquence, Expertise and Enterprise. ย� Commit to ongoing education in the professional speaking field.A CSP will bring a proven background of continuing speaking experience and expertise and offer a variety of approaches, topics and styles. Only you can determine which speaker will best fit your needs but choosing a CSP will give you peace of mind.Choosing a CSP should ensure a speaker with a message that will enhance the theme of your event, which will remain in the memories of your attendees and inspire them to take action.

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Sales Training And Goal Setting What Do You Want Out Of This

What Do You Want Out Of This?The old adage, "any road will take you there if you don't know where you are going" rings totally true if you start out in sales without knowing where you want to go. High-end sales can be extremely rewarding both in money and in lifestyle but you won't make it there without a set of defined goals and dreams. If you know where you want to go, or what you want to achieve, it's very easy then to work back from there in defining what's required.You need to be able to answer "What do you want out of this?" to be able to take the next step. The most successful salespeople (and nearly everyone earning above $200k per year) write down their goals. As you may know orre about to find out, the hardest thing in sales is staying motivated and driven to succeed. If you don't know what you are doing sales for, you won't last very long out there as it really is a tough job.This is where having goals comes in. So WHAT DO YOU WANT out of this?* Time with your family thanks to a flexible work schedule? * A bigger salary so you can get a bigger house or more expensive car? * Maybe it's having a higher disposable income so you don't have to worry about spending money whenever you feel like it?Or is it just that you'd like to be the highest earner in your extended family / street / suburb? I know that thanks to selling data communications I achieved all three on that particular list and probably still do despite moving to a much more affluent suburb than where were living three years ago! When you do work out what your 'why' is, you need to write it down. Writing down your goals is the most powerful thing you can do to help achieve them. They will quickly be forgotten otherwise.While you are writing them down, make sure you put a 'by when' date on them too. They must be measurable like "I want to earn $220k this year, ending June 30, 2011" or I want to be earning $17k per month by the end of October this year". These are measurable, saying "I want to be rich this year" is not. Once you've got these written down, and checked that they are measurable, it's time to break them down into 'steps' so that you know what to do next. I know this might seem like basic stuff but it's what will help guarantee you'll earn over $200k per year. Like I said in the sales letter that you read before buying this eBook, I can guarantee you success, as long as you follow what's in this eBook to the letter. Otherwise you're kidding yourself and you'll lose out on what 'could have been'.Breaking down your goals into simple steps is easy and will give you a guide to work from each day to keep you on track. It all comes down to what sort of goal you have and what that goal will require from you to achieve it. If your goal for instance is monetary as well as physical like "by March 2012 I want to be able to run 10km without stopping and will have made $80,000 spare cash in my sales job so that I am fit enough and can cover the costs of climbing Mount Everest in May 2012". Do you see how that's a big goal but it's still measurable? To break that goal down into steps to take each day would require firstly breaking it into three monthly goals such as "each three months I will have made and saved $12,000 commission as well as achieved my monthly fitness goals".Breaking this into monthly goals would be "I will have made an extra $4,000 commission and run a total of 100km". Breaking this down further means earning an extra $200 per day and running 5km every morning. To make an extra $200 per day might mean making an extra 10 sales calls or 2 appointments or sending out an extra 50 sales letters... It all becomes measurable and achievable when you break it down into daily tasks. This is what successful sales and business people do. And this is what I do too.When you have a measurable task to do each day, you can stay on track. And it's easier to go home at night knowing if you've done what you need to do that day or not.Did I get up early and run 5km this morning? Did I make 30 sales calls (the 20 for my target and 10 extra for my goal)? Done!See how easy it is to stay on track now? And you can adapt this to suit any measurable goal. This doesn't just apply to sales either. Use it in your day-to-day life for other goals too and soon enough, you'll be writing new goals because you've achieved the current ones!(C) Rob Alexander 2009

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