Determining Who’s Pre-Wired for Sales
by Brian Jeffrey

I was chatting with a new client the other day about the challenges in finding salespeople, or even people who wanted to be in sales for that matter. Maybe you can empathize with his problem.

His company sells a pretty pedestrian, relatively low-cost tool that’s in demand across a number of industries. Although it’s a fairly simple device, the best salespeople have a technical background with preferably an engineering or engineering technologist degree.

One of the things that make this company so good is that they are prepared to invest in their people and provide fairly comprehensive sales training to new hires. While they realize that training makes them an employer of choice in their field, they still have problems finding people who have the potential to be good performers.

A Target Rich Environment
One of their hiring strategies is to go to job fairs. In general, job fairs are a good source of raw material. When chatting with the attendees, he’ll often ask if they’ve ever considered a job in sales to which some will reply that they’d accept any job. While I appreciate their plight, that’s not a good answer. It leaves the impression that they’ll take whatever job is offered, including one in sales, but only until they can get a real job in their field.

Interestingly, some of these people might actually be good at selling and could end up really enjoying the job if given the opportunity.

My client was lamenting this situation and wasn’t sure what he could or should do about it. His problem was that he simply couldn’t determine who he should hire and who he should leave behind. Then he made a very telling comment, “If only I could determine which ones are pre-wired to be in sales.” Man, what a concept!

That got me thinking about how miserable my hiring skills were in the earlier years. I wrote about this in my article “Luck is Not a Hiring Tool.” I mean, I could have flipped a coin and had the same hiring success rate. That was before I knew what I know now.

Does Personality Matter
Some people still feel that the biggest indication of being pre-wired for sales is a person’s personality. Extroverts were supposed to make the best salespeople because they like talking to people. That was before we discovered that most of them couldn’t stop talking long enough to let the prospect buy.

There’s nothing wrong with being outgoing and social as long as you strike a balance. A lot of these people only stop talking long enough to inhale, and they’re pretty fast at doing that, so you’ve got to jump in when you get the chance.

Even when they’re not talking, people who are excessively extroverted don’t listen. They are generally thinking about what they want to tell you next.

Another client recently asked me to coach one of his salespeople who had lost his edge. At the client’s suggestion, I made a mystery call to the salesperson who turned out to be an extrovert. He launched into his sales presentation and was extremely good at it. As I was listening, because I had no opportunity to talk, I was trying to analyze why someone with such a smooth sales presentation wasn’t doing better. Then I realized what was happening.

I was being talked “at,” not “to” or “with.” The smooth presentation had become a sales pitch that I wasn’t engaged in and could only avoid by terminating the call. The extrovert strikes again!

As Sampson said, “…with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.” Many a sale has been lost by the same weapon.

Personality vs Temperament
Over the years I have come to learn that a person’s temperament is often a greater predictor of whether or not a person is pre-wired for sales. This is why our Sales Temperament Assessment is based on temperament and not personality.

There’s still some confusion as to the difference between personality and temperament. Any psychologist will give you a four-page explanation. Here’s my short-form version. Personality is similar to temperament in that both are developed at a very early age and generally don’t change very much over the years. Think of personality as being the distinctive qualities or characteristics of a person, while temperament is a measure of how that person naturally responds and reacts to the world around them.

I told you it was short.

Temperament’s Impact on Selling
What I’ve discovered over the past 20 plus years that I’ve been involved with this sales assessment is that different selling situations require different temperaments. The same temperament that allows a person to naturally do cold calls, open new accounts, or pioneer new sales areas isn’t appropriate for a sales situation that requires retail selling, team selling, or a high degree of client service.

Why Temperament is Important
If a person has the right temperament for a particular selling situation, it will be natural for the individual to do what’s required to succeed. If the right temperament is combined with proper sales and product knowledge training, he or she can be a top producer.

If a person’s temperament is not well suited for a particular sales situation, he’ll find the job difficult and a chore. While the person may succeed, it will take a lot of effort. It would be far better for him to find a sales position more suited to his temperament.

The Bottom Line
My client was probably looking at all kinds of people at the job fair who may have a predisposition for sales (pre-wired) but didn’t know it. Now he has a screening tool in the form of our online sales assessment that can help him determine who he should hire and who he should leave behind.

Brian Jeffrey is President of Salesforce Assessments Ltd. His company works with sales managers who want to make the right hiring decisions and build a strong sales team using his sales assessment test. For more articles like this and your free copy of “The 8 Biggest Hiring Mistakes Sales Managers Make” go to www.SalesforceAssessments.com

If At First You Don’t Succeed

I suspect that you have heard the expression “If at first you don’t succeed try, try again.” This adage was created many decades ago and it remains true to this day. And even though many sales people understand it, they make a fatal mistake—they use the same approach although their original approach was not effective.

My wife and I once vacationed at an all-inclusive resort in Cuba. One of the advertised features was an in-room mini-bar stocked with beer, water, and soda. Both my wife drink a lot of water (2-3 liters per day each) so this feature definitely appealed to us. Unfortunately, upon our arrival, the mini-bar contained only one can of soda so my wife called the front desk to have our water replenished. Several attempts failed to generate results. Early the next morning I went to reception area and explained our situation to a customer service agent and was told “no problem” but a few hours later we still had no water. Finally my wife changed her approach and asked an employee where she could BUY water. The resort employee threw up his hands and exclaimed, “Buy water?!!? You don’t have to do that! We give it to you!” After that we always had water in our room (until the resort ran out of bottled water!).

What made the difference?

It was her approach. My wife was smart enough to change her approach because she recognized that our initial approach had not been effective.

Here is the relevance of this scenario to sales. It is critical to keep trying in the face of adversity when you don’t get your intended result. After all, persistence is a key sales skill. And although many sales people are persistent, they tend to use the same tired techniques.

Successful sales people know the importance of persistence but the key is to change your approach or strategy with each prospect every time you contact them. You also need to consider the frequency of your contacts. While it is important to maintain regular contact with new prospects as well as existing customers, you can easily wear out your welcome if you call people too often especially if your prospect has no need for your product, service or offering when you contact them. I once heard that when you are trying to initially connect with decision maker that you should call three times in the first week, twice during each of the next two weeks, once a week for the following month and then monthly after that. To me this is sound advice.

While it may seem like overkill, the key is to leave a different message every single time you call. Leaving the same voice message won’t get your call returned and using the same strategy with every prospect won’t help you differentiate yourself from you competition. Spewing on and on about your product or service won’t help you sound any different than everyone else calling your prospect. And sounding like every other sales person won’t motivate your prospect to do business with you.

It is essential that you modify your approach or change your strategy, especially in today’s challenging times. The approach you used last year will not generate the same results this year. So, what approach WILL work? Unfortunately, no single approach will be effective. In this economic climate, you need to customize your approach with every new prospect. Here’s an example of an ineffective sales strategy.

My wife recently contacted a company about conducting online training sessions. She spoke to a sales representative and took their on-line demonstration. Within 24 hours, another sales rep took over her account and began calling her. However, each voice mail message was identical and did little to compel my wife to return his call.

I encountered a similar situation when I contact a company about merchant services for online credit cards. He was persistent in his follow up but his voice mail messages were the same each time he called. Unfortunately, this is a common scenario. Most sales people leave the same tired, over-used voice mail messages that fail to motivate people to take action.

Effective persistence means keeping your name in your prospect’s mind by using different strategies and techniques. Varying your approach will help separate you from your competition. You can use email, voice mail, snail mail, letters, postcards, web conferencing, and social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. The key is to develop a series of approaches with each one delivering a different message.

Remember this saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

Crawl, Walk, Run

When you decide to learn a new sport or language or engage in a new hobby you inevitably go through a learning curve. Depending on the complexity of what you are learning, this curve can be quite steep. The techniques may feel foreign and it takes practise to begin feeling comfortable applying them.

The same concept holds true when you learn a new sales technique. It takes time to master that skill and to become comfortable and confident using it. I was reminded of this last week as I embarked on a face-to-face cold calling campaign.

I had rehearsed my lines and invested time practising with a colleague. However, my first two calls were brutal. I returned to my car afterwards feeling embarrassed, frustrated and dejected. However, as the day progressed, so did my ability to execute. The more calls I made, the more comfortable I became. The conversations flowed more naturally and I was more effective.

Long-term success means learning new techniques and strategies. However, equally important is giving yourself permission to initially stumble as you apply the concept. Keep practising. Persevere. Remember, you have to crawl before you walk and you need to walk before you can run.

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals reach their sales quotas and targets in any economy. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.

Don’t Rush the Call

A few days ago I finally made contact with a new prospect and we started discussing his situation. Most preliminary calls like this take between 15-30 minutes and I usually start our conversation by asking, “Is this still a good time to talk?”

However, I didn’t do that in this particular situation and six minutes into the call my prospect said, “I have to get to a meeting. Send me some information and we’ll talk later.” As a result, I did not have the time to more deeply pursue my prospect’s problem. I got caught in the time trap and ended up rushing my call.

It is essential that you resist the temptation to push through a call because your prospect is pressed for time. A better alternative is to reschedule your call to ensure that you have the time you need to do a thorough job.

This is more challenging than it seems. It requires focus and discipline and the courage to say to a prospect, “I want to make sure that I fully understand your situation before putting together information. When would be a good time to schedule a 20 minute call?”

This concept will separate you from your competition and help you earn your prospect’s trust and respect.

Just Do It

Many people in sales know what they should do. However, they analyze the details to death and this “paralysis by analysis” causes them to hesitate and second-guess themselves. Many people hesitate to pick up the telephone and call a prospect who appears to be sitting on the fence because they don’t know exactly what to say. They may resist cold calling because they fear the rejection. They may not change their approach because it feels uncomfortable.

These are natural responses. However, these concerns prevent them from achieving their full potential. The key is to take action.

Analyzing a situation to death and thinking about every possible outcome will only prevent you from moving forward. Every delay you take gives your competitor the opportunity to take business from you.

Let’s face it. No one is perfect. No sales conversation is going to go exactly as you expect regardless of how much you spend planning it. Perfection is something you can strive for but you cannot expect to achieve it. The most successful people in sales plan their approach and their strategy. But the one thing that separates them from the pack is their willingness to take action.

Write down what actions you need to take to improve your sales. Then, follow the advice of Nike, and just do it.

“Yeah, I Know That”

Veteran sales people often ask me for ideas on advanced sales training and I am usually at a loss for words (difficult to believe, I know!). Certainly, there are new technologies and platforms and the tidal wave of social networks opportunities have changed the sales world and given sellers new ways to prospect, connect, and sell. However, even though today’s business world is more competitive and buyers are more sophisticated than ever, the fundamental rules of selling still apply.

When someone talks about the importance of asking prospects high-quality questions or that you need to differentiate yourself from your competition or that it is essential to focus your sales presentation on your prospect’s situation, it’s easy to say, “Yeah, I know that.” The challenge is to question how effectively you implement that concept or strategy into your approach or routine.

This may sound easy but too many people look for a silver bullet cure. Instead of looking for that next quick-fix answer that will solve your problems focus on applying the fundamentals. If you catch yourself saying, “I already know that” ask if you consistently apply that idea. Chances are you could improve.

How to Lose a Prospect’s Attention in 5 Seconds or Less

When you make contact with a new prospect via the telephone you have an extremely short window of time to connect with them. If you fail to achieve this they will quickly tune you out. Here are five things you can do to lose their attention in the first five seconds of the conversation:

1. Start a telephone conversation with, “Hi, how are you?”
2. Open your conversation by introducing yourself, your company and what you do.
3. Give them an overview of your products and services.
4. Explain how your product or service will benefit them.
5. Tell them what other companies you have worked with.

The instant your prospect senses that you are trying to sell them something that they don’t need or want they will tune you out and look for a way to disengage or disconnect from the call.

Here is how you can change that:

State a specific problem they are likely facing (based on your experience or research). For example, “Mr. Big, if you’re like other companies in ABC industry, I suspect that you are (fill in the blank). If so, call me at 800-555-1212 and I might be able to suggest a solution. By the way, it’s Kelley calling and once again my number is 800-555-1212.”

Keep it brief. Keep it focused. Keep it about them. And you will keep their attention.

How to Keep Motivated

Many people in sales find it challenging to stay motivated. Here are four ideas consider.

Do something different. Most sales people I know do the same things every week. They make their quota of calls. They use the same tactics and techniques to generate business. Or they rely on orders from their existing customers to reach their targets. However, it is critical to do something different if you want to get better results. What can you do differently that will help you increase your sales?

Join a mastermind group. A mastermind group can help you see what other like-minded people are doing which can stimulate your thinking and create new opportunities. The key is to associate with people who do similar work in different and non-competing industries.

Network. Effective networking is more than collecting business cards at a function. It’s about making contacts with people that you can help you and who can help you. In some cases, it is simply meeting with someone who experiences similar challenges and brainstorming ideas with them.

Make time for yourself. Working sixty hour weeks is the fastest way to lose your motivation. Everyone needs a break and an outlet for stress. Exercising, playing a recreational sport, or engaging in a hobby is a great way to recharge your batteries and revitalize your self-motivation.

What can you do to recharge yourself and capture your motivation?

How to Get More Referrals

Most sales professionals love to get referrals because they are often easy leads to close. However, the majority of sales people I work with don’t generate as many referrals as they would like. Here is a simple way to change that.

Ask!

Here are the most common reasons people don’t ask for referrals.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m begging.”
“I have tried asking but people don’t give me qualified leads.”
“I don’t want my prospects to know that I need business.”
“I don’t know what to say.”

Here are three ideas to consider.

Be clear. When people ask for a referral they often say something like, “If you know someone who could use my services have them call me.” The key is to tell your prospect or customer exactly the type of client you are looking for instead of making a vague request.

Be consistent. You cannot ask for a referral occasionally. You want need to consistently ask everyone you contact. This one step will make a difference in your results.

Set it up. During conversations with your prospects and customers tell them that your business is largely referral based and that you will be asking them to refer you to a colleague, friend or another company.

Apply these three concepts into your regular routine and you will notice an increase in your results.

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals reach their sales quotas and targets in any economy. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.

Stay in the Game

After a great deal of effort you have finally made contact with a prospect. You meet with them and they express interest in your solution or offering. You send additional information and schedule a follow-up session. However, now you can’t seem to make contact with your prospect. You leave a few voice mails, send several emails all to no avail. A seemingly hot prospect has appeared to turn cold.

Virtually every person who sells a product or service encounters this, and lately, it seems to occur more frequently than in the past. The reason is simple. Decision makers are busier than they ever been. Their resources have been cut but they are still expected to deliver results and I suspect that you are under the same pressure. Here’s a solution.

Stay in the game by demonstrating your value. Do this by scouring newspapers, magazines and websites for information that will help them solve a particular business problem. Send them an article, a newspaper clipping, or other related information. This may sound easy but it is actually challenging to execute (I speak from personal experience). It requires effort and time and it needs planning.

A generic email or voice mail does not keep you in the game but showing your prospect that you are a quality resource does.