Sales Manager Handbook to build a salesforce
- 2. 1 9 Sales Practices You Should Always Follow 6 Ways to Coach Your Sales Team to the Top Show Me the Money: How to Maximize Sales Force Productivity Are Your Salespeople Burnt Out? The One Skill ThatWill MakeYou Better at Managing a Sales Force Catch a Falling Star: How to Save a Flailing Sales Rep contents 3 6 7 9 11 13
- 3. Salespeople in today’s modern workforce are not the stereotypical “product pushers”—hard headed, over-talkative types. Selling is a vital component to the success of any organization. Successful salespeople are solutions providers to their prospective clients. They are diverse, depending on culture, company, demographics, etc., but they still share core traits. Many experts believe that a person’s personality, work related traits, beliefs, and attitudes are the basis for professional success. Research also outlines how successful salespeople (in comparison to employees in other fields), possess a unique set of personality attributes that enable them to succeed. Learn how to effectively manage and coach these individuals, spot issues, and maximize sales force productivity. This eBook offers invaluable content to not only help salespeople be more successful, but also to help the sales manager more effectively lead their sales force. intro
- 4. Landingajobinsalesisonething,butbeing successfulinsalescanprovetobeamuchmore challengingandstressfultask.Thereareacoupleof reasonsjobboardsarealwaysfloodedwithopensales positions: • Workinginsalesisn’tforeveryone. Ifthestressofquotasandperformance-based jobsecurityisenoughtokeepyouawakeat night,andifyoulackconfidence,motivation, orsocialskills,thensalesmaynotbeforyou. Tobesuccessfulinasalesposition,ittakes anindividualwithspecificskillsand characteristics,alongwiththeright mindsetandpropertraining. • Trainingandcoachingisoftensubpar. Thesadtruthis,manynewhiresinsales positions(whowouldotherwisebesuccessful) failbecausetheyareimproperlytrained,thrown intoaseaofprospects,andtoldtodeliverresults orgetout.Thissituationisfartoocommon,and isarecipefordisasterfromthestart. Regardlessofyourexperienceorcircumstance,thereare specificsalespracticesthatshouldalwaysbefollowed. Hereareninesalespracticesyoushouldalwaysfollow: 1. Bewellprepared Apotentialclientcanusuallytellifyou’repreparedor not.Youshouldbewell-informedaboutaprospect’s industryandpotentialneedsbeforemakinginitial contact,andyoushouldspendtimepreparingforany meetingsorphonecallsthatfollow.Recentsurvey resultsshowthat44percentofsalesrepspreparefor aprospectmeetingthedaybefore,12percentprep aweekinadvance,and2percent“wingit”ordon’t prepareatall.Withoutproperpreparation,prospects willseeyouasjustanothertelemarketerattempting topullafastoneandtaketheirmoneyforsomething theydon’tneed.Beingpreparedwilldirectlyaffect prospects’perceptionofyouandyourproduct. 2. Askstrategicquestions Whenmeetingwithyourprospectiveclient,don’tjust throwinformationatthemandexpectittostick.Ask strategicquestionsthatwillrevealusefulinsights, 3 Sales Practices You Should Always Follow 9
- 5. andallowtheprospecttocometoconclusionson theirown.Forexample,youmightask,“Whatisyour organization’stoughestchallenge?Whatwillhappen ifyoudon’tsolveit?” Throughproperplanning,and knowingyourproductandyourclient’sneeds,you’ll beabletoformrhetoricalandopen-endedquestions thatwillfavorablysculpttheprospect’sviewofyour offerings. 3. Listencarefully Don’tdoallthetalking;alwayslistenveryclosely whenyourprospectisspeakingandmaintaineye contact.Theabilitytobeagreatlistenerinsalesiskey, asdoingthisletsclientsknowthatyouaregenuinely interestedinthem,theirbusiness,andthatyoucan helpwiththeirchallenges.Shouldtheprospect communicateconcerns,effectivelisteningcanhelp youaddressthem,learnwhatismostimportant totheclient,andpickuponcuesthatwillhelpyou determinethebestangletotakeonyourpitch.One oftheeasiestwaystosellyourproductorserviceis byidentifyinghowitsolvesyourprospects’problems. Askquestionstofindoutwhattheyneed.For example,theymayhavenoneedfortheflagship solutionthatyouarepitching,butcouldutilizea differentproduct. 4. Focusonprospects’needs Knowingyourprospectandtheirneedsisthemost importantstepindeterminingwhatproductsto pitch,therebygainingtheirbusiness.Ifyouwereto offersomeoneavacuum,buttheyjustboughtone lastweek,it’sunlikelyyou’llbeclosingthesale.Now, let’ssayyouaskstrategicquestionsanddiscoverthey havea30-year-oldrefrigeratorthatneedsrepair— youfocusontheirneedforanewrefrigerator, whichyoualsohappentooffer,andclosethesale. Everypotentialclienthasadifferentsetofneeds, soidentifyingandcateringtotheirneedsthrough specificproductsorservicesiscrucialtogettingnew business. 5. Buildvalue Ifyoucaneffectivelybuildvalueinyourofferings, theywillessentiallysellthemselves.Giveexamples ofsituationswhereapastclienthadachallenge,how yourserviceshelpedsolveit,andwhattheendresult Challengesareinevitable,soutilizethemasan opportunitytodevelopyoursalesskills,andyou willbeevenmoresuccessfulthanyouwerebefore!
- 6. 5 was.Thisstrategyiseffectivebecauseitdescribes real-worldapplicationsofwhatyouareoffering, andtheclientdoesn’tfeellikethey’rebeingsoldto. Onceyoudiscoverspecificsolutionstheprospectis mostinterestedin,keepbuildingvaluearoundthose points.Beforeclosing,it’simportanttogobackand summarizeeachpointofvalueyoudiscussedearlier. 6. Behonest! Prospectsmaybeapprehensivetofullytrustyou becauseyoumaybeperceivedtohaveself-serving motivesasasalesperson—commissionsandquotas, etc.Thisisahurdlethatyouwillfaceinalmostevery sale,solearninghowtodefeatitquicklyisvitalto gainingbusiness.Peoplewanttobuyfromothers theycantrust,sohonestyandtransparencyat everypointinthesaleisanabsolutemust.Throw insomehumorifyoucan,andbegenuineinyour conversation.Rememberthatthepointofmaking thesaleisonlyonepartofthetransaction,sodon’t thinkyoucanusedishonestyasaclosingtoolwithout itcomingbacktobiteyou.Agreatoverallbuying experience−frominteraction,totheproduct,to serviceafterthesale−createsreturningcustomers andincreasedsalesthroughreferral. 7. Askforthesale Themomentoftruthisatthepointwhenyouask forthesale.Whenaskingforthesale,neveraskthe prospectaquestiontheycananswer“no”to!For example,insteadofasking“Wouldyouliketobuythis today,”youwouldask,“WouldMondayorWednesday bebetterforyoutocometothestore?”Thistactic assumesthesaleandofferstheclientoptions,which givesthemthefeelingthattheyareincontrol.Should theclientsay“neither,”offerhimorhermorechoices. Ifyouhavesuccessfullybuiltvalue,andaddressedthe prospect’sneedsandconcerns,thenaskingforthe saleandgettinga“yes”shouldbeagiven. 8. Handlerejectionprofessionally Sometimesthingsdon’tgoasplanned,nomatter howwellthepitchgoes.Maybetheprospectwants theproduct,butdoesn’thaveroomforitintheir budget.Othertimes,aprospectmaybeinterested, butnotconvinced.Regardlessofthereason, rejectionalwaysstingsthesame.Handlingrejection inaprofessionalmannercanbedifficult,butitis alwaysnecessary.Youneverknowwhenthatclient’s budgetmightincrease,orwhethertheywillbecome convincedafterhearinghowwellitworkedfrom afriend.Prospectssometimescomebackafterthe initial“no,”sodon’tburnbridges. 9. Keeptrying! It’seasytogetdownwhenyou’reonalosing streakwithprospects,butrememberthatRome wasnotbuiltinaday,andeventhemostsuccessful salespeoplehavetheirslumps.Thisstepappliesto bothrisingfromsalesslumpsandpersistencewith theclientthatsaid“no”untilyougeta“yes.”Ifyou haveaclientthatremainsunconvinced,don’tgive up.Instead,figureoutwhattheirobjectionis,finda solution,andtryagain!Ifyou’reinasalesslump, treatitasalearningexperience,andmakethe mostofitbyfindingandtestingnew,moreeffective salesstrategies.Challengesareinevitable,soutilize themasanopportunitytodevelopyoursalesskills, andyouwillbeevenmoresuccessfulthanyou werebefore! It’seasytogetdownwhenyou’reonalosingstreakwith prospects,butrememberthatRomewasnotbuiltinaday.
- 7. So,youhiredanewsalesrep.Heseemedhighly qualified:greatresume,verypersonable,relevantwork experience,andhenailedtheinterview.But,monthshave passedsincehewashired,andhejustisn’tdeliveringthe numbers.What’sgoingon?Isittimetolethimgo? Thecostsassociatedwithhiringandtraininga replacementsalesreparedaunting,anddependona varietyoffactors,likestartdate(bothhowquicklyanew repcanstartandatwhattimeduringthequarteroryear theystart),salesexperience,andtrainingandcultural assimilation,nottomentionthespecificfactorsthatgo intomakinganeffectivesalesrep. Thereisathirdoption:cantherepbecoached?Nomatter howyoubreakitdown,it’sclearlymoreexpensive,time consuming,andriskytobringinanewrep,whichiswhy mostsalesmanagerswouldprefertoinvestinthereps theyhave,ifgiventhechoice.RecentresearchfromCSO Insights’salessurveyshowsthatcoachingsalesrepsis thenumber-onekeytohelpingthemrevuptheirsales.A greateremphasisoncoachingisanecessitythatwillhelp yournewsaleshiresbecomefullyproductivefasterand moreefficiently. So,howdoyougoabouteffectivelycoachingan underperformer?Herearethreefundamentalsteps salesmanagersmusttaketocoachanddevelop underperformingsalesreps: 1. Assess Beforeyoubegincoaching,youneedtoknowand understandtheindividualasbestyoucan.Youneed toknowtheirspecificstrengthsandweaknesses,skills andattributes,andpersonalityandbehavioraltraits. Mostofthisinformationisn’tfoundinasinglejob intervieworresume.Tofullyunderstandthem,you needtoassessthem!ProfilesInternationaloffersthe ProfilesSalesAssessment™thatspecificallymeasures howwellapersonfitssalesjobs,andincludesseven criticalsalesbehaviors:prospecting,callreluctance, closingthesale,self-starting,workingwithateam, buildingandmaintainingrelationships,and compensationpreference. 2. Comparewithtopperformers Aftertheunderperformertakesanassessment,you comparetheirresultstothoseofatopperformer, soyoucanseetheareaswheretheindividualis struggling.Thedifferenceswillshowwherethe underperformerneedstoimprovetosucceed. 3. Trainanddevelop Onceyouknowtheareasinwhichtheindividual isstruggling,youcangivethemappropriatesales trainingdesignedtoimprovethosetraitsor behaviors.Let’ssayanindividualscoredlowerinthe areaofassertiveness.Thesalesmanagercancater trainingtospecificallyimprovethesalesrep’sability tonottakenoforananswer. Itisalsocriticallyimportantthatthesalesmanagerfully investinthetrainingprocessonapersonallevel,not merelymanagethenumbers.“Unlessthedirectsupervisor isperceivedasowningthatcoaching,thecoachingislikely tohaverelativelyminimalimpact,”saysBrentAdamson, seniordirectoroftheCorporateExecutiveBoard. Catch a Falling Star: How to Save a Flailing Sales Rep
- 9. 2. Afteridentifyingthosedifferences,it’stime toplaceyoursalespeoplewhereyouknowtheywill succeed.Itisimportanttokeepyoursalesforceinthe looponthisstep.Donotchangeyoursalespeople’s assignmentsorregionswithouttellingthemwhy. Oneofthebestwaystomotivateyoursalespeopleis toletthemknowwhyyoubelievetheywillsucceed inaparticularfunction.Theywillgooutwiththe confidencenecessarytoclosedeals. 3. Trainyoursalespeopleonhowtousetheright combinationoftheirbasicsalesskillsandindividual strengthstosuccessfullysell.Nowthatyouhave identifiedthestrengthsofyoursalespeopleand motivatedthemtousethosestrengths,itistime toteachthemhowtousethem.Thiswillrequire knowledgeofthesalesopportunitiesyouhave comingup.Goovereachofyoursalespeople’s assignmentlists,pointingoutthewaysyou discoveredthattheirstrengthscouldhelpthem inclosingaparticulardeal. 4. Eventhoughyouarenowawareofthe individualskillsyoursalespeoplehave,donot neglecttodeveloptheirbasicsalesskills.Everyjob hasasetofcoreskillsthatyoumusthavetosucceed. Salesjobsarenodifferent.Continuetoinvestin workshops,webinars,andconferencesforyoursales force.Thiswillallowthemtomaintainasolidbase fromwhichtheycancontinuetobuildtheirindividual sellingstyles. Yoursalesteamisnotsimplyaunit;itisacollection ofpeoplewithdifferentpersonalitiesandskills. Recognizingeachoftheirstrengthswillhelpyou utilizethemtoachievesuccessforyourorganization. Yoursalesteamisnotsimplyaunit; itisacollectionofpeoplewith differentpersonalitiesandskills. Recognizingeachoftheirstrengthswillhelpyou utilizethemtoachievesuccessforyourorganization.
- 12. 11 Yoursalesteamisthelifebloodandbackboneofyour organization.Regularsalestrainingisimperativetothe successofyourorganization,assalesproducestherevenue thatsupportsmanyofyourotheressentialbusiness operations. 1. Knowwhatyouarecoaching Beforecoachingbegins,salesmanagersneedtodecide whichareastofocuson,andhowthoseareaswillbe measured.Remember,areasoffocusshouldinclude strengthsandweaknesses,skillsandattributes,and personalityandbehavioraltraits.Creatingabenchmark fortheseareaswillallowmanagerstomeasurehow thesalesrepsnaturallyapproachsales,andwherethe coachingeffortisneededmost. 2. Coachearlyandcoachoften Effectivesalesmanagerscoachtheirsalesrepsfromday one,andtheycoachandoffersalestrainingonaregular basis.Thisallowsmanagerstocatchanypotential problemsbeforetheyhappen,andhelpstoincrease performancebyshowingcontinuedinterestwhile providingfeedback.Salesmanagersshouldworkwith eachsalesreptosetclear,realisticgoalsbasedon performanceexpectations. 3. Coacheachindividual Althoughsalesrepssharecertaincharacteristicsand skills,theyareindividuals.Itisimportantforsales managerstorememberthatonesizedoesnotfitall. Eachreppossessesuniquequalities.Thebettera managerunderstandsthesalesrep,themoreeffective thecoachingandtheresults. 4. Implementcoaching-basedperformance management Goodperformancerarelyhappensbyaccident. Coaching-basedperformancemanagementprovideskey insightsabouteachsalesperson,andshowsthe rephowtoleveragethatknowledgetoimprovesales performance.Thismethodologyworksbecause managerscanuseitcontinuouslyandproactively fromthebeginningofeachsalesrep’scareer. 5. Coachrelationshipsandteamdynamics Relationshipsdirectlyimpactproductivity,and understandingrelationshipsimprovesteamdynamics. Unhealthyrelationshipsclearlyundermineperformance, whilecolleaguesworkingtogetherinharmonyhavethe bestchanceofsuccess.Potentialconflictsneedtobe identifiedanddealtwithearly.Definingconflictpoints willenableleadersandsalesteammemberstowork togethertoavoidorsolveissues. 6. Coachtodevelopstrategicworkforceplanning Takingtimetodevelopandimproveyoursalesteam generatesleadership,andensuresfuturebusiness success.Thecoachingthatsalesmanagersprovide shouldpreparerepsforleadershippositions,andshould alignwiththeorganization’smission,strategicplan, budgetaryresources,anddesiredworkforce competencies. 6 Ways To CoachYour SalesTeam to theTop
- 13. ProfilesSalesAssessment™draws upon data based on the top-performing salespeople in specific sales jobs in an organization, and is used primarily for selecting, onboarding, and managing salespeople and account managers.The“job modeling”feature is unique, and can be customized by company, sales position, department, manager, geography, or any combination of these factors. ProfilesSalesAssessment™helps you: • Evaluate an individual based on the qualities required to perform successfully • Predict on-the-job performance in seven critical sales behaviors: prospecting, call reluctance, closing the sale, self-starting, working with a team, building and maintaining relationships, and compensation preference. Ensure salespeople fit with Profiles Sales Assessment™.
- 15. 3. Shareknowledgeandinformationconcerning thesalesprocess Knowledgesharingisaneffectivewaytoincreasethe productivityofsalesemployeeswithoutremoving themfromtheirjob.Technologyprovidesmanytools thatallowknowledgetobesharedeasilywithina department;onlinechatforums,onlinetraining videos,webinars,oremailsthatpubliclyrecognizethe successofsalesrepsandsharethespecifictechniques usedtoachievesuccess. 4. Implementasystematicprocesstoattainnew clientsandwinnewbusiness Organizationshaveavarietyofgoalsandobjectives whenitcomestosales.Thesegoalsnotonlydepend ontheproductorservice,butindustrysizeaswell. Upsellingexistingclientsisalwaysonegoal,but salesrepsshouldalwaysstrivetowinnewclients andsales.Planningandestablishingstrategiesfor obtainingnewbusinesswillensurelong-term growthforyoursalesforce,alongwiththeentire organization. 5. Establishastrategicprocesstogrowand increasekeyaccounts Itdefinitelycostsmoremoney,andtakesmoreeffort, togainanewclientthanitdoestomaintainan existingclient.Organizationsneedtocreatestrategies andprocessesthatincreasesalesinkeyaccounts. Growingkeyaccountsandmaintainingclientsover alongperiodoftimearesignificantlymorevaluable thanone-timebuyersorshort-termclients.Sales managersandrepsneedtounderstandthe importanceofmaintainingandgrowingexisting clients,andthefinancialimplicationsthataccompany thatprocess. 6. Providetargetedtrainingforsalesemployees Salestrainingisimperative.Organizationsmustselect trainingprogramsthatfitthestrengthsofthesales department,andprovidespecifictoolsthatwillhelp thesalesteammeetorganizationalgoals.Training shouldbalancefocusbetweeninterpersonal interactions,persuasivecommunication,andutilizing newtechnologytolearnmoreaboutprospectsand clients.Salesmanagersandorganizationsmustbe awareoftheneedsoftheirsalesforceinordertoselect thebesttrainingprograms. 7. Equipthesalesforcewiththetoolsneededto besuccessful Salesmanagersarenotresponsibleforforcing salespeopletodotheirjobs,buttheyareresponsible forprovidingsalesrepstheopportunityforsuccess. Onewaymanagerscandothisisbyprovidingefficient technology,accesstomarketandclientinformation, andadditionalsalestraining.Providingthesetoolscan notonlyincreaseproductivity,itcanalsohelpbuild trust,commitment,andloyaltybetweenthesales managerandthesalesteam. Organizationsandsalesmanagersoftenfacechallenges whentryingtodeveloptheirsalesforceandincrease productivity.Bytakingthestepslistedabove,companies canrisetothechallengeofmaximizingtheproductivityof theirsalesforceandensurefuturesuccess. Salesequalmoney,sowithoutsales,anorganizationwould ceasetoexist.Theimportanceofacompany’ssalesforce cannotbeunderstatedinacompetitivemarketplace.
- 16. 6StepstoSuccessfulSales.Copyright2014byProfilesInternational. ProducedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Allrightsreserved. Nopartmay bereproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanicalmeans includinginformationstorageandretrievalsystemswithoutwritten permissionfromthepublisher. John Caspole Assessment Specialists, Inc 877-855-1179 760-434-9877 Carlsbad CA USA JCaspole@AssessmentSpecialists.com