Yesterday a better day

I went on that rescheduled appointment from Monday, and closed the deal. Then we get a call from one of the staff who was left out of the process all ticked off, because her boss did not include her. We are going back to offer that person the chance the "understand" what they bought.

Things have been busy here since we make the call out and do not wait for people to call us. I wonder how many sales people wait for something to happen to them first. Years ago I wrote a book on making something happen before lunch, and i wrote about how I try to make something happen in my day every day. In other words, I did not wait for anybody or any thing, I made it happen.

BTW: I am doing a public webinar on the September 19th. If you want to join, write to balpert@dei-sale.com. You will find this to be great if you make cold calls, and who doesn't.

I am off to the PA house where I write, so I will back to you during the weekend. Anytime that you have a question, post it here and I will get back to you. Do you remember the guy who asked about a job, I called him and he never returned the call!! What's with that!

Someone asked me for references the other day, what's with that!

We are having troubled getting paid from a past client. What's with that!

Good selling,

Steve

Yesterday at 4

Got to the 4pm appointment yesterday, only to find out the guy left for Washington DC. A waste of time, even though the meeting is reset for next Monday. Why do people do that to sales reps?

good selling,

Steve

I have a sales call today at 4pm. Have you ever given some thought to the amount of time we spend traveling from call to call. Did you know that the average sales call is 3 hours. You have to factor in the traveling time, which in my case is about 1 hour, the actual meeting, again another hour. Then, finally, you have to return to home base. Another hour. Three hours for one meeting. Now take that and figure out your day.

If you total the time, the best you can do is 2 maybe 3 meetings a day, and that is without doing anything else, like cold calling. I don't think that managers or reps figure this out when they set goals. I cannot tell you how many times I hear, from managers, that they want their reps to see five people a day! Impossible. Actually, not even impossible, but totally wasteful, since it means that nothing else can be done that day for new new business.

Good Selling,
Steve

long, long, long day

This is one of those days that you wish would end. Although some good things did happen. I got called back from a prospect that I have wanted to see, and she finally set the meet for next week. That works well for my schedule.

Then I finished another chapter of the next book...you think that just happens...it takes time. This book, based on the "born salesperson" is going to be the best that I have produced. My publisher would like to see two books a year and a revision of one of the other books. That makes 3 Schiffman titles in any given year, up until 2010. That seems like a long way off, but really isn't.

I had several meetings today about potential franchisees, and I think that someone will come on board soon. And finally, there was the young guy who came to the office, hoping to be just like me! My god, I hope that he is better than I ever was! I gave him some suggestions, and he will be back in a few weeks. You never know where the next talent will be. He really has no idea how I started this business, and what I went through...the various transitions.

Anyway, Good Selling until next time.

Steve

Core competencies

In a recent study there were 5 core competencies that were considered important for over all business success. They are, in the right order:

1. initiative
2. strategic thinking
3. building networks
4. visioning/setting the direction
5. developing teams

good selling,
Steve

Tips for managers

If you are a manager for sales, then you should read this. If you are a sales Representative, then you should read this.

Here are five tips for Sales Managers:

1. Make sure that you and the rep are speaking the same language. I don't mean English, I mean the "code" words that people use when speaking to a friend or business colleague.

2. Make sure you, as a manager, know the sales ratios that allow you to forecast ahead of the curve. There is no point in waiting until the end of the month to be up set that quota weren't met, you should know that now!
3. Work with your sales reps, not against them. Think of the them as you customers, not people who work for you.

4. Be a strategic manager. Think of ways you can help your people sell better.

5. Be available at all times. There should never be anything, and I mean anything, that gets in the way of meeting and working with your reps. If there are meetings that other people set for you, and therefore you are out of pocket, forget them! The sale rep is number one!

Good Selling.

Steve

Five Tips for you; the sales person

So, what are the five tips that you could use today. I worked with a group of mangers last week in California. Afterwards we talked about the reps and came up with the following:

1. always prospect, even if in the last thing you wanted to do today
2. maintain that positive attitude. It does not mean that bad thing will not happen, but at least you can recover
3. stay away from that slump feeling. It is easy to get into the August slump, don't let that happen
4. talk to your manager often. They may not be able to help you every time (no kidding) but at least they understand where you are
5. get real about yourself. It's all about the sale, but that does not mean jump off the building if it doesn't happen for you today, or even tomorrow.

good selling, Steve

Selling, what else is there

So, what is new. I was in LA this past week and trained a bunch of sales people in the fine art of selling. What struck me is that everything revolves around the sales process. But what I saw was that most people do not have a real process. They "just know how to sell". There is a skill to it, and most do not have the skills. I am, however, thinking about what is the skills that is needed most. Is it prospecting? presentation skills? product related, or just old common sense?

good selling,

Steve

WOW oh wow

So what is new in sales. I spoke to a sales rep from another organization today. And I said to him "what are you doing". He said to me" I am calling companies like the ones that we worked with in the past". I said "why not call THE companies that you DID work with in the past!"

Interesting, isn't it, that we some times miss the obvious. All of us do. We are so busy that we forget to look around and see the obvious. How many times have you reinvented some way to make calls, or your presentation that was working well, but YOU were bored with it? That is the greatest failing of most sales people.

They forget that it worked before, and there is no need to reinvent. At the same time, there are those people who never change anything even if it is not working for them. They do the same thing, day after day, even though it doesn't ever work.

Which are you. Are you boringly the same, or forever trying something new that doesn't work. Which do you think is better? Let me know.

Good Selling,
Steve