Last week, one of my clients and I were discussing the end of the first quarter, salesperson performance and the next steps in their business strategy. The conversation led me to suggest the following steps for my client, but it would work just as well for readers.
Step 1: Evaluate your team. Place each of your team members into one of the following categories: More
Posted by Ken Thoreson on March 30, 20150 comments
What really separates the best salespeople from the rest of the pack? Our research shows that top performers not only understand each customer company, they also understand the person making the buying decisions.
Most sales training courses emphasize the importance of addressing the customer's needs. They teach salespeople to explain how "your product or service" can help achieve key business goals. Those discussions are critical for making sales. But few training programs address how buyers view salespeople as they're presenting that information -- knowledge that can be an equally powerful sales tool. More
Posted by Ken Thoreson on March 24, 20150 comments
Last week, I was in Arizona speaking at a conference. During my program I used the phrase, "If it isn't fun, it isn't selling," and the reaction I received was interesting.
Most of the audience seemed surprised or somewhat taken aback as I discussed the topic. Others were curious as to how to have fun during the sales cycle. More
Posted by Ken Thoreson on March 16, 20150 comments
I was on vacation last week and had the time to read three books, one of them called Enhancing Your Executive Edge by Kim Zoller and Kerry Preston. Published by McGraw Hill, it is a terrific read for all executives and managers.
In defining "executive edge," the authors quickly hook you in the introduction. They set the stage by showing their methodology, providing the reader with an experience in self-development and growth through an online assessment that determines your current "edge." I would suggest you take this assessment after reading this blog. More
Posted by Ken Thoreson on February 23, 20150 comments
Boomsday, the largest fireworks display in the United States, occurs each Labor Day weekend in Knoxville, Tenn. An estimated 400,000 people flock to the riverfront to watch the event. For my first time witnessing those 45 minutes of noise, color and lots of "Oooh"s and "Aaah"s, I had to be prepared. There was also the potential of rain to think about.
For two weeks prior to that Sunday, I asked everyone about the event: where to park, when to arrive. I double-checked my reservations for my dinner cruise and thought of what to pack. The good news was I found a parking spot in the first ramp I drove into. Arriving at 2:30 p.m. allowed my friends and me to casually walk through Market Square, stop for refreshments and sushi, and then walk the 10 blocks to the river walk and boat launch. When the rain came we had hats, ponchos and umbrellas. At 9:30 p.m., when the show began, the rain stopped. On the walk back to the car, I took out my flashlight and the four of us made it home by 1 a.m. A great evening to remember.
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Posted by Ken Thoreson on February 09, 20150 comments
During my keynote at a recent sales kickoff meeting, I opened up the dialogue regarding how salespeople and organizations need to not only create value to separate themselves from their competition, buy also the need for a company to prove their value proposition during the sales process. Many organizations express their value on their Web sites or marketing brochures, but fail in this important step of proof. In a commodity business, it is critical you consider value and what it really is.
At this particular, highly product-driven company, the salespeople were really struggling to understand the concept of being unique or what kinds of value they could offer. During a 90-minute keynote, it might not be possible to create specific ideas around adding value or proving your value proposition, but opening the mind to the concept is critical in today's environment. More
Posted by Ken Thoreson on February 04, 20150 comments
Rich Karlgaard's The Soft Edge, published by Jossey-Bass, is an excellent management book for any level in any company. I recommend to my clients that they need to read a minimum of two business books a year, and this book makes my 2015 list.
In the first chapter, Karlgaard discusses the three sides of the triangle of business. The bottom is the "strategic base," the left side is the "hard edge" and the right side is the "soft edge." The hard edge is the traditional operations, ratios, measurements and systems of running any effective organization. Karlgaard spends just a few pages describing the importance of the hard edge and the five components that make up that side of the triangle. More
Posted by Ken Thoreson on January 19, 20150 comments
What is the first action all salespeople must do to begin each year? The simple -- but many times overlooked -- answer is to reach out to every one of their existing clients, in a physical meeting if possible, and discuss with them their satisfaction and the impact of the salesperson's products/services on their companies. We call it the Annual Client Audit Review.
The objective of this meeting is actually made up of many sub-steps. More
Posted by Ken Thoreson on December 29, 20140 comments
The concept of selling based on your buyer's personality style has been around for a while, but I'm often surprised at how many sales professionals aren't familiar with it. Knowing the four basic personality styles in the model can help you communicate and build a relationship with your prospects, increase your sales volume and improve your velocity.
1. The Director is to the point and focused on the job. Relationships are not important. When dealing with a director, emphasize short-term benefits and appeal to a need to gain advantage. Briefly cover main benefits and isolate dollar-related topics or verifiable benefits. Recognizing signs of impatience will help. In presentations use brief, bottom-line visuals, ask open-ended questions designed to make the prospect talk and allow the director to lead. To speed up closing, provide alternatives, handle objections by taking issue with the facts and not the person, and motivate a director to close by using objectives, results and a sense of urgency. Ask for the order -- be dramatic and brief, then be quiet. More
Posted by Ken Thoreson on November 17, 20140 comments
Last week, I did a webcast for a vendor that was designed for its channel resellers. Its purpose was to discuss effective business planning and to review a specific process to ensure the vendor's plans -- and, more importantly, its execution in 2015 -- will be at higher levels.
The content of the webcast was based upon our ESTEEM Formula, a format we use to work our clients through a process to build their business plans. When people think about a business plan, we normally think of an Excel spreadsheet with estimated revenues and expenses. But we believe it needs to be more comprehensive, with specific departmental action plans. The program was an effort by the vendor to increase the professionalism and productivity of its partners. More
Posted by Ken Thoreson on November 10, 20140 comments
In every book on sales management, especially those that are focused on recruiting and interviewing salespeople, there are always tools, sample questions, salesperson assessments and descriptions on various techniques used during the process. In my own book, Your Sales Management Guru's Guide to Recruiting High-Performance Sales Teams, I have included a variety of sample questions, interviewing ideas and even a three-week new hire on-boarding sample.
One of the most highly used tools to improve selection is the "candidate interview scorecard." How can you build one? Take action on the next two steps and you will improve the quality of your selection process dramatically. More
Posted by Ken Thoreson on November 03, 20140 comments
While right now everyone else might be thinking of their Halloween costumes or what tricks or treats they may provide, as sales leaders we must consider the bigger picture. It is a scary world out there and many fears exist -- about the future of the business cycle, new taxes that will hit in 2015, consumers concerned about their livelihoods and the fears of your sales team as they face another challenging year. All of these fears impact your planning actions.
Emotion has always been a major element in the sales environment. Buyers today are more risk-averse, salespeople are more cautious and less self-confident and, worse than that, the relationships between buyers and sellers are caught up in "cost vs. value." More
Posted by Ken Thoreson on October 29, 20140 comments