THE SALES FORCE PLAYBOOK

COLD CALLING

A salesperson I coach was hired to come in and make cold calls to create appointments for other salespeople in his company (and learn the business along the way).  He has great desire and commitment and pounded the phones for 12 months.  After a year, both parties were frustrated with the progress. Could there be a better way?

This particular salesperson decided to get out of the cold calling business and grow his business through referrals and introductions. While his client base was not huge, he had developed Centers of Influence (COIs) and was fairly well connected in his personal life. He developed his R.A.P. (Referral Action Plan) and began a new way of prospecting.

The results?  He is writing more business than ever before and his pipeline is full of qualified opportunities. When he was cold calling, all he had was a pipe dream.

Prospecting is challenging, no matter what your method.  But few would argue that your R.A.P. will produce far greater results than your "rap" while making cold calls.

Check out Jeffrey Gitomer's rant on cold calling.

CREATING ADVOCATES

Creating Advocates:    I was recently talking to a salesperson and she told me the story of how one of her current clients met her at an association event and proceeded to personally introduce her to 6 potential prospects.  One of the prospects later commented, "Wow, I never seen a better advertisement for a salesperson than the one he gave you.  He told me all the reasons he chose you, how you are taking great care of him and why I should do business with you."  This was a great example of how advocates can help you build and grow your business. Now unless you are uber-connected like Keith Ferrazzi, most salespeople have a limited number of advocates.  The good news is that if you have the right advocates, a few could lead you to incredible riches.  Consider this, if you could choose your advocates, who would they be?  They might be current clients, Centers of Influence (COIs) or somebody you hardly know (or do not know at all).  What would be the results if these people really became your advocates?  Are you willing to do Whatever it Takes to developing a deep and meaningful relationship with them?  It will not happen overnight.  It will take planning and hard work.  In a future blog I will give you some ideas how you can make this a reality.

Book Recommendation:    Zappos is one of the truly amazing stories in American business.  Tony Hsieh took the idea of selling shoes on-line to create a fabulous company that he recently sold to Amazon.com for $1.2 Billion dollars.  Hsieh's book, Delivering Happiness, A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose is full of great ideas on how to engage and energize yourself, your team and your company. 

Great Article:   I would recommend that you read this article from the most recent edition of American Agent and Broker.  Producers:  Plan or Perish is a great reminder of how important it is for salespeople to make time for planning for their success.  Salespeople need this time to work on their business, instead of always working in their business.  Although this magazine focuses on the insurance industry, every salesperson, regardless of their industry, will pick up a nugget or two from this article.  I especially like Jack Burke's idea of using a list when asking for referrals. company.

Check Out This Blog:    Bill Cates is known as The Referral Coach.  He has fantastic  ideas to help make referrals and introductions part of your DNA.  I would recommend that you sign up for his weekly newsletter.  The newsletter a great reminder of ways to build and grow your business through referrals. 

Quote:    "When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,' I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'"

                                                    Sydney J. Harris

THE SUN WILL COME UP TOMORROW

This past weekend, I was watching my son's soccer game.  A player on the opposing team cracked a great shot that appeared to cross the line as our goalie stretched to make the save.  The Assistant Referee missed the call and said it was not a goal.  Since I was standing on that side of the field, I saw the play and it clearly was a goal.

The parents on the opposing team went crazy about the bad call. After a minute or so, one of them finally said, "The good news is that the sun will come up tomorrow."  At that moment, a huge smile came across my face.  Finally, someone with some perspective about youth sports!

The parent's comment got me thinking about how salespeople react when a sales call goes bad, the prospect will not acknowledge a better product/price or the "guaranteed" sale falls through.  At those moments, how does the salesperson react?  Does he moan and groan about what just happened?  Does it take her out of her game for the next few days or weeks?

I love the expression, "it is not what happens to you that matters, but rather how you react to what happens to you."

When a sale goes awry, how do you react?  Do you use it as a learning opportunity?  Do you think about what you will do different the next time this situation occurs?  Are you willing to change to get the outcomes you desire?

Nobody likes to lose a sale, especially one that is a huge deal.  But remember, the sun will come up tomorrow and life will give you countless opportunities to succeed.

SIX MONTH CHECK UP

"...ideas & insights for your pursuit of extraordinary"

• 6 Month Check Up (Don't Let Down):    OK, we are half-way through the year.  How do your actual results compare to plan?  If you are at or ahead of goal, congratulations and keep up the good work.  If you are behind plan, it is time to analyze what happened and then determine what you can do to get back on plan.  Regardless of which group you fall into, don't fall into the trap of relaxing in the summer.  While I hope you have planned for some time off, when you are at work, be tenacious in your activity and your prospecting.  Too many salespeople say to themselves, "it is slow in the summer so I will just get ready to hit it hard after Labor Day."  Unfortunately, by then it may be too late.  Almost every salesperson I talk to is having to work harder to identify prospects and close deals.  Don't assume that your competition is taking the summer off.  During the next couple of months, take the opportunity to spend time with your clients, Centers of Influence and prospects doing fun things like fishing, golfing, baseball games, wine tasting or whatever you enjoy doing.  Let you competition be the one who takes the summer off.

• Book Recommendation:    A must read book is Mojo by Marshall Goldsmith.  When the economy was humming, it seemed as though everyone had Mojo.  With the downturn in the economy, many people have lost their Mojo.  Read the book and find out how you can create your Mojo. 

• Great Article:   You need to read this article from the most recent edition of Inc. Magazine.  There's No Such Thing As A Wrong Number gives 8 keys to success when you are calling prospects.  My three favorite are (1) Cold Calling Is A Matter of Degree, (2) Data Are Good.  More Data Are Better (no I did not misspell) and (3) Nothing Is More Valuable Than A Good Referral.  Please share these ideas with others in your company.

• Check Out This Blog:    Jeff Kaplan is with Ferrazzi Greenlight and is an expert on Leadership Development and Organizational Training.  He is especially passionate about the importance of developing meaningful relationships.  Check out Jeff's Blog. 

• Quote:    "It's easy to make a buck.  It's a lot harder to make a difference."                                --- Tom Brokaw

Daily Huddles and Watching The Game Film

• Impactful Daily Huddle:    I have written many times about the importance of huddles. This concept was again hammered home to me as I was reading Marshall Goldsmith's new book, Mojo.  In the book, Marshall shared that he has a daily call with his friend Jim Moore.  No matter where in the world each of them are, they are committed to talking.  They have 17 questions that they ask each other every day.  Goldsmith writes that after 18 months of this daily huddle, both of them weighed exactly what they wanted to weigh, they exercised more and both got more done.  As an experiment, they quit the daily calls for about a year.  Both of them put back on the weight and neither were achieving nearly as much as they were before.  Needless to say, they are back to the daily calls.  How are you doing with your daily or weekly huddles?

• Book Recommendation:    I recently had the opportunity to see Keith Ferrazzi give a keynote presentation.  Hearing Keith's talk motivated me to re-read his book,  Never Eat Alone.  This book is a must read for all salespeople to help them learn how to develop and deepen relationships with Centers of Influence, Prospects and Clients.

• Watch The Game Film:   Chip and Dan Heath wrote a great article in the most recent edition of Fast Company Magazine.  Check out the article, Watch the Game Film.  For sales professionals, the game film is the Post Call Debrief.  Unfortunately, most salespeople give a half-hearted effort (at best) towards this very important activity.  If you do a comprehensive Post Call Debrief after all your sales calls you will gain valuable insights on both your strengths and weaknesses.  The insights will only make you better prepared for future sales calls.

• Check Out This Blog:    Harvey MacKay has been an inspiration to many for over 25 years.  His weekly newsletter is a must read for those who are committed to professional and personal growth.  Check out Harvey's Newsletter and while you are there, sign up to receive it every week. 

• Quote:    "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf."                                --- Jon Kabat-Zinn 

SALES INSIGHTS

• Your Purpose:    I was reading the latest edition of Forbes Magazine and came across a great article that talked about the entrepreneur and author, Simon Sinek. Here is the excerpt from the article........According to Sinek, all companies know what they do.  They sell something, at a profit, they hope.  The better companies know how to codify all the procedures and good habits that make success routine.  The very best companies know why they do what they do.  They have a purpose - a reason for existence that transcends profit.  Driven by purpose, they create a movement and consequently get the most discerning and loyal customers.  In today's crowded global marketplace customers "don't buy what you do," says Sinek.  The buy why you do it."  

• Do you know your purpose, do you know your why?

• Book Recommendation:    Many of you read the book or watched the DVD, The Secret. While I thought The Secret was thought provoking, I felt there was a huge void in the message.  The authors did not give us the tools on how to take action.  In their book The Answer, John Assaraf & Murray Smith give us specific tools to use to help create the life we want.

• Meaningful Conversations:   We all know that salespeople like to talk about themselves, their products and their services.  We also know that the key to sales is asking great questions (or making great statements) to get the prospect to tell us their dreams, goals, concerns and fears.   I recently heard a great statement from one of our client's salespeople.  When talking to a prospect she says, "tell me about your journey."  She told me she learns more meaningful information about the prospect from that one statement than anything else she does.  Make sure the conversations you are having with prospects are much more than superficial fact finding sessions.

• Check Out This Blog:    Keith Ferrazzi is the best selling author of 2 books, Never Eat Alone and Who's Got Your Back.  They are great books about the importance of developing and deepening relationships.  Check out Keith's blog to to pick up new thoughts and ideas from a relationship master. 

• Quote:    "The more elaborate our means of  communication, the less we  communicate." 

                                --- Joseph Priestly

Daily Huddles, Referral Action Plan, Unique Ability, Getting Information From Your Prospect and Seth Godin

Daily Huddles:    Daily Huddles with your team might be the most important 15 minutes (or less) of your work day.  Check out Verne Harnish's article, Daily Adrenaline Meeting to find out why these meetings are so critical.

Referral Action Plan:    Every salesperson I know wants to build their business through referrals and introductions.  Having a great introduction into a prospect leads to a higher degree of trust (at a much faster pace) and a greater probability of the prospect taking action.  Yet, the actions of salespeople speak far louder than their words.  While salespeople want referrals and introductions, very few have what I call a RAP (Referral Action Plan).  A RAP is a well thought out, well executed plan of building your business through referrals. You review the plan every day.  You act on the plan every day.  You have referral goals and are committed to doing whatever it takes to accomplish those goals.  Don't be fooled, a RAP is not easy.  It takes lots of thought, planning and hard work.  But the rewards will come bigger and faster than any other method of prospecting.  If you are going to work hard, why not work harder on the right things?

Book Recommendation:    It is frustrating to see so many people not reaching the vast potential that they have.  Too often it is because they are not focused on the talents and treasures that they possess. Unique Ability by Catherine Nomura and Julia Waller will help you discover your unique ability and challenge you to put those abilities into action.  Imagine how your professional life would be if you focus solely on the activities and tasks that give you incredible energy and which you perform at an extraordinary level.

Getting Information From Your Prospect:    Many of you have great conversations with prospects and reach an agreement that the prospect will provide you with information so you can analyze/review to determine if you have a solution.  Far too often, the date arrives when the prospect is supposed to have sent you the information and unfortunately they never sent it.  The follow up phone calls and e-mails go unanswered.  When you finally contact the prospect, their sense of urgency is gone.  The next time your prospect agrees to give you information, ask this question.  "Bob, thanks for agreeing to have the information ready for me on Tuesday.  One thing I know is that between now and Tuesday, you will be busy and something might come up that will prevent you from having the information ready.  If it is not ready on Tuesday, what do you want me to do?"  Quit assuming that getting you the information is the most important thing in his life.  Prepare as if it will not get done and have an agreement with the prospect what to do if this problem does occur.

Check Out This Blog:    Seth Godin is one of the world's best known marketing experts.  His blogs will always cause you to pause and give thought to his ideas and insights.  Check out Seth Godin's Blog for his latest and greatest ideas.

Quote:    "Imagination is more important that knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."                                                                                                                                                                                  ---Albert Einstein

SALES INSIGHTS

"...ideas & insights for your pursuit of extraordinary"

• Referrals vs. Cold Calling:    Check out the research done by Rain Today in their article, Top 10 Ways Buyers Find Professional Services Providers.  While one of the objectives of the article is to articulate the importance of an internet marketing strategy, I found it incredibly interesting that the Top 5 ways buyers are finding potential partners is through some form of "personal touch."  It should not come as a surprise that the Top 2 were referrals.  Notice what is missing?  You got it, Cold Calling did not crack the Top 10. If you are committed to becoming a master prospector, where do you think you should be spending your time?

• When Do You Make a Presentation?:    As I am talking with sales leaders and salespeople, it is becoming apparent to me that the challenging economy has caused an outbreak of a horrible disease known as Premature Pitch.  Symptoms of Premature Pitch include a crappy pipeline, happy ears and hope as a strategy.  When salespeople contract this disease they will present/pitch to almost any prospect (suspect?) that will give them an audience and then hope they get the business.  There is no question that the economy has affected most sales organizations.  But now is the time to do a better job of qualifying opportunities.  By not wasting time on suspects who have no intention of buying from you, you have more time to (1) give great service to current clients, (2) meet with Centers of Influence to ask for introductions and (3) spend time with prospects who do need your products and services.

• Book Recommendation:    You need to check out Jeff Thull's latest book, Mastering The Complex Sale.  Don't let the title fool you.  This book is for all types of sales, regardless of the sales cycle, complexity of product or decision making layers.  There are many nuggets in this book, but one that especially resonated with me was the idea of clarity.  We all know that change is hard and in order for your prospect to make a move, they need clarity on how you and your solutions are going to solve their problems.  They do not get that clarity by you "telling" them about you and your products.  Instead you have to help them "discover" the clarity through great questions and great dialogue.

• Understanding Your Prospect:    A statement that business owners hate to get from salespeople is "tell me about your business."  With all the information available on the internet, business owners expect you to have information about them before you show up.  A better question to ask would be, "tell me story of your business."  Very few business owners can resist telling their story.

• Check Out This Blog:    I hope you take time during the week to check out blogs about subjects that interest you.  There are so many great ideas that you can get from reading the best blogs.  One of my favorite blogs is Understanding The Sales Force.  Dave Kurlan of Objective Management Group is a leading thought leader in the area of sales development and is always challenging sales executives and salespeople with ideas that can produce tremendous sales results.

• Quote:    "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great."                                       John D. Rockefeller

QUARTERLY FOCUS

Check out this short article by Vern Harnish.

All of Vern's ideas make great sense, but the one that jumps out at me in regards to sales organizations is the quarterly focus.  Annual plans are great, but far too often we lose focus as the year drags on. Almost all of us can remained focused for a 90 day sprint.

As we look to start a new quarter, what it the one thing you need to focus on that is going to move the needle further and faster?

SWITCH

Chip and Dan Heath have written one of the best books I have read in quite a while.  Their new book is Switch.  I love their sub-title, "How To Change Things When Change is Hard.

I don't know that I have "dogeared" more pages in a book than I have in this one.  The concepts, ideas and examples just kept coming.  Whether you need to make changes in your personal life, your business life or help your sales team make changes, this book is a must read.