Raising Expectations

Someone that EXPECTS to be wealthy will typically find that end result. Someone that EXPECTS to get by will tend to get by. So expectations are really just our BELIEF of what we anticipate, and of course….. our beliefs always come true.

Preparation

Very few companies were prepared for this economic downturn. What are you going to do different to make sure that you never end up in this position again?

Aggressive Salespeople

There is no place in the marketplace for aggressive salespeople. That day is over. There is, however, a place for professional and respectful assertiveness to find the truth with the real intent to help.

Everyone is not your prospect!

Great business development is about efficiently finding those that truly are your prospects and mutually engaging in a process that allows the prospect to discover that truth and to make a decision. Poor “sales” execution is needlessly chasing and convincing prospects that really are not prospects.

What’s the difference between online social networking and social media?

Social networking is done through sites such as LinkedIn, Plaxo, Naymz, Facebook, MySpace and others.

Social media is what the user does to actively engage with readers (i.e., customers, prospects, etc.). Each of them has their pluses and minuses depending on the desired outcome.

The primary question small business owners should ask themselves is, are you trying to market your company by creating buzz about it (social media), or are you trying to actually engage people online (social networking).

The Role of Salesperson is changing, let’s work together

Author and trends guru Seth Godin made a recent prediction: 90% of your sales will come from word of mouth or digital promotion by 2011. In the few years I’ve followed Seth, he’s right a whole lot more than he’s wrong.

So how do you change what you’re doing today to be ready for that? Is it good or bad for the salesperson?

Does web 2.0 social media empower the salesperson/team, or simply provide new avenues for the marketing department?

We at Coffman Group believe that the resulting merger and “gray space” between marketing and sales will produce a huge new power to the individual salesperson. In fact we’re already seeing such power with some of our early adaptor clients, who now have leads waiting for them instead of cold calling all day.

The salesperson must quickly adapt to the merger of sales and marketing and their new found power.

WE’D LIKE YOUR HELP AND INPUT?

As we refine our new social media training programs for sales teams (Power to the Sales-People) we would relish your input, via this discussion space, on ideas and suggestions you would have for Social Media training for sales teams. We’ll even welcome your own participation if you too are an early adaptor.

What is a blog and why are they so important?

A blog is a Web site typically maintained by an individual who uploads journal-like posts, or entries, that can include additional material of graphics, sound or video. A rough estimate would show that over 70 million blogs exist online and the number grows daily.

It is important to monitor the most influential blogs for your industry, and then regularly converse with them. As traditional media outlets convert to the Web, many reporters now look to blogs for relevant content and generate story ideas from conversations they find online.

Why do great salespeople often make average or poor sales managers?

1. Lack of empathy. They just don’t get how you just can’t get it, or how someone could struggle with something they never struggled with.
2. Incompetent competence. They are masters at getting deals done, but not necessarily good at SYSTEMATICALLY explaining how; therefore it’s not very repeatable or trainable to other subordinate profiles.
3. Wrong, or not ideal, behavioral style. Typical top producers are aggressive (high “D” on the DISC profile), impatient, assertive and don’t mind conflict, and again not SYSTEMATIC. Not good coaching and mentoring traits.
4. They get bored quickly. Self explanatory, when it comes to the administrative or operational elements of management it drains their energy.
5. It’s not their fault. The time demands on mid-management today leave very little time for true coaching and development. Reacting to the “fires” alone can fill a 60 hour week.

This profile of sales manager will resort to joint sales calls and selling to prove their worth, which is not all bad, but a true management role should be focused on developing a “best in class” sales force.

Desire and intelligence trumps behavioral style! What does that mean? If you have a manager that fits the four traits above, but has strong desire to become a great manager and is intelligent, they can overcome these traits through awareness and coaching.

CC

People in Sales that aren’t Sales Professionals

Here are some typical short comings you can expect to see in people that are in sales, but are not sales professionals.

1. They love to educate prospects, but rarely get paid for it.
2. They avoid hearing the word NO at all cost.
3. They think “think it over” means they will eventually get the order.
4. They see NO as personal rejection.
5. They see everyone as their prospect.
6. They think good salespeople CHASE prospects for as long as it takes.
7. They love to give presentations, and try to convince and persuade people.
8. They are ‘COMFORTABLE’ with their income
9. They create a title that calls them anything but Sales Professional
10. They think what they sell is expensive

There is such a thing as PROFESSIONALS IN SALES ! They take great pride in their profession, and understand they are in a wonderful but challenging career. They thrive on “pay for performance.”

Take your position seriously. It is critical to your profitability and success.

Getting Emotionally Involved

One of the most important rules in all of sales is not to panic. Regardless of the situation, always keep your emotions in check or you won’t be able to think your way out.