Ask The Sales Trainer

Ask the Sales Trainer Column in the Long Beach Business Journal

These 12 Ask The Sales Trainer columns answered 27 sales and management-related questions from readers

October 25, 2005

Getting the Nerve

Dear Lee: I having no problem selling over the phone, but I tend to get nervous and lose confidence when I’m meeting face-to-face with a prospect. Any advice?

Dear Nervous: I assume you are an expert in your field. If not, take the time to know your company, products, customers, competition and sales presentation plan before speaking or meeting with any prospect. Next, rehearse your telephone and face-to-face presentation. Using a coworker and/or videotape to rehearse is preferable. For the actual sales presentation to the prospect, start by clearing your head with several deep breaths, smile (even if you’re speaking over the phone) and launch! I also recommend using a personal, pre-presentation affirmation to help steady nerves. The one I’ve used for years is: “I’m calm, I’m confident, and I have something of value to offer.”

Stressed Out

Dear Lee: I’ve had a pretty good career in sales over the last twelve years, but I’m thinking about leaving the profession due to increasing stress levels. It seems like management pressure for me to make quota each month is taking a more severe toll on my health. I’ll probably have to take a huge cut in pay if I leave this job, but it seems I may have no choice.

Dear Stressed: First, be sure to seek medical attention for any health issues. You didn’t mention in your letter if there have been recent ‘stress add-ons’ to your life recently, perhaps related to relationships, family or finance. If so, examine and address those issues before leaving your current job. If your stress is purely work-related, start by deciding if your personal values and ethics are similar to those of your company and management. If not, you may be experiencing a mismatch that will continue to cause stress. Otherwise, follow these steps to reduce common stress in sales professionals:

1)      Keep your body healthy with plenty of sleep, good food and exercise.

2)      Sharpen your sales saw by improving your knowledge of your marketplace, your competition and your selling message, including content and style.

3)      Take steps during the day to reduce sales stress by stretching in your office and walking briskly around the block during lunch. It’s even possible to perform a brief, mind-clearing meditation, using simple breathing exercises, in the privacy of your own office.

Finding the Right People

Dear Lee: I’m having a heck of a time finding and hiring competent sales pros for my team. I’m spending most of my day dealing with poor salesmanship issues. I don’t need more resumes in the mail, I need to find a couple of superstars!

Dear Manager: As you’ve discovered, hiring the wrong salesperson for the job can create countless problems. Instead of using classified ads, start a personal networking campaign with the goal of finding the most qualified professionals in your field. They may be working for your competitors, and if they’re dissatisfied there, they may be candidate material for you. During interviewing, give equal weight to technical qualifications and personality compatibility with your managerial style. After hiring, focus on training the individual until they understand your selling process completely. Then reward them well for their ongoing accomplishments.

Weird Vibes

Dear Lee: I thought I was friends with a fellow salesperson at work, but lately he’s been giving me a weird vibe, maybe because my numbers have been better than his lately. I value our friendship. Should I say something to him?

Dear Friend: Work-based friendships are under more pressure than non-work friendships. To keep such relationships healthy, try to establish a rapport of non-competition with your friend. In other words, agree that lopsided quota attainment, management recognition or even promotion won’t affect your mutual respect. Tell your coworker how much you value your friendship with him. Buy him a lunch, share a laugh and encourage him to speak freely about his feelings.

November 1, 2005

Torn Between Two

Dear Lee: I have two excellent candidates I’m considering for an open sales representative position. One I found through the method you advise, personal networking within our field. He’s been in this business for twenty-five years and knows the ropes. The other is much younger, less experienced and requires a lower base salary. He’s also full of energy and eagerness to learn our unique selling message. Any tips for making this important decision?

Dear Torn: This is a classic dilemma for the hiring manager: whether to hire a ready-made sales rep, or one who’s more moldable into the image you want and need. If you go with the proven expert, he’ll hit the (sales) ground running and you’ll spend less time training him and worrying about his performance. If you go with the less experienced person, you’ll have to invest more time in training and “ride-alongs,” but in the long run the results may match or exceed those of the experienced rep. In the 1970s IBM and Xerox began hiring mostly young, bright, inexperienced candidates and putting them through a long, rigorous training program to create an ideal sales rep. Most of those reps turned out to be very successful. However IBM and Xerox likely had far greater personnel resources to rely on than you. If you’re running a relatively small sales team, go with the experienced rep.

Sandbagging Blues

Dear Lee: I’ve just about had it with one of my fellow sales reps. Every quarter the guy convinces management to keep his quota down by low-balling his accounts’ revenue potential, then sure enough, he always brings in the number without a sweat. He’s obviously sandbagging, and it makes the rest of us, who honestly report our sales prospects, look less effective and hard-working than him. Should I complain the sales director?

Dear Fed Up: I wonder why your sales management isn’t catching on to this person’s ongoing sandbagging cycles and dealing with it appropriately. Sales managers must rely on sales reps’ predictions to a point, but they must also maintain updated knowledge of key accounts to accurately set quotas and forecast to upper management. Otherwise, what are they managing? Sandbagging hurts the entire company through end-of-quarter loading, which affects manufacturing cycles, billing/shipping commitments and even investor confidence. If you complain to your sales director you may be shedding more negative light on yourself than on the other rep. Stay focused on your own customers and quota attainment, and hope that your management eventually wakes up. If not, and if you’re still fed up, consider seeking employment with a better managed company.

Leads as Rewards

Dear Lee: My company manufactures products which are sold mainly through value-added resellers or VARs. I’m responsible for giving leads to VARs and helping them close deals with customers. The problem is that our two biggest VARs don’t work nearly as hard as some of our smaller VARs, yet I’m supposed to give most leads to the big ones. Smaller VARs are hungrier for each opportunity I give them, while the bigger guys seem to have a “you need me more than I need you” attitude. Any advice?

Dear Lead-Giver: Work both sides of the issue. First, all big resellers start out as small resellers. Try to funnel more leads to the hard-working small VARs, and help them grow as you help your own quota attainment. Second, begin restricting the flow of leads to your lazier big VARs. Use leads as a motivating carrot or as a reward for actual sales made. Hopefully you’ll begin to see the little guys account for a greater percentage of your number, and the big guys more thankful and accountable for the leads you give them.

November 22, 2005

Ad Sales Different?

Dear Lee: I’m having a friendly argument with an acquaintance who’s a fellow sales professional. I sell engineering products and he sells advertising for a well-known publication. He says that ad sales strategies are completely different than those of product sales. I say the two have much in common. Who wins the argument?

Dear Friendly: You win the argument. Your acquaintance is somewhat correct in saying that there are inherent differences between all sales strategies. But this is true whether you are selling against a competitor with similar products, or selling different products and services in unrelated industries. Most sales teams share a common strategy: to positively impact their organization’s bottom line by dominating their particular vertical or geographic market by offering either the best products/services or the best value. 

Had your friend said that advertising sales tactics, not strategies, are usually different from those of product sales, then he would be correct. First, in ad sales, the sold ‘product’ becomes part of the media itself, so it’s important to seek customers that will improve the quality of the media’s image. Second, properly communicating the benefits of repeat impressions is key in ad sales, because a one-time ad doesn’t generate significant revenue. Third, ad sales professionals must possess an aesthetic sense of design and layout, to visually entice prospects. 

Regardless of these tactical differences between ad sales and product sales, the strategic elements of good selling remain constant: Know the strengths and weaknesses of your company, your customers and your competition. Know your personal strengths and weaknesses, your ethics and what you value in life, and sell from that foundation. And finally, sell with a compassionate, go-the-extra-mile mindset of, ‘What can I do to help my customer become more successful?’  

Car Trouble

Dear Lee: Four months ago I leased a very expensive luxury car, primarily because the other six sales reps in my office all drive similar cars, and also because my sales manager was making jokes about my ‘piece of junk,’ which was actually a ’96 Honda Accord in good shape. I now regret doing what I did. I never have to drive customers in my car, and the lease payment is creating a lot of stress between me and my wife. I’m locked into this lease for four years. Is there any way out of this mess?

Dear Locked In: Unfortunately, this has been a very expensive lesson for you. Some sales managers still encourage their staff to drive the most expensive cars available, but this old-school advice seems to be waning, thankfully. The logic was that the higher a salesperson’s monthly financial commitments, the harder that salesperson would work and sell. It turned out to be very bad advice.

Successful, driven salespeople are usually those who clearly understand their values and their goals. They work hard to match their values and to achieve their personal and financial goals. Such salespeople often drive sensible cars, which reduces unnecessary, distracting financial stress. For such salespeople, the ego boost of driving a very expensive car isn’t worth the trade-off of delaying or sacrificing their personal goals, such as vacations, tuition and retirement savings.

A more enlightened approach to sales management is to encourage salespeople to live somewhat below their means, not barely within them. Such a financial buffer zone often comes in handy when an unexpected expense, or a drop in sales income, occurs. Sales professionals, especially those who regularly transport customers and prospects, should drive a clean, comfortable, fuel-efficient, new-ish four-door sedan. Such a vehicle reflects well on the owner. A gas-guzzling ‘urban assault vehicle’ may convey a distinctly negative impression to a customer.

You may want to consider the feasibility of selling, via private party, your expensive car, and paying off the lease. Since you are likely still ‘upside down’ on the difference between the payoff amount and the vehicle value, you’ll probably have to pay several thousand dollars from your own pocket to pay off the lease. You could also speak with the dealership to investigate trading down to a less expensive car.

Perhaps your sales manager could learn a lesson from this sad situation too.

December 6, 2005

Holiday Sales Slowdown

Dear Lee: While it’s nice to see consumer sales spike during the holidays, I sell primarily to corporate customers who are notorious for placing only a few orders during December. Since our individual quotas don’t allow for this yearly slowdown, is there anything I can do to encourage my customers to make end-of-year purchases?

Dear Slow: If you had a time machine I’d advise you to go back and make better strategic plans around June and July. Dealing with December sales slumps in December is, shall we say, less than ideal.

That said, there are three steps you can take.

Number one: Get active. Don’t let the myriad December distractions reduce your selling activity metrics. If your mid-year daily activity goals were, for example, twenty prospecting calls and three customer visits per day, try to exceed those targets in December. Savvy sales managers know that more activity equals more business.

Number two: Get creative. If your company doesn’t provide special incentives for customers and resellers to help end-of-year sales, consider creating your own. Uncover and offer special financing, leasing and deferred payment options. Create a trade-in allowance, sometimes done by simply reducing your commission percentage a few points. Offer a post-sale, no-charge training class.

Number three: Get personal. If an existing corporate customer you assumed would place an order in December begins hinting that January is more likely, ask, “Can you help me with something?” Humans usually respond positively to the word ‘help.’ Remind the customer of the value you continue to provide. Then ask if they can personally help you by ensuring the order is placed in December.

Note that asking for such favors is typically only effective with regular customers for whom you’ve provided excellent service.         

A Career in Sales?

Dear Lee: In June I’ll graduate from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in Marketing. I’ve always assumed I’d end up as a salaried marketing professional, but lately I’ve also been thinking about a commissioned sales position. My career counselor told me salespeople make more money but the stress is terrible. I think I can deal with the stress if the pay is that much better. What do you think?

Dear Grad: Last year I spoke to CSULB students at an American Marketing Association event on campus. I addressed a similar question from a student at that time. Your career counselor is somewhat correct, but a few items should be clarified.

First, sales is not the most stressful occupation. Consider soldiers under fire, air traffic controllers, police officers, trauma surgeons, and even convenience store cashiers working at 2 a.m., alone. Sales is stressful, yes, but it’s not life-and-death stressful.

Second, sales professionals don’t always make more money than marketing pros. The Pareto Principle at Work (sometimes referred to as the 80/20 rule) applies here. The top few in any profession earn the highest compensation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there are thirteen million people employed fulltime in sales. Only a small minority of those make over $100,000 per year.

Finally, you must consider whether or not your personality, lifestyle and desires are compatible with a career in sales. The things that often attract people to selling are money, freedom, constant change, lure of the unknown, and enjoyment of risk taking. Sales tends to attract Type A personalities.

On the flip side you must remember that selling also involves dealing with ongoing rejection, frustration and loss. You’ll hear “no thanks” on a regular basis. Your quota (required minimum sales revenue each month) may hang over your head like a dark cloud. It’s a pressure cooker environment in which you may be king of the hill one month, and bottom of the heap the next.

I’m certainly not trying to discourage you from entering sales, but you should carefully consider all the angles before making this important decision.

December 20, 2005

Selling is Acting?

Dear Lee: I’ve been in sales for many years now. Back in college I did a little acting, and in my spare time I still perform with a small, local theater company. My coworkers don’t agree with me, but I’ve always said that successful sales professionals are natural actors, even if they don’t realize it. Your thoughts?

Dear Actor: I too have spent many hours on the stage as a performer, and I must agree with you. However, it must be emphasized that I compare successful salespeople to actors in the sense that they both have highly developed in-the-moment performance and listening skills, and not skills based on lies or deception.

Characteristics of accomplished actors include an appreciation for thorough training, development of empathy and passion, commitment to rehearsal, and immersion into the scene at hand.

Successful sales professionals exhibit parallel qualities. They take the time to learn everything possible about their company and products, their customer and marketplace, and their challenges and competition. They realize that their success will come from doing everything possible to help the customer reach their goals, and not from aggressively pushing ill-fitting solutions. They evaluate sales losses to determine what went wrong and how to improve next time. And when communicating with a prospect or customer, they calm their active mind and focus on exactly what the customer is saying, both verbally and nonverbally.

Although fulltime professional actors and successful sales professionals earn a living through their craft, they’re both motivated by something in addition to money. Actors want to hear the rousing applause of their audience, while the “applause” for salespeople comes in the form of repeat and referral customers.

Lights, camera, sell!            

Time Crunch

Dear Lee: I’m a very organized person, I rewrite my daily to-do list every morning at work, and I work hard at the office. Yet at the end of each day I’m seldom able to complete all of the outbound prospecting phone calls and customer follow-up calls I had planned. Last year I attended a time management workshop, but apparently it hasn’t helped me much. Any tips for a frustrated sales pro?

Dear Crunched: The techniques used by time management instructors have varied over the years. The to-do list was “in” back in the ‘80s, “out” in the ‘90s, and now it’s back in fashion. I’ve always been a big advocate of using part of my “power hour” (the first hour at my desk in the morning) to write a daily to-do list that includes prioritizing tasks with “A” for must complete, “B” for should complete, and “C” for complete if I have time.

I’ll assume that you’ve ruled out common time management issues such as procrastinating due to dislike of a particular task, and poorly designed work areas and computer systems that make finding and updating files difficult.

Try focusing on interruption management. It takes at least five minutes of “now where was I?” time to restart an interrupted task. Reduce coworker interruptions by closing your office door or facing away from your cubicle doorway. Consider placing a heavy-looking box on your visitor chair.

If you’re in the middle of completing a task and a coworker pops in for a chat, say, “I can give you one minute now, or I can come by your office later so we can talk in detail.” The same technique for taking back control of your time applies to telephone interruptions too. Tell the caller that you’re in the middle of something, and ask for the best time to call back later.

At first, applying such stringent time management techniques may make you seem a bit distant from your coworkers. But you should start to see improvements in your ability to complete the items on your daily to-do lists, and chatty coworkers may get the hint and start becoming more effective with their time as well.           

January 17, 2006 

Risks and Rewards of Team Selling

Dear Lee: My regional sales director encourages me to bring along as many people as possible when making an initial presentation to a corporate prospect. My experience has shown that too many salespeople, engineers and sales managers in front of a customer actually decreases the chances of a positive outcome. I do better when I’m presenting our company’s solution on my own. How can I communicate this to my sales director?

Dear Lone Ranger: In selling as in cooking, adding more ingredients just for the heck of it doesn’t usually help. This isn’t a cooking column (although I do make a wicked shrimp and mushroom linguine), so let’s focus on the sales aspect.

I encourage you to speak with your sales director about your views, but first consider some of the risks and rewards of team presentations.

For an initial meeting, bringing along extra sales team members just to fill the room or to look impressive seldom works. Customers are intelligent. They’ll notice that a particular individual isn’t contributing to the discussion, and will wonder why your company wastes human resources in such a way. Also, having more presenters than customers in a room is inappropriate, and should be avoided.

That said, your sales director may be trying to make a favorable first impression by demonstrating that your company has plenty of local, qualified resources to rely on. This is a good presentation strategy, and involves having valuable members of the sales and support team deliver part of the overall sales presentation. These members include you (as the primary account rep), technical support and training specialists and sales management.

However, the more people presenting, the greater the risk of failure. Show the customer a unified team with a clear message and you’ll be more impressive more than a solo salesperson with no backup. Show the customer a disorganized, unqualified or confused team and you’ll have a serious strike against you.

All sales team members must know what’s expected of them, so conduct a brief team meeting before meeting with the customer. Discuss presentation goals, team member roles, key information to be gathered and presented, speaking time allotments and dress code.

The sales team should arrive at the customer location ten minutes before the scheduled time. This allows for last-minute presentation planning and personal thought-gathering. Never be late. Apologies are no way to start a meeting.

Support your fellow team members with smiles and gentle nods as they present to the customer. Discretely signal them when it’s time to wrap up or move on to the next topic or presenter. Don’t try to initiate a round of applause between speaker transitions. If the customer claps first, follow suit, but leading the charge is equivalent to holding up a sign saying, “See? Aren’t we terrific?”

Liar Liar

Dear Lee: I’ve been a real estate agent for many years now, and I’m still amazed by the number of lies and exaggerations I’m told every day by both sellers and buyers. Do other sales professionals have to endure the same thing?

Dear Fib Victim: Yes, but knowing that lies happen enables sales pros to plan and act accordingly. This means doing your homework before meeting with the customer, verifying information given to you by the customer, and, most importantly, listening with your eyes, as well as your ears, when the customer is speaking.

The ability to better detect lies, omissions and half-truths can save a salesperson valuable time and energy. According to psychotherapist Laurie Weiss, Ph.D., the average person tells three lies each day. I’ve found that customers typically lie to salespeople for one of four reasons:

1)      They believe the lie will be easier to deliver than the truth.

2)      They don’t understand what you’re saying or selling.

3)      They have a relationship with one of your competitors.

4)      They are bored with you and they want you to stop speaking.

Salespeople are often better than others at detecting lies. Lies are sometimes signaled by:

1)      Body, hand and finger movements that fit unnaturally with the words spoken.

2)      Long pauses before answering a question.

3)      Increased vocal pitch, reduced eye contact, increased blinking or downward glancing while answering a question.

 January 31, 2006 

Closing is Only the Beginning

Dear Lee: Over the past two years I’ve been selling for a global services company. Most sales I close result in satisfied customers, but lately I’m experiencing more fallouts, or customers that cancel their contract with us after some sort of post-sale dispute or misunderstanding. My sales director blames me when fallouts happen, even though, as the salesperson, I’ve done my job by closing the deal. How can I convince management that these fallouts aren’t my fault?

Dear Closer: I hate to say it, but I think these fallouts may be your fault. Granted, I don’t have all the details of your situation, but I consider it a primary responsibility of the salesperson to help their company avoid such devastating losses. How? By paying greater attention to details during the final negotiation phase of the purchase cycle.

When you close a deal with a customer, the transaction is only just beginning, not ending. Even seemingly airtight sales can sour. When preparing to receive money from your customer for promised services, you must elevate the level of communication or else risk refunding that money, forfeiting your commission and suffering the wrath of your sales director.

Such elevated communication involves a contract that spells out exactly what will occur in the event of most conceivable post-sale events. Begin by defining the nature, extent and duration of your new relationship with the customer, then include as many details as possible.

I’m a big believer in creating a customized post-sale checklist. To help prevent misunderstandings and fallouts, and to create a trusting, long-lasting relationship between you and your customer, consider creating your own checklist based on these items:

·        Gather from the customer complete contact information for all personnel who will be involved in the implementation of your services.

·        Provide the customer with complete contact information for all of your personnel who will be involved in implementing and supporting your services.

·        Provide the customer with an escalation procedure to follow if they have questions and problems with your services.

·        Provide the customer with average and maximum response times for return communications once they report a problem.

·        Provide the customer with an emergency method of communicating with you if the escalation procedure fails.

·        Speak with the customer to ensure that they understand the duration (start and end dates) and terms and conditions of post-sale service and support.

·        Speak with the customer to ensure that they understand the cost of renewing post-sale service and support once the initial period expires.

·        Agree to a schedule of follow-up conversations with the customer, so you can gauge their level of satisfaction.

Rewards for Doing Well

Dear Lee: I manage a team of eleven sales reps that exceeded their yearly quota. I’d like to reward the team in some way that’s meaningful, memorable and motivating. Any suggestions for something fun that won’t deplete my entire yearly expense budget?

Dear Boss: Annual rewards are fine, but don’t forget to spread your goodwill throughout the year. A pat on the back and a “good job” after each accomplishment will go a long way. Outstanding individual behavior may merit an occasional $50 gift card or a top performer plaque. Giving such awards at team meetings will motivate other team members and will highlight effective selling practices.

            To reward your entire team, consider a fun outing to a gaming center like Dave & Buster’s. Such corporate-focused entertainment arcades have plenty of team activities such as multi-player video games and skills contests. If your schedule and budget can afford it, consider chartering a limo or bus for a drive to an outdoor fun park such as Knott’s or Disneyland.

Kudos for realizing that your team’s hard work and accomplishments deserve to be specially rewarded. Bosses like you tend to foster higher levels of employee satisfaction, improved productivity and reduced turnover.

February 28, 2006 

Selling on the Golf Course?

Dear Lee: After three years with my company, I was recently promoted from a sales support position to an outside sales position. I don’t play golf, but my sales manager insists that I take lessons so that I can play with prospective customers. He even says I should sometimes play during the middle of the work day! Do you think golfing is a productive activity for salespeople?

Dear Future Duffer: Yes. Golfing and selling go together like tuna and curry. (Okay, maybe that’s just me.) Take your manager’s suggestion and learn the game.

I assume your company sells big ticket products or services, because that’s when selling on the golf course makes the most sense. Your manager likely understands your target prospect profile quite well, he’s closed deals that involved a round of golf, and he wants you to succeed too.

For better or worse, prospective customers responsible for evaluating, selecting and purchasing big ticket items often expect sales representatives to woo them with a round of golf. Savvy salespeople will jump at the opportunity for several reasons.

What better opportunities are there to build a relationship with a prospect in a fun, casual setting? It could take weeks of office meetings and presentations to establish the same friendly, trusting rapport that can result from a four-hour round of golf.

If you pay attention between the tees you’ll gain valuable insight into your prospect’s personality. When deciding how best to close a big sale, such knowledge will come in handy.

Some tips: Learn the game from a PGA-certified instructor, not a buddy. Only invite prospects you’re sure have decision making authority. Drink little or no alcohol while playing. Delay talking business until you’re at least a few holes into the course. And don’t worry about your newbie golf skills. Customers like to win.    

Finally, you said your manager “insists” that you take golf lessons. If you feel confident it won’t endanger your job, you may consider hinting that he pay for the lessons. I’ve known sales directors who’ve purchased club memberships and expensive golf clubs for their top salespeople. Hold off asking for such perks until you’ve closed a few big deals on the golf course.

Changing the Way You Sell

Dear Lee: Our company is deploying a new computer system that fundamentally changes our existing processes for prospecting, following up and closing sales. None of my fellow sales reps are happy about this change. The old way was far better.  Any ideas how we should voice our complaints to management?

Dear Old School: Selling means constantly adapting to change. Discussing your concerns with management is fine. Complaining about a new CRM (customer relationship management) system that your company likely spent much time and money deploying could be a CLM (career limiting move). Be advised.

These new CRM systems are popping up everywhere. Executive management loves them for their strategic financial, resource and manufacturing planning abilities. Sales management loves them for their tactical deal-closing visibility and rep time-management oversight.

CRM system deployments are seldom without technical problems and grumbling from the ranks. It can take year or more to smooth out all the hitches. Top sales pros consistently sharpen their techniques, so use this difficult time to examine and redefine aspects of your selling style. Consider how best to match your style with the requirements of the new system.

March 14, 2006 

Sell like a European

Dear Lee: My company sent me and a few other sales reps to a two-week product training in The Netherlands. The trainers were our counterparts who lived and sold in several different countries, but they all spoke English. I came away feeling that Europeans approach selling much differently than Americans. Whose methods are better?

Dear World Traveler: You can learn some excellent new techniques from your European counterparts, and vice-versa, but sales success in a particular geography requires immersion in the local culture and customs, in addition to applying the core set of selling fundamentals that is practiced worldwide.

I was born and raised in England and I lived in Spain for several years. Whenever I return to visit my family or to conduct business I’m aware of the cultural contrasts. However, to lump all European selling styles into one would be a mistake.

Sales pros across the pond often earn less money per year than Americans, mostly due to higher taxes on wages, but they also earn an average of five weeks vacation per year, and they enjoy better job security. Government-backed retirement, healthcare and housing plans ease the worries of those approaching the end of a long sales career.

From a selling style perspective, Europeans are less “rah-rah” and more down-to-Earth than their American cousins. During my travels to British high-technology sales conferences I’ve noticed that representatives from the U.S. are more prideful of their sales techniques and instincts, while the Brits place more value on their knowledge of product features and benefits.

Perceived differences aside, it’s important to realize that the ABCs of effective selling differ very little from country to country. Know your personal values, your products, your customer’s organization and challenges, and your competition. With those elements safely in hand you’ll be well on your way to becoming a Knight of the Sales Empire.

Passed Over for Promotion

Dear Lee: I was flabbergasted when I was recently passed over for promotion to sales director of our department. I’ve been working in this office for twelve years, but they gave the job to a much younger salesman who’s been with the company barely two years. I’m steamed. Should I tell the new boss how I feel?

Dear Steamed: Tread carefully on this sensitive issue. As the years pass by, more of your managers will inevitably be younger than you. Hey, aging is better than the alternative. Does is really matter that your boss has fewer years in the office, or on the planet, than you? What’s important is their managerial effectiveness, and your willingness to allow them to do their job.

Consider why your management may have selected a younger, less experienced person to become sales director. Perhaps the new guy has a unique work background that management valued. Maybe management wanted a radical change in your group’s behavior. I sympathize with you, because even knowing the reasons for his promotion may not make it easier for you to swallow.

Avoid making assumptions about your new boss. He may not have the selling skills you have, but his new job is no longer purely selling. It’s managing, and he’s relying heavily on you and rest of the staff.

Truth be told, the young sales director may be just as uncomfortable and uncertain managing you, as you are of being managed by him. Your level of experience may be worrisome to the manager, especially if he sees himself as unqualified to manage you.

Use your maturity and proactively take steps to welcome him to his new role. This will create a mutually trusting and rewarding working relationship. Have a casual chat and ask him if he’s open to advice. Proceed conversationally, not offensively. He may welcome suggestions from you, but if you speak in a condescending, parent-to-child manner he’ll bristle and a barrier will form. Solicit his advice too. Respect inspires respect.

March 28, 2006 

Critique May Lead to Firing

Dear Lee: For fun I coach an amateur mens basketball team and for work I manage a team of sales reps. (I guess I’m a born leader.) If one of my basketball players starts performing poorly I’ll bench him. I’m about to do the same thing to one of my reps. He’s been losing sales and negatively affecting our district number lately, and he doesn’t seem to understand that I’m on the verge of firing him. Any ideas how to straighten this guy out?

Dear Coach: Managing a sales team has many similarities to coaching a sports team. (I too have done both, although I believe excellent leadership skills are learned, not inherited.) When the team wins, the individual contributors can and should take the credit. When the team fails, the manager or coach can and should take the blame. Humility plays a large part in ethical, effective management.

No single, best way exists to critique and correct all of your salespeople. If you manage ten reps, you must develop ten ways of delivering critical advice and counseling them on metrics, methodologies and expected results.

Begin by talking to your poor performer in private. Choose your words carefully, and discuss the work, and not the person.

Encourage him to discuss his personal and professional goals with you, then offer several performance improvement suggestions that will help him reach his goals. The best outcome of such a discussion is to have him describe which new methods he’s willing to try to achieve greater success. Words that come from your mouth won’t have as much effect as those that come from his.

Critiquing often involves hurt feelings, so prepare for expressions of emotion. It’s common to witness anger, justification, blame, frustration, defeatism and personal revelations. Listen and sympathize appropriately, but be sure to unambiguously state your measurable expectations. End the discussion on an up note, an encouraging pat on the back and a smile. Set, and keep to, a schedule of follow-up meetings until the correction has been accomplished. Give him every opportunity to succeed.

Legally protect yourself and your company by documenting your one-on-one meetings involving critiques, reprimands and warnings. Your company’s human resources department can advise you with specifics.

If termination becomes necessary, perform the actual meeting with complete dignity for the affected employee. Keep it short and formal. The fired employee will likely be in emotional turmoil and he doesn’t need gratuitous sympathy or useless comments.

Don’t rush to fill the opening. Pause to reflect on the causes of the failure. Look closely at yourself, not just at the actions of the terminated employee. What adjustments in recruiting and new employee guidance will you make next time? Try to learn something of value from such a negative experience.

New Selling Slogans

Dear Lee: Our sales team is looking for some new motivational selling slogans to put on the walls. The ones we have now are the typical, “Show Me the Money!” and “Coffee is for Closers!” signs. Which snappy sales messages do you think would help to motivate our reps to sell more?

Dear Snappy: With the caveat that my sales training philosophy focuses more on the inner salesperson than the outer, here are a few of my favorite motivational slogans:

- “Chance favors the prepared mind.” (Louis Pasteur)

- “Am I making the absolute best of this moment?” (Richard Carlson)

- “I’m calm, confident, and I have something of value to offer.” (Personal)

- “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.” (Shunryu Suzuki)

- “Simplify! Simplify!” (Henry David Thoreau, to which Ralph Waldo Emerson replied, “One would do.”)

April 11, 2006 

The Jerry Lewis Style of Selling

Dear Lee: My work involves delivering sales presentations to corporate clients. I’m skilled at my job, but I’m also a bit of a klutz. It’s not uncommon for me, during the middle of a sales pitch, to spill water all over the table or to trip over an electrical cord. When my face turns red from embarrassment the customers chuckle, but they usually end up buying what I’m selling. Still, I’d like to know if there are some better ways to handle my frequent slip-ups.

Dear Fumble Fingers: You may not have a problem at all! Your bloopers seem to have an endearing effect on your customers, evidenced by their consistent purchases. Yet your concern is valid, so here are a couple of tips.

First, while setting up your laptop, projector and materials for the presentation, take the time to place power cords and cables so they’re not underfoot. I like to bring along my own long-corded, 6-plug power strip.

Sipping water while presenting is healthy and smart, but you can reduce spillage by bringing along screw-top water bottles (I prefer the half-liter size), or using your own heavy-bottomed mug.

Your physical missteps may be caused by mental overload during the presentation. If your mind is constantly running at top speed, calculating your next statement or question, your body is on not-always-reliable autopilot.  

Pay attention to your breathing while presenting. Pause more, and slow down your word delivery rate. If you suffer from nervousness, try simple tricks like imagining your audience dressed only in their underwear.

Your gaffes may be endearing to your customers because they show you as authentic and fallible, and not just another money-hungry salesperson. Try using humor to alleviate that red-faced feeling. Rather than ignoring mistakes, stop your presentation long enough to smile or chuckle at yourself, then look around the room and acknowledge with a funny remark what just happened.

After you stammer over a word: “Easy for me to say.” After you trip on a cord: “That was my Jerry Lewis impression.” After you spill a glass of water: “That table looked like it needed watering.”

Then move right back to the presentation. Salespeople who adroitly handle negative or embarrassing situations instill trust and confidence in their customers.

Don’t Hang Out Your Own Shingle Yet

Dear Lee: I’m thinking about leaving my position as a sales rep and starting my own company to sell the same products. Frankly, I’m tired of working so hard to put profits in my boss’s pocket when I could launch a smaller version of his company and make a ton of money. Any advice for salespeople planning to hang out their own shingle?

Dear Mo’ Money: My advice for you is, don’t do it. At least not until you spend significant time planning and preparing.

A burning desire for more money is fine, but successfully launching your own business requires three things: a solid business plan, a cash reserve that can help you weather lean times, and a willingness to work harder than you’ve ever worked before.

After a 20 year career selling for others I launched my own company four years ago. I had to learn from dozens of mistakes over a multi-year period before my business achieved profitability.

Start by considering what you value. For many, working for a corporation makes more sense than going it alone. If you’re okay with extremely long hours, wildly fluctuating income and handling a constant stream of tiny details, you may be ready for the first step: writing your business plan.

Locate and study business plans that were used by successful start-ups in your field. Learn basic accounting principals and determine what levels of personal investment, business loans and sales revenue will be needed for you to pay your bills and make a profit.

In addition to a solid business plan you’ll need a legal corporate structure, professional branding, marketing materials, website, office space, equipment, expendables, distribution sources and, of course, a steady stream of new and repeat customers.

Good luck!  

May 9, 2006 

The Critical First 90 Days

Dear Lee: I recently accepted a regional sales management position offered to me by a well-known technology company. The VP of sales has asked me to create, before my start date in two weeks, a 90-day plan to increase sales in my region. Are there any templates available that will help me write such a plan?

Dear Sales Boss: Congratulations on your new position. That said, I’m a bit confused why your VP of sales didn’t ask to see your 90-day plan before he hired you. (Sort of like ordering a sandwich without asking what’s inside.)

The ability of a sales manager to visualize, communicate and execute the steps needed to boost revenue may be the most critical component to his or her success. Due to the varying nature of sales, generic templates probably wouldn’t do you much good. Besides, writing your own 90-day plan from scratch will be a more creative, useful exercise. Here are some key elements I would include:

-         Week 1: Meet with the sales reps in your region to determine their styles, values, goals, strengths and areas for improvement.

-         Week 2: Examine key accounts and vertical markets, then review historical closed account data to determine why deals were won or lost.

-         Week 3: Begin a program of ride-alongs and call-alongs with your sales reps, to assess their proficiencies and to introduce yourself to key accounts.

-         Weeks 4-5: Evaluate sales rep quotas, pipelines and forecasts, and plan how to meet and exceed your regional revenue commitments.

-         Weeks 6-8: Implement a sales methodology system (such as Siebel’s Target Account Selling) that will help to penetrate and close new customers.

-         Week 9: Implement a plan to leverage regional wins into references, referrals, and white papers.

-         Weeks 10-12: Implement a plan to improve prospecting and lead gathering from lists, partners, tradeshows and marketing events.

-         Week 13: Implement a plan to locate and build channel partner business via lead sharing, training and incentives.

-         Ongoing: Teach and enforce sales rep skills including prospecting, presenting, active listening, objection handling, analyzing the competition, closing, managing time and creating accurate sales forecasts.

Cleaning Up a Scruffy Rep

Dear Lee: There’s another salesman in my office who knows how to sell but doesn’t know how to dress. I want to offer him some tips about ironing his shirts or buying a better suit, but I think he might take it the wrong way. Our sales manager doesn’t seem bothered by the salesman’s appearance. “I don’t care as long as he keeps closing deals,” the manager told me. Do you think I should say something to my coworker, or should I just mind my own business?

Dear Sharp Dresser: It sounds like you’re more of an acquaintance than a close friend of the sales rep, so I’d recommend saying nothing at this time. But what the heck is your sales manager thinking?

Talent being equal, well-groomed salespeople will outsell the scruffy types every time. Establishing trust and credibility with a prospect becomes unnecessarily difficult when the prospect is hearing a sales pitch while wondering, “Did this guy sleep in his suit last night?”

A rule of thumb for sales professionals is to analyze how their stiffest competition dresses, then to raise their own appearance to an even higher level. Salespeople who try to match the casual dress of their customers may be making a costly mistake.

Sales managers are responsible not only for teaching good selling skills, but also for setting clear guidelines for the professional appearance of sales reps. Perhaps your sales manager would more comfortable giving a subtle hint to the disheveled rep, such as a $500 end-of-quarter gift certificate to a local men’s clothing store.

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