How many of us have at one time made an assumption about a person, company or situation that proved completely incorrect?

All of us if we are perfectly honest have fallen into this trap at one time or another but…why? Well, do we make assumptions about people we meet in a nano-second? Yes, absolutely we can’t help it even if it’s on a sub-conscience level.

However when it comes to understanding a client’s needs and concerns, communication can be tricky and complex especially when you think you have it all clear and sorted.

Some old clichés come back to haunt us when we realise later we didn’t get the right end of the stick! –  “Assuming makes an ass of you and me”, and “the devil is in the details” come to mind.

One vital aspect I often see missing in communication with clients and colleagues is the habit of confirming back what ‘You Think’ you have just heard them say to ensure you have it right.

Particularly during a meeting when a client mentions an issue they are facing is it essential for us to investigate thoroughly. We need to drill down and find the real reason or cause for the problem and get all the background details to fully understand their situation.

However, the problem is we often fail to confirm back with a question to make sure we have it right…we assume we have got it!

Why is it important to ask these confirming questions? Well there are two main reasons:

1. You are ensuring that you have clearly understood the issue and background details, plus if you have misunderstood or the client has overlooked any important points it gives both of you an opportunity to correct it.
2. Secondly, and maybe even more significant is the level of trust that is built between you and your client during this process. When they see you have a) taken the time to fully understand their personal situation and b) have correctly summarised the key issues effectively, trust and confidence are seriously enhanced.

The reality in today’s world is that people are seldom really listened to so by showing this genuine personal interest you differentiate yourself as a person worth dealing with.

So often we are focused on demonstrating our capability that as soon as we hear our prospective client mention an issue they are facing we dive in with solutions, references and examples before we have fully investigated and confirmed back to ensure we are on the same page.

My challenge for you this week is to improve this one aspect of your communication. Focus on ‘Staying in the moment’, by that I mean really focus on what your client is saying. Rather than thinking ahead as they’re speaking about what you want to say next.

Ultimately, their last comments will give you the next step to move the conversation forward successfully and keep you right on point!

Committed to Your Sales Success!

Peter

I recently heard a sales team complaining about having to keep their sales opportunities up to date.

Sure, I get how you feel, like this is wasted time away from actual selling time.

“It’s just admin I hate…”

But is that the right perspective?

No it’s not and here is why.

If you don’t know your sales numbers you are living without clarity and dangerously close to smoking that favourite sales drug ‘hopium’.

Even having accurate basic information like your closing date, opportunity value and correct stage in the sales pipeline are vital to determine where to prioritise your daily efforts and activities.

Without this accurately kept up to date you will actually be wasting valuable time and resources rather than being laser focused on achieving sales results.

Keeping your data fresh and clean will have an impact on your results.

1. It keeps your mind clear and confident as you know exactly where you are.
2. Your sales manager will love you because you can provide a decent forecast.
3. At a glance you can see the opportunities that require attention to move forward or to close.

So, go now and look at your pipeline. If it’s messy and out of date commit to clearing out the deadwood and getting it accurate and up to date.

I guarantee you will feel mentally refreshed and more confident before you leave work today just by getting your numbers right.

Dedicated to Your Sales Success

Peter

Do you find it easy to start new projects but then lose focus, get distracted and drift off course?

You’re not alone in feeling that way. Over the last ten years of working with top sales leaders and their teams, I’ve noted it’s their commitment to completion that has been one of the outstanding hallmarks of success.

So, before you embark on any new sales development project here are three tips to ensure you achieve success:

1. Commit to implement and support the team. There’s really no point doing traditional ‘training and development’ work unless you drive it through with a full implementation program. One that fully supports people as they take on-board new ideas and ‘test drive’ them. At this initial stage, these new behaviours will feel awkward and as a manager you need to expect this and assist the team to transition successfully. This must continue until they reach the point when they are comfortable, confident and achieving positive results from any new approach.
2. Make Adoption easy. Many great improvement plans fall down due to a lack of commitment from senior leaders to address the daily practical implications. They fail to recognise the need to facilitate the changes and make the process easy for people in their daily tasks. Avoiding these issues will likely lead to resistance and low adoption. One key area to focus on improving is your I.T and CRM sales management systems, ensuring they are fully mobile and quick to use. With this in place adoption by the salesforce is likely to be highly successful.
3. Celebrate incremental gains. It’s great to celebrate the big wins, but creating excellence in any area comes from a commitment to continually make small gains day by day. So, take the time to recognise and acknowledge the people in your team that put in the effort to implement the new ideas correctly. Set goals that are small enough to achieve in a short period of time, perhaps two weeks or a month. Regularly reflect with your team on how far you have come and the progress made compared to where you were before you started the development project a few months earlier. This boosts enthusiasm and commitment to the task.

So, review the areas you’d most like to develop in second half of 2023 and commit to making them happen by carefully planning your implementation and support phases to ensure success each step of the way.

“Sorry we already have that sorted by someone else.”

or

“we don’t have the budget for it now thanks”

Ouch.

That feeling when this is how the conversation STARTS!

If you’re hearing this, maybe it’s Your old methods that are the cause.

Sceptical and Time Poor prospects won’t respond if you’re not 100% focused on solving the problems they’re dealing with right now.

Old school sales methods taught you to ‘pitch’ your company, product or service…blah,blah,blah

Tough Truth….No one cares.

If you want to capture their attention start by highlighting 2 or 3 key problems you resolve for clients.

Ask if they would be opposed to exploring any hidden gaps in their…xyz…that could be causing them to ….waste time…pay extra costs etc..

Does that make sense?

Want more help opening up new prospects or handling hairy objections?

Then Book a Free Sales Strategy Call

https://calendly.com/peter-holland-1/strategy-session-1

Committed to Your Sales Success
Peter

The prevalence of new and alternative methods of communication have caused many salespeople to neglect one of their most powerful assets. A piece of old technology, the telephone.

Too many people these days prefer to hide behind Email, text and social media rather than picking up the phone and creating an engaging and meaningful conversation.

Why do people feel this way? One reason could be that text, tweets and emails are quick and easy to create and send. They don’t require you to step out of your comfort zone. Picking up the phone and dealing with a live interaction where you need to think and respond in the moment is more challenging.

What’s the impact of this trend?

Could we be inadvertently reducing our level of influence, the effectiveness of our communication and the depth of relationship with clients?

I’d make the case that for salespeople, the telephone should be your greatest friend.

Unfortunately, as convenient as email is it simply cannot give you the level of interaction you desire when speaking with a prospect or customer. The tone or substance of an email can easily be misinterpreted. You thought you were being witty, but they thought you were flippant!

You thought the tone of your email was clear and concise, but they took your comments as cold and impersonal, possibly even rude.

Using the phone effectively allows you to gain a greater understanding of how a client is thinking and feeling. Providing you with a valuable opportunity to ask relevant and useful questions to assist them further.

So here are 3 tips to improve your telephone skills.

Create interest not sales pressure

1. When prospecting or following up leads, focus on stimulating interest with prospects rather than the immediate action you’d like them to take. E.g., arranging a meeting. Make sure you use neutral language and ensure the content of your call focuses their pressing challenges and concerns. Explain how you have helped others in the sector with key challenges, rather than droning on about how good your service, product and company are.

Be empathetic

2. Become adept at listening for the intonation in a person’s voice. Have you called at a really inconvenient time? Do they sound stressed or exhausted? If so why not show some empathy and offer to rearrange the call for a more suitable time. Often this will accelerate the relationship and make people more amenable to speaking with you. After all, when was the last time a salesperson did that to you? It makes you memorable and distinct, and they won’t be expecting this fresh response.

Plan your call

3. Plan your call. Too many times salespeople hit the phones without spending a few moments to think through the potential directions an important call may take. What are the customer’s key issues or concerns. Likely objections? What ways can you difuse them and demonstrate specific value to help them move forward? How can you demonstrate the value of taking a certain action or making a purchase decision? What would be the most appropriate next step as a goal for this call?

A few minutes of mental preparation will see your calls progress far more successfully.

True, using the phone does take practice and skill to master. However, the dividends it pays when building quality relationships far outweigh the effort.

So, I encourage you to embrace this form of communication and differentiate yourself from the crowd of emailers still waiting for a client to respond!

Happy Selling!

Peter

Let’s face it whilst we all know reaching out and making new contacts is critical to our pipeline health and sales results, it’s often the one thing we as salespeople tend to put off.

One key to reinvigorating your desire and energy to get this task done every day is to have a powerful and effective intro email.

Here are a few tips to help you create one that will stimulate interest and make a strong first impression with your prospect.

1. Start with a professional greeting: Begin your email with a polite and appropriate salutation, such as “Dear [First Name]” or “Hi [First Name].”
2. State your purpose: Clearly and concisely mention the reason for reaching out in the opening lines of your email. Whether it’s to introduce yourself, establish a connection, or discuss a potential opportunity, be direct and to the point.
3. Personalize the email: Show that you’ve done some research on the recipient or their company. Tailor your message to reflect why you’re specifically reaching out to them and how it aligns with their interests or goals. This demonstrates genuine interest and can help create a connection.
4. Highlight your value: Briefly describe who you are, your background, and relevant accomplishments or expertise. Emphasize how you can provide value or contribute to their needs or objectives. Be concise and focused to maintain the reader’s interest.
5. Keep it brief and easy to read: Use short paragraphs and bullet points if applicable to make your email more scannable. Avoid lengthy sentences or unnecessary details that could overwhelm the reader.
6. Show enthusiasm and politeness: Convey your enthusiasm for connecting or collaborating, and maintain a polite and respectful tone throughout the email. A friendly and positive approach can make your introduction more engaging.
7. Include a call to action: Clearly state what you’d like the recipient to do next. It could be scheduling a meeting, providing feedback, or initiating a conversation. Make it easy for them to respond and continue the dialogue. One option is to state a day and time when you will call to follow up to see if the points raised were relevant or of interest to them.
8. Sign off professionally: End your email with a professional closing, such as “Sincerely,” “Best regards,” or “Thank you.” Include your full name, contact information, and any relevant links (e.g., LinkedIn profile) for easy reference.

Having a solid introductory email will give you the confidence to make regular outreach part of your daily sales activity which drives engagement and your sales results to the next level!

Happy Selling!

Peter

Do you wonder why after having a seemingly productive meeting you meet resistance to your proposals?

A lack of urgency from your prospect to commit and take things forward?

A fundamental reason is because the client does not see how your product or service can really solve their specific problems and get the results they want.

Why could this be happening?

Often our lack of investigation into their personal situation and their real issue is the problem.

It’s all too easy to hear the client mention an area of concern or interest and immediately rush to provide a solution or demonstrate our own capability in this area.

Especially if we are experienced, this is an easy trap to fall into as we probably have seen a similar situation before!

So what’s the problem with doing that?

Well, you may have extensive experience and even have an excellent solution in mind, but that is not enough.  Let’s illustrate this:

Imagine for a moment walking into your GP’s office. Before you have a chance to tell him about your symptoms he whips out his pad and starts writing you a prescription…saying ‘Don’t worry Mr Holland I know your problem I’ve seen it before in a number of cases recently with men your age.

How would you feel?

Would you be confident in the solution provided?

Would you feel he had taken the time to understand your condition properly and…Would you be keen to accept the advice given and medication prescribed?

The problem lies in the fact that too little investigation into the client’s situation has been done.

They see your solution as just that, it’s YOUR solution… too generic and not specific to their personal situation and needs. Even if you have got the right solution for them! Unfortunately, you will meet with resistance in them accepting the advice or solution given.

How can you overcome this situation?

Probe deeper initially and discover why they have the problem, what’s caused it and how is it affecting them?

Allow them the opportunity to share ownership for any potential solution?

When you fully investigate their situation, gently probe which areas they are happy with and what challenges they really face with questions such as……

Why do you think this area is a challenge for you?

Then be quiet and ACTIVELY listen. Their comments are the answers you are looking for and determine the direction for the conversation to follow.

By confirming back your understanding of the situation you make sure you have understood correctly. Secondly, you demonstrate to your client that you have actually taken the time to listen to them in detail and this builds confidence and trust.

Now you know the areas of concern you need to find out where they feel they are currently in resolving them…by asking.

Do you already have an idea for improving this area? Or What do you think it would take to improve or solve this situation?

Now you can transition over to discussing a solution by simply saying…May I try a few ideas?

Ask…Would it help you if when you had this issue you were able to….(add your suggestion)?

Confirm back whether your suggestion would resolve the issue fully or in part? ….’’Do you think this would give you the ability to resolve the situation?’’

By investigating properly initially in the conversation and using questions to create a better solution together you will meet much less resistance  as your client has a shared ownership with you for the solution and they will be more likely to commit to moving forward with you.

Here’s what I’d like you to do in your next prospective client meeting.

Promise yourself not to offer any solutions until you have fully investigated their personal situation.

Follow this advice in your conversations with clients and see the dramatic impact on the number of accepted proposals!

Because now your buyer has a clear picture of how your product or service will help them solve their problem and get the results they want.

Happy Selling!

Peter

Peter Holland copyright June 2023

One task can literally 4 x your prospecting results – Creating a strategic and finite list of key targeted accounts.

Often when I’m coaching salespeople I ask them, “Please can you show me your list of targeted accounts?”

Too often the response I get is:

1. Sure we have them all here in our database and shown a long list
2. Err well I have 300 actually
3. Yes here they are and shown a pile of trade & industry magazines

A critical and often overlooked step to successfully winning new business is to create a specific, strategic list of targeted accounts.

Linked to this task is an awareness of which accounts currently produce the majority of your sales say over the last 3-4 years. Gathering this data almost always produces the same result.

You will find a relatively small number produce circa eighty percent of your sales. Which graphically demonstrates a long list of clients that take significant time and energy to service that produce only a small circa twenty percent of your sales.

That revelation alone even if you already suspected it by now, when you see it graphically in a pie chart or graph should stop you in your tracks!

If you haven’t selected your list of target accounts and segmented them into categories A,B & C for example with thought given to the resources and time you will dedicate to each type then you are not ready to sell.

Once this vital piece of the puzzle is complete you now have the basis with which to start formulating your plan of pro-active sales activities.

The simple fact that you have a clearly defined list printed out in front of you each day to work from with the names and companies will 4 x your results.

It gives you a clarity and power of thought and action most never achieve as they let the day and inbound messages blow them around like a paper cup in a windy car park.

Stop now and start creating your strategic, finite list today and notice the difference it makes to your mind and results.

Committed to Your Sales Success!

Peter

Put simply, coaching is a process to improve performance that focuses on helping an individual unlock their own potential to maximise performance.

Coaching helps them to learn rather than you teaching them.

Most sales managers are poor coaches lacking the ability and skills to help individuals reach their full potential.

Now’s the time to learn the skills to become an excellent sales coach!

Developing a Coaching Mindset

What is a coaching mindset? And why is it so important?

Reality is most sales managers are poor coaches ..not because they aren’t professional, hardworking and committed individuals

Root cause? The mistaken assumption that Good Salespeople = Good Managers

It’s a familiar story, star salesperson gets promoted  to Sales Manager. He or she is logically senior management’s No1 choice.

They build rapport easily, deliver valuable customer solutions and a solid pipeline with consistent top results.

They loved selling but now they are finding it challenging to help develop others, analyse data correctly, do management reports and attend boardroom meetings..

It’s a totally different skillset and Senior Management didn’t recognise this fact.

No investment was planned to help the new manager develop the skills for this role.

Now they are struggling to manage their calendar with both demands from their team and management expectations.

Trying to pull themselves out of the minutiae of everyday sales life and constant firefighting. But apprehensive to express these concerns for fear they will appear incompetent.

The truth is – Great managers are made not born

They need support and investment to become great sales leaders

So What is this MINDSET ?  Why is it so important?

A Coaching mindset allows you to think differently about your leadership behaviour and take a fresh perspective

This isn’t some stale ‘training technique’ you use on your people,

It goes way deeper than that. It touches your PURPOSE.

What is Your Purpose as a Sales Leader? – Your WHY?

Your contribution can be of outstanding value. Your legacy is now.

Think about the positive impact you could make on the lives of others?

You have the potential to create a High Performance Sales Culture, an environment that enables and empowers people. Unlocking their full potential and abilities.

It’s a change to a superior level of behaviour and leadership in everything you do.

A coaching mindset allows you identify opportunities for individual development.

Instead of telling them what to do.

You use insightful questions to help salespeople discover for themselves solutions to their challenges.

Help them set their own goals and take responsibility for implementing them.

Providing ongoing support and accountability to embed long lasting performance improvement.

For most of us this requires a mental shift and a change in our behaviour. It’s a skill and an art we need to learn and continue to practice in daily life.

Whilst learning this can be done in a short period of time, mastering them will take several months to get comfortable with.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could avoid learn these skills first time?

Instead of falling into a lot of common mistakes right from the start.

In next week’s article I’ll share the 10 Top Coaching Mistakes to avoid to get superior results from your team.

If you’d like to discuss improving your own skill set then let’s have an initial telephone conversation.

https://calendly.com/peter-holland-1/strategy-session-1

Committed to Your Sales Success

Peter

As a manager you urgently want your team to perform at their best this year.

Question: What is the one activity you can do to ensure this happens?

Answer: Coaching

Problem: Most sales managers don’t have a reliable method to consistently develop the performance of their team.

Why? : Top Reasons.

1. Have not been trained to be skilful coaches.
2. Don’t spend enough time out in the field to know their people’s needs.
3. Prioritise other ‘management’ activities that do little to move the needle on sales results
4. Bombarded by senior management demands for reporting, meetings and tasks NOT related to increasing sales.

So here’s my challenge to you if you’re a sales manager reading this.

Ask yourself do I have a reliable consistent method to develop my team’s ability and results?

If the answer is an honest no.

Then stay tuned over the next two weeks I’m going to unpack the secrets to developing and implementing a simple sales management system that will drive the consistent results you crave.

If this subject is relevant and interesting to you right now, let’s get our calendars together and schedule an initial call.

Click here for availability.  https://calendly.com/peter-holland-1/strategy-session-1

Committed to Your Sales Results.

Peter