Blog Archives
My Guest Post – Confidence Means Everything
Kevin and Leanna over at the blog “The League of Champions” reached out to me a few weeks ago, and I am so glad that they did.
They did a guest post on my blog, and now I have done the same on theirs. I really enjoy their content, and highly recommend that you check them out if you have not already.
Here is the link to my post on confidence. I hope you like it!
http://theleagueofchampions.com/2012/08/09/confidence-means-everything-guest-post-by-tim-mushey/
My Guest Post On “Top Sales Dog” – Are You A True Sales Professional?
I know I know, it is “Have A Laugh Fridays”. But I was really excited to get the opportunity to guest post on the Top Sales Dog website thanks to Michael Boyette. He reached out to me, and actually did a post on my blog a few weeks ago as well.
I am proud of this post, and it took a little longer than normal to come together. The world is full of “run-of-the-mill” sales reps who are putting in similar average efforts, getting average results. But true sales professionals take their game to another level, and achieve greater success.
Click on the link below to see why!
How Well Do You Know Your Customers? (Be Honest)
As I attempted to write this post over several days, I struggled to make it interesting. On the surface, “how well do you know your customers” can be dismissed as a generic topic that does not peak people’s curiosity.
“Of course I know my customers Tim. What are you talking about?”
I can hear you making silly comments to your computer screen now!
In all seriousness, what I am about to say will have tremendous value for you long-term with your current customers and prospects. Be honest with yourselves. How well do you really know your customers?
I went on joint calls with one of my Sales Manager quite often. After one particular call (visiting Bob and John), he asked me what I learned about the two associates. I drew a blank for a minute and said that I did not know. His reply,
“Bob loves to golf, and has twin daughters who are 12 years old. The family likes going to Mexico every winter”.
“John is single, enjoys playing recreational sports, and has two dogs”
I asked him why knowing this would matter. He responded by saying that now that I knew some information about each of their personal lives, it would be easier to keep discussions going in the future. Speaking to them about business was always the primary goal, but when it was time to have casual conversations, personal topics would really get them engaged. One word answers like “yes”, “no” & “inaudible mumbles” would not be an issue then.
They might like to talk about their kids, their golf game, current sports stories, upcoming holidays, or hobbies. I always stayed away from touchy subjects like religion and politics. It was not worth the hassle if a nerve was struck with someone. Previously I would often go in to calls and talk about the weather, or something that was in the news. But it was not personal to them.
How awesome would it be for you to look into a customer’s eyes and remember any of the above details (even what they take in their coffee), by only asking once? Better yet, how awesome would it be for them to know that you cared enough to remember?
The key to keeping details straight (and not confusing Bob and John) is to record them as soon as possible. Take a few minutes after a call, sit in your car and write things down. Test yourself – can you remember three things you learned about your account today? And don’t expect that you’ll remember all of this at the end of the day. A few minutes early on will pay off in the long run.
You can also dig deeper, in terms of the “rules of communication” with the account contacts:
- Do they want you to make an appointment first, or is it ok to just drop in unannounced?Do they like to be contacted by email, text, cell phone or land line?
- Is there a best time of day to drop by if just stopping in?
- How often do they want to be visited?
The earlier you make notes on each account, the sooner you will understand the level of engagement they want. You may want to engage them face to face more than they want to be engaged, so you have to find that balance and not be a nuisance.
Oh yeah, work your butt off to remember their names as soon as possible. That is a must! Statistics prove that people respond better to what you are saying when their names are used during conversations. I had documents that I would refer to before going in to each call.
I don’t care how you record this information, as long as you do it. It could be through CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software, task lists on email programs, iPhones, Blackberries etc. Heck, good old-fashioned notebooks still worked last time I checked! But it is imperative that you have separate files for each account to avoid confusion and disorganization.
Showing interest in customer’s personal lives, and remembering minor details that nobody else takes the time to, will strengthen relationships more often than not. The primary goal in sales is to obviously sell stuff; but the ones who show genuine interest in their customers and CARE will win in the long run.
Have A Laugh Fridays – Different Perceptions of Sales Reps (Most Popular Yet)
This has been my most popular Have A Laugh Fridays Edition since I posted it in early March. It is a fantastic overview of the different perceptions of sales reps.
Enjoy this quick one, have a great weekend. Back to new “HALF’s” next week.
My Guest Post on Robert Terson’s Selling Fearlessly Website
Robert Terson is one of the first people who reached out to me when I started on Twitter last year, and I am very glad that he did. We had a great chat about my favourite sport (hockey), and over time we connected again, and he suggested that I do a guest post on his site!
That day has come, and you can view my post on doing what it takes to stay a success on his website today.
You can also follow on Twitter http://bit.ly/P5AEy6
I suggest that you take some time to check out his other content and connect with him. He is a great resource for those in the sales profession.
Have A Laugh Fridays – “Old School” Sales Training
Some sales training techniques are a little outdated. Check out this 2 minute video as this rep explains to the trainer why he thinks his lessons are a little to “old school” for his liking! Have a great weekend….
Have A Laugh Fridays – “Scary” Sales Techniques
Not much I can say other than make sure you really know who you are taking on a joint sales call! Have a great weekend….
The 5 Star Five – Popular Misconceptions About Sales Reps
Over the years, I have realized that there are many misconceptions of what outside sales people do. I wanted to share 5 of the more memorable ones in the latest edition of “The 5 Star Five”.
I need help adding to this list, so if you would like to contribute, please email me at: TimMushey@gmail.com
- Sales reps are entertaining customers all the time – lunches and golf especially
- You just need to be a people person to succeed
- Everyone in sales makes an above average income
- You have the freedom to do whatever you want, when you want
- The best sales people have the most experience
6 Categories of Sales Reps – Which One Are You?
It is easy to say that a “rep is a rep”, but when I dug deeper over the years, there are many “personas” that they could take on. True performers typically elevate their game from “just a rep” to “sales professional” and ultimately “superstar” over a shorter period of time.
I compiled a list of the six categories of reps after being part of several sales teams over the years:
- Raw rookies
- Future superstars
- Superstars
- Steady Eddies
- “What have you done for me latelys?”
- Underachievers
Raw Rookies
Raw rookies may be new to a role, or brand new to the sales profession. They are hopefully eager to learn, and make every attempt to work well with their team mates and managers as soon as possible. The first three months tend to be a little rough on raw rookies, as they are inundated with a barrage of product training and possibly other teachings. If they are not given the necessary support to become successful early in their time with a company, they are probably “thrown to the wild” and asked to fend for themselves. The first three months tends to decide a raw rookies’ fate, and management can quickly tell if the interview process was a true indicator of what was to come.
Future Superstars
Future Superstars can show signs early on if they are going to be successful. Typical signs are how they carry themselves, how eager they are to learn the role, and how engaging they are with coworkers, management and customers. They realize that it is going to take some time to understand the organization, and their products and/or services. But they know as long as they make the customer their #1 priority, things will eventually fall in to place. Future superstars will put the team before themselves, and never lose site of the fact that their day-to-day goal is to sell stuff and exceed budget.
Superstars
Superstars show a lot of the characteristics that I have described under “Future Superstars”, but have achieved above average results for a longer time. Can somebody be characterized as a superstar after 3-12 months on the job? Probably not. Any rep can fluke out and have a great few months, and then come back down to earth soon after. But if they have successfully achieved for 12 – 24 months in the same role, I would deduce that is it not a coincidence. Superstars just get the job done and continue to raise the bar to the next level. They are never satisfied, and are always looking for their next challenge to grow and succeed.
Steady Eddies
Steady Eddies can be relatively new sales reps, or seasoned veterans who have been around years. Their results do not fluctuate much from month to month, or year to year. Their consistent results make them a very dependable and reliable group that can always be counted on. They typically turn down promotions, especially for managerial roles, because they are comfortable working their territories as individuals, and like to be left alone to do their jobs.
What have you done for me latelys?
If you are a child of the ‘80’s like me, you may realize that this category was inspired by the classic 1986 Janet Jackson song of a similar name!
“What have you done for me latelys?” are very similar to sports stars that are past their prime, but are still being rewarded for what they have done before. They could be described as “lame duck” employees, who should be fired, but are not for many reasons. It has become public knowledge that they are not performing their job duties up to the standards that they set for themselves in the past, but some business is still coming in based on their reputation in the market place. In many cases they are counting the days until retirement; or for those not of retirement age, they are counting the days until they get fired.
Underachievers
Underachievers are not getting the job done. They never have. There could be many reasons for this, and the list is too long to assess in this post! At the end of the day, it will result in termination; it is only a matter of time. Some tend to have “nine lives” and dodge being fired longer than many expect. But in the end, they will be looking for another job, possibly even in a different profession!
- If you are not in the sales profession yet, do you have what it takes to become a Superstar in this exciting line of work?
- If you are in sales, what type of rep are you now, and what type should you be?
- What changes to you have to make ASAP if it does not say “Superstar” on your business card?
I just love this post from Bruce Zimmerman! Take a few minutes to read over the weekend. I will certainly be thinking of the number 5 much more going forward…
The number five has long been considered a number of power and good fortune. It is the number of harmony and balance. It is also known as the number of the divine grace. The number Five is also called the Pentad. Known as the living principle, the number five indicates the action of the active principle of form.
The number 5 is also found on the human body: the five fingers of the hand and feet, the five senses (touch, taste, sense of smell, hearing and the sight), the five members (two arms, two legs and the head)
For the sales person, it only makes sense to utilize this number to your advantage. Why? It’s a powerful yet simple number. Generally speaking, most people think this way and it’s easy for most to focus on or remember five points. When I first started in sales, my mentor shared with me what…
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Sell, Lead, Succeed! 