C-Level Selling and Advanced Selling Skills
Sales Management Training - Who’s Ready for
More Sales
“When the student is ready the teacher
will appear.”
The other day, a board member was lamenting
on the poor performance of his company. So I said, "You should
hire me to help your company get more sales." To which he
replied, "Not right now, Sam. The timing's not right." So I
said, "Timing?? Let me ask you, if you could get more sales,
would that help your company's performance?" He of course said,
"Yes."
So I ask you, and every
other business person -- Is now the right time to seek help?
“Yes it is.”
Why, because you need it. If you
didn't and you knew what to do, you would have done it, and more
sales wouldn't be and issue.
Reasons Management Doesn't Seek Help
I scratch my head daily and wonder why in
this time of sales shortfalls most don't invest and seek selling
help. In fact, it's just the opposite. All consultants are
terminated. Marketing budgets are slashed. Prices are cut, and
sales people and managers are laid off.
Here are some reason’s why:
Can't Afford It
There is not enough
money to support staff and other expenses because sales are down
. Two options -- increase revenues or cut expenses. Since most
don't know how to increase revenues, they cut expenses --
especially the revenue producing ones. My suggestion is to learn
how to increase revenues.
Hire people and make it performance
based.
The Economy Is Bad -- Nobody Is
Buying
Right And Wrong -- the
economy is worse than ever, but people and companies are still
buying. I love to use this, -- Unemployment is 10.5%.
However, employment is 89.5% and
that’s a much bigger number. The essence of The Economy Is Bad
concept is that you and your people only hold your own against
competition. In other words, you don't know how to steal share.
The economy goes up, you sell more. The economy goes down, you
sell less, because you keep or lose share.
My suggestion is learn how to
attract you competitors’ customers and get you customers to
spend.
What Will Others Say
I call this "social
results" and it is a
buying trigger.
It is a key element of buyers’
psyches. Managers think, "What will people say if I spend money
hiring consultants or on revenue producing initiatives, when I
am laying-off people?" "My boss will fire me." "The board will
go crazy." "Shareholders and employees will feel I'm out of
control."
You're right. As long as sales continue to go
down – bosses, board members, shareholders, employees, etc. will
think all of those thoughts, with or without you’re your hirings
or spendings, until sales go up.
Now in the cloisters of your mind you're
hoping they’re thinking, "He reduced expenditures during this
downturn." Well, here are two arguments: One -- people don't
praise your efforts to minimize damages. All they will think
about are the damages. Two -- retrenching (spending nothing and
cutting expenditures) is similar to saying, "Dig the foxhole
deeper boys and girls, more bombs are coming in." A better
command would be, "Let's run for safety," or “Let’s attack the
bombers.” Cutting your revenue generation supply lines is not
attacking or running for safety. It's more about covering your
behind.
What to Do.
1.
Make your revenue
generation, performance-based.
·
Hire
consultants and market but only pay expenses - no fees until
sales improve.
·
Make your
salespeople accountable. Apply negative commissions, if they
fail to meet their forecasts or if they far exceed their
forecast.
There should be no surprises in
selling.
Boy, I’ll bet you’re swallowing
hard on that one.
·
Get
management to put their skin in the business. Until sales
increase, management gets 40 -50% pay cuts.
Why should people get paid well
when business is bad?
Please, spare me the, “We’ll lose
talent,” or “They are minimizing how bad it could be” arguments.
The caveat however, is, good fees,
commissions, salary increases should be generously extended,
once sales increase.
2.
Fund revenue
generation from cutting other expenditures.
·
Cut
production and layoff production people and supervision -- no
excuses.
·
Sell
buildings and equipment -- lease it, or borrow against it.
·
Cut senior
management, or demote them to worker bees.
Remember, this is
business, and without revenue, there is no business.
Once sales are good again, you can
buy it all back, and it will probably be better suited.
This will make perfect sense to many and
sound ridiculous to others. However, without investing in
revenue generation –especially when sales are down, you're
doomed. You have to stretch the envelope, remove the blinders,
think outside the box, or whatever to find ways to sell more. I
strongly recommend investing in your selling effort and your
sales management. Get everyone in your company involved in the
selling effort.
If you're an
individual, buy books on selling, listen to selling CDs and
watch sales training videos. You may feel you’ve read or head it
before, but it will spark new ideas.
Besides, now you’ll be reading and
listening from a different level of understanding.
Here’s what drives me -- what if my
competitors are doing this, that is hiring and getting better
and I'm not?
And now I invite you to learn more.
Bonus Tip: Free Book
– “TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER$”– The Complete Guide to C-Level
Selling - hardback version. Network, get past gatekeepers,
interact with leaders and top executives, secure commitments and
sell more than you ever thought possible. Click this
C-Level Selling Book Link
to learn more about this fantastic offer.
Sam Manfer delivers
key note speeches
and in-depth
selling work shops
for those
anxious to increase sales. His hands-on coaching turns
individuals and sales organizations into selling whirlwinds.
Sam’s selling awards and $ Million sales recognitions support his
methods. His book,
TAKE ME
TO YOUR LEADER$ along with his
Matching
Chemistry’s
CD and sales seminars replace selling myths and clichés that
frustrate decision makers with a proven approach that captures
their attention. Follow
Sam’s
C-Level Selling Blog
for more insights.
Sign-up for his
free Selling E-Zine.
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