People Hate Sales Job

Do you hate your sales job? I did for two years. I did not understand why anyone would like this sort of job. I was given a list every day and then was expected to meet some made up quota. It made no sense. Then the market crashed and people's hands went up. It was like an explosion. Suddenly I realized no one knew what sales was. No one could tell me what was right and wrong to my sales approach. I had to learn it on my own. I have created this Sales Blog as a space to put new tips and talk about some of the best sales approaches I have found. As well as books, magazines, and blogs that help me along the way. If you have a story to tell contact me. I love to hear how someone took their horrible sales job and turned it around. Sales does give you the freedom and sometimes in the right situations the financial rewards. This is NO Excuse Sales.

Sales Mistakes

The biggest sales mistake I have made was being overbearing. I thought that I could push my way through the sale and make the person want to buy. No one wants to buy from someone who is at the door everyday. They do it out of obligation. Finding the right balance between being pushy and being too relaxed depends on the customer. I have had to learn how to be patient in the selling process and realize they are not on the same timeline as I am.

My story was simple. I was trying to get a meeting with a potential client. He was literally in my backyard and I knew that we could find a better solution. I did not know what he objections were, but knew he should at least give the product a closer look. For whatever reason he was not ready to move. He was satisfied with his carrier and not looking to change. I thought that I could push myself into the deal. I took a week form contacting him and ran into a pushy sales person. I realized how annoying it is. I thought I hope I did not come off that way. I am sure I did. I wrote a short email letting him know that if he ever had questions to let me know and that was it. I moved on.

I had to learn what makes a strong sales lead and how to walk away, even when I might be to blame.

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Cross Selling

I just have sat in meetings where the client had no interested in the ten things I was selling. As I was walking out they were interested in the eleventh. The product that I never thought they would be interested in they suddenly were paying attention. It was a product I never thought they would want or implement.
I had to learn that I am not the decision maker for them. I went back to my key clients and talked to them about this new opportunity. I again did not think that any of my clients would be looking for this solution. I was wrong. I was happily wrong. I had to learn that I need to cross sell my clients at any time. I do not need to hold back from them. I am not the gatekeeper - They are! They should be making those decisions. I should be bringing them the opportunities and cross sell to increase my sales and sales leads. Cross Sell Today!

Breaking From Script

I made 200 phone calls last night, got in touch with 43 people, and only one person was interested. I did a better job of tracking why people were not interested. Tried to open a dialogue, and when they said they were not interested let them know how they could get in touch when they are interested. I want the immediate sale, but am not going to bully someone into the deal and know that someone that is not interested is not a good prospect. Their true feelings will come out or they will just not renew. Last night my lesson was breaking from the script. I had to stop saying the same thing and start talking like a human. Open a dialogue and discussion. It helped for some. Some still hung up the phone. The conversations flowed better and it taught me that I can and will be able to make more sales by being myself.

Qualified Leads

Successful salespeople are able to qualify their leads. Making sure you know the best sources for leads can be a turning point in your sales career. Most leads start from cold calls and then from your network of friends and family. Cold calling will produce leads they will just be a much smaller percentage. Friends and family will be able to direct you to the best outlets. I have found that the best leads I have ever received have been through direct sales calls and referrals. I have had to go out and shake hands and make the phone calls . Leads will never come to you. I have signed up for several lead generators and they have never out performed my own calls and referrals. To encourage referrals I simply ask customers if they are happy with the service to tell someone they think could use it. I try to encourage communication between each other. I provide them with referrals and am provided referrals. Your clients will become your biggest advocates if you let them.

Selling Yourself

I started in sales thinking it was all technical. If I had x amount of calls I would have y amount of commissions. I did okay, and I certainly learned that I had to make the calls to make the money. I quickly realized that being a robot and just dialing was not the way to make sales. People want to hear about the Entrepreneur and person behind the call. Say what you are trying to do. Put as much of yourself into the call as you can. People want to buy from people they like. They don't want to like you when you contact them. They are not going to want to change their habits. It is your job to take them out of that mentality and show them that you are just like them and that you can help them. Make sure the call is not about closing and making the next call but about your personality and how you can help them.

How to Build Referrals

Does anyone like going your neighbors and asking them to buy into your latest venture? I have never found that to be enjoyable. I have been able to talk to any stranger without problems, but it is harder for me to recommend what I am doing to someone directly in my circle. I have always tried to limit my sales pitches to my circle. I do think that leveraging your referrals is the key to building a business. Here are a few steps I try to take.
1. Never push and understand people when they say they need time or to back off.
2. Create and email marketing campaign. Send out an email just announcing what you are doing. It is less invasive and allows for an open dialogue.
3. Casually discuss your business in an open environment so your friends and family can ask questions as they are interested.
4. Tell them your story - people love to hear about the entrepreneur and most of the times looking to help.
In my experience referrals can be the most successful sales technique. Making sure you take care of their business and do not force them into it is one of the most important aspects. Make sure to build your business with a strong foundation.

Motivation

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we might oft win, by fearing to attempt.”

Setting Goals

Last night I made 193 calls. I talked to 44 people, 3 hung up, 30 were not interested, 12 were happy with their current provider, and 1 person was interested. That is an incredibly low average for conversion. I have walked out with none so I was happy with one. I am not going to push or be overbearing because that does not build long term sales. I did however set goals, and try to manage my expectations. I have one more night of cold calling trying to convert to sales. I am planning to make 200 phone dials and provide 2 leads.
I had a discussion with my boss who said he is trying to set goals for the upcoming year. He has been in sales for two years, and is below his expected projections for the coming year. He is the sole provider and has two children. He has to meet his sales goals. The only advice I would have for him would be to put himself out on the limb. You have to have something out in the open to make something happen. He has taken a fairly conservative road and needs to bring in some large sales. The only way I can see him doing that is really putting himself out there.

Prospecting Sales

How do I find the right prospects for my business? What niche am I looking for? Who wants to buy my product? How can I distribute my product? These are all the questions someone needs to ask before they pick up the phone. You need to drill down and find the best niche to fit your business. If you can answer these questions up front you will be more prepared with customers start asking you questions. It will also help to identify the list that you need to gather to prospect. Once you have identified your audience, create the list. This is often times the harder part. Maybe you need to use ZoomInfo to find your audience. Maybe you need to purely work on referrals. Either way the most important task is to actually start. Pick up the phone. Drop off the flyer's. Shake hands at the grocery store. Know who you are selling too and then sell to them.

Client Management Software

ACT and Salesforce are the two most popular CRM programs. CRM is a term made up that means Customer Relationship Management. Both software programs are benefitial if used correctly. They can help manage the overall client list and build a sales pipeline. In my experience with working on ACT I thought the process made it more complicated than it needed to be. One could spend their entire day categorizing your customers and trying to put them into groups. These groups can be used for emails and updates to keep customers updated. I have found creating customer excel lists is just as effective for me. I would like to hear from people who use these programs and actually see results. I think keeping information in an excel spreadsheet is just as effective and easier to manage. I can group my contacts with different worksheets and have an overall customer list. If I were to use one of the programs I would probably use Salesforce, because they seem to have more compatibility. I had trouble with ACT, and have heard that Salesforce is a little bit easier to navigate.

When You Get Nowhere!

I made 200 phone calls yesterday. Understanding that means about 50 people actually pick up. The product is something everyone has to have, but most people are not wanting to work for change. I did not get one person interested. I usually can walk away with one or two people. I tried to vary my tactics and pitches, but nothing worked. I had to walk away and realize it was just not my night. I came home wrote up some other pitches and got together some more lists to call. I am on to a new day and another list. Knowing the more calls I make the more success I can have. I just had to remind myself to not take it personally and move forward.

How To Sell Over Email

I have worked with my father, who has worked in sales. I have been amazed at how little he has used email to sell. He does not send out any email newsletters. He does not do any email sales. I primarily have worked through the phone and email. I have talked to him about what tricks there are. How to make sure you are professional and are not being overbearing to the client. It is easy to send ten emails without thinking about it. Here are a few of the quick tips.

1. Realize everyone has a different email strategy, some people will take a week to respond. Learn Patience.
2. Eliminate anything that could be seen as spam in a filter. There is nothing like running around the trash bin to make sure something gets done.
3. Create a banner. Create a marketed piece that is easily identified.
4. Create a signature. Show your title, your email, phone, and web address.
5. Create a short follow up. Wanted to make sure you received the materials.
6. If you do not hear back in a week follow up with a phone call.
7. Write complete and coherent sentences.
8. End with a Question to make sure there is follow up.
9. Include something that is timely to create a sense of urgency.
10. Do not send too many emails! This will kill a sale!

Everyone has there own tricks, but overall you have to create something that needs to be opened today. An email that is going to sell your client and give facts and statements to persuade them. Email is the most effective tool a salesperson has. Make sure you do not send too many emails. Good Luck!

How to Create A Sales Pipeline

I have struggled for awhile to create a strong sales pipeline. I was able to concentrate on several prospects try to close them. One or two would actually close and then I would move on. I had a hard and time juggling all of my prospects. I used programs like ACT, www.act.com/, Google Documents, docs.google.com/, and Excel. I have found the most success with Excel. Google Docs is great, but I ran into compatibility issues, and sometimes travel and don't have Internet access. You can gasp now! So it is helpful to have everything stored on my hard drive. I did not like the process in ACT, it took too much work. I have color coded, labeled, and done just about everything I could to learn how to juggle them. I have found this process works for me.
1. Create a spreadsheet with all of your Clients.
2. Create a spreadsheet that is blank so you can copy and paste new prospects in that you may run across.
3. Prioritize your clients and create lists.
4. Make sure you have emails and Phone numbers for your prospects.
5. Divide the list into sub groups. A Prospects, B Prospects, and C Prospects
6. Create Email templates for all three groups.
7. Set up reminders in your email system to send out your prospecting emails.
8. Work your list.
9. Everyday review and move your prospects to their category.
This has been the best process for me to categorize and ensure that I am seeing everyone I am working with in one place. I had to learn I could no longer hunt through emails. I needed one place for notes and updates.

Flash of Genuis Review

It is Labor Day Weekend and I really thought I would just relax and take it easy this weekend. I was able to spend time reading and boating. It rained here so I had Sunday inside. I decided to get a jump on my sales and work for the week. I sat down and nothing was on T.V. so I put on a free On Demand movie, Flash of Genius. I had heard of the movie, but no one ever talked about it, and I never thought about it again. A quick synopsis: Inventor (Greg Kinnear) is driving at night and his windshield wipers do not have any controls. They automatically run, and are disrupting his impaired vision. He envisions a wiper that runs more like the human eye, and would be less distracting to the driver. After a few prototypes he creates his wiper. I will let you watch the movie, which at times was hard to watch, but inspiring. It shows a many dedicated to what he invented. He has spent his life working on inventions, and knows this is the opportunity for him. He does not give up! He works after work, late into the night to get information completed. He does not allow anyone to tell him he is on the wrong path. He makes sacrifices, and is forced to make hard decisions. I sat there watching and realized this is sales. This is what a salesperson goes through every day. You have the exciting chase, the Yes, and then the work. It does not stop when someone says yes to your product or service. Sales is about Never Giving Up. Creating the best sales presentation and experience for your buyer. Find a product for their needs, not your wallet. I thought the movie gave a real look into the hardships and difficulty sales and business can be. In this economy, which feels like a depression. It is easy to quit, but this shows that hard work and dedication pay off.

Creating A Network

Building a strong Network is the foundation for a successful sales career. The first step is to clearly identify your target market. Who would be interested in your product? How do they usually find their solution? What is their current solution?
Next create a list of contacts that would fit into that group. Make sure you think about any groups you are involved in or have been. Any networking solutions you could use online to reconnect, and family. This should create a healthy list to start with. Working your way through the list will start a network of people who will be informed with what you are doing, and be educated on what you can do to help them. You should encourage them that you are just starting and are looking for any referrals or leads. You are trying to build a business that is based on referrals and relationships. The people you work with are your most important assets and you are will to work with them as much as you can to build those relationships. You work hard to build a strong customer service business and that you are willing to do whatever you need too to keep the business. This is hard work. It is not easy to come up with this list, but go outside of your box. Think about anyone who could help you grow. This could be the most successful building process you have. It is time to dig deep and put yourself out there. No one else is going to push your business like you. Take the time to think about anyone who could help and start from there. Start today. Do no wait one more day.

Inside Sales

I have am working on defining my lead generation method. I am working creatively to network and drive business through referrals. I am talking with professionals who do something similar and would be able to refer business. I am also starting a direct mail and canvassing campaign(door hanging). The next step is inside sales. Since I am starting this up myself I am all of the above for right now. I have started to generate a list using: www.infousa.com and www.insuranceleads.com. I have only received one lead so far who did not pick up the phone. I have not received the list from infousa. They will provide a bluk list for me to go through and call. I have started to call from an exhisting list I have. There were 150 names on the list and I talked to 40 people, 5 hang ups, and only 3 were interested. I am going to continue calling this week to determine what is the best response rate and at which times. I am being perssitant and trying not to take any of the sales process personally. I do however want to overcome objections and make more sales. I am currently in the process of determining what the objections are. I will then sit down and make goals and statements to overcome the objections. More news as I continue this week. Any experience with Inside Sales?