Sales Fall Out From Commission

I received an email late in the day yesterday detailing a possible commission structure. I was not happy at the proposed commission and had to take a few minutes to digest the information. It took a couple of hours, but I reflected and thought about the potential changes. I wrote down the list of the opportunities, what structure would work for me, and also what would not work.
It is hard to let a potential deal go through if it is not a strong enough commission structure, but I am willing to let it happen if I cannot get what I want and need too. The relationship has to work both ways.

Commission Sales

I have a friend how has a business in the holiday services business. He has done a great job of building his business, but has come to a point to realize sales is not his strength. He has sought out help and found no one that is willing to take on a project that has growth opportunity. It got me thinking if I were going to hire someone to handle sales for my company what would I look for? What characteristics make a good sales person? What qualities will help someone in sales succeed?

I will post my responses as well as others in the coming weeks as a common thread in No Excuse Sales.

Making Sales Work

I just watched a video of a sales group. They rang a bell whenever they made a sale, and then proceeded to hit each other's hands. This is a great technique for getting morale up. Make sure you start every day with some motivation.
Don't excuse yourself, make sure you get through your work, make it work. Sell!

Sales Complete

What to do when a client has said yes, has the contract, and just has not signed it. I panic. Maybe that is not the right process, but I indeed panic that the deal is not done. I have waited for three weeks for a client to just sign the documents. I cannot proceed until they are signed. They have said they want to do it, are excited, but have not completed the work. I don't know what to do. I do not want to be overbearing, but I want them to know it is priority. I have sent an email reminder and talked to them on the phone, but wanted to give it a couple days before I moved forward with anything. I guess today my lesson is patience.

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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