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.

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.