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| Sales Management Information |
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SEZ WHO? Tips About Recommendations, Sales Cycles, and Trade Shows
Here's the scene. You're at the trade show, having a discrete "Sales Call" conversation with a visitor. Things are going well until he says something like... * So who else uses this upgrade? * You mentioned Big Foot, Inc. as a client. Who can I contact there? * I'm not sure it's worth the extra money to us. Got any examples of real savings? * We're heavily invested in one of your competitors and I can't see junking everything we've already done even though we have problems with that system. You say the transition would be smooth. How do I know? YIKES. There you are with great sales resistance, which you could overcome if you knew what to do. This fellow is asking for you to give up client info and you don't know what your client will say. FOUR PROBLEMS 1. A trade show is a job interview for your COMPANY. Just as you are prepared when you go on a job search past history, skills, recommendations so, too, do people who are looking to hire a firm want to be reassured about the history, skills and recommendations related to your company. 2. Few people will directly ask you for a list of recommendations for your company. The essence will be in general conversation. You've got to be sharp and listen for opportunities to bring up recommendations. You can't fumble this you've got to be smooth. 3. Your personal recollections may be great but they are personal. You may be a great salesperson but it's still you. They want broader, and more distant, assurances. 4. Now you are thinking If I give him Sam's name at Big Foot, what will Sam say? Even if you call Sam in advance, you can't control the conversation. Or Sam, either by preference or company policy, may not be able to say anything. FOUR SOLUTIONS 1. Know in advance the clients you can talk about and those you cannot. Understand there are reasons you can't security, proprietary product or an agreement with client. No one and no company wants to be gossip fodder. Have true stories everyone agrees upon. Rehearse and do not embellish. Do not make yourself the hero. Buyers write the check to the company, not you. 2. Interview your clients before the show. You want current recommendations. People change jobs and titles. Maybe Sam was happy in the beginning but not now. Ask for comments. Ask Sam if he can be contacted on a particular topic only. Have this information available either at the show or for follow-up. 3. If you have a sophisticated web site, you could add audio or video clips. Make them short, impactful and change them often. Your clients have egos. It makes small companies look smart; big companies look smart. 4. You have to listen very carefully and get to the heart of the resistance or query. Is it really dollars or is an assurance needed that it will be a good value? Is ego in the way of a sale? Is this a new-broom manager or is there a real need to upgrade or change? Is this a disgruntled client? Your clients want to see you do well, and most are happy to help you. Julia O'Connor - Speaker, Author, Consultant - writes about practical aspects of trade shows. As president of Trade Show Training, inc,, now celebrating its 10th year, she works with companies in a variety of industries to improve their bottom line and marketing opportunities at trade shows. Julia is an expert in the psychology of the trade show environment and uses this expertise in sales training and management seminars. Information and free newsletter sign up http://www.TradeShowTraining.com Contact Julia at 804-355-7800 or julia@TradeShowTraining.com
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With more than a dozen very satisfied clients, he knows that the residential property management services he and his brother provide should interest more people, but he wasn't having any success getting attention or generating leads. All Small Businesses Need to Gather Community Intel How well do you know your community? As business owners it is essential that we know our communities intimately. Have you ever made the effort to learn more about your town; Do you even know where to look. Lets discuss some ways to gather intel for your community based marketing efforts. Run a Productive Business From Your Car-Office The way we do business has changed dramatically over the past 10 years. More products and services are now being offered outside traditional premises. You no longer have to go to a bank to complete your transactions or home loan applications. Insurance brokers visit your home or office; retailers deliver products directly to your home. 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Online Sales: Secret To Increase Your Sales By Bundling Your Products Microsoft has used this online sales secret to become a giant, and the greatest software company in the world. The Differences Between A Commercial Collections Agency & Lawyer If your letter writing and phone calls have all failed to resolve a debt issue, it is time to call in a professional - a commercial collection agency or a lawyer specializing in commercial debt collection. Sales Pipeline Forecasting Is There A Better Way? To put it mildly most companies sales forecasting just isn't delivering, a staggering 90% of the deals do not close as forecasted even when the close probability is 75% or over. Even more astonishing is that 54% of forecasted deals are lost to competitors or to a no decision. 8 Procedures to Take Control of Sales and Marketing The Cash to Cash Cycle Part Three of Series 4 Marketing Myths Threaten Your Sales These 4 marketing myths can cause you to lose sales if you base your marketing decisions on them. But the related marketing tips I included with each myth will boost your sales if you act on them instead. Management by Osmosis Sales managers are an interesting breed, effective sales managers are a rare breed. Managing a sales team is entirely different than managing other groups; their role requires them to have not only above average management skills, but also above average ability to manage the overall sales process. However, in many organizations, the weak link in the sales chain is the front line management. How to Develop a Proactive, New-Business Sales Team! I don't know about your business but in my experience proactive, positive, consistent new business winners are the holy grail of any sales organisation. All of my clients have their own unique ways of motivating, managing and running their sales teams yet they all have problems from time keeping those teams on target and "up for it!" In this article I am going to cover the core fundamentals of How to Develop a Proactive, New-Business Sales Team. These are the same strategies and techniques that I have used to help many of my clients explode their personal and their team's sales. These strategies all combine an exciting and proven mix of attitudinal, skills and structural development that really works and what's more they're fun so your staff will want to use them! Sales Tactics to Beat Your Competition This month I want to share a success from a friend and customer of mine. You'll find in this story two important sales tactics for beating your competition. Sales Forecasting For New Businesses Sales forecasting is the process of organizing and analysing information in a way that makes it possible to estimate what your sales will be. This Micro Module outlines some simple methods of forecasting sales using easy to find data. Books containing simple and sophisticated techniques of forecasting sales can be found in libraries and business oriented book stores. Discounting Your Way Into Sales Oblivion I don't even like saying the word d---------g. I have literally obliterated it from my dictionary with a black marking pen. I'll bite my tongue until it bleeds, before I say the word. How to Sharpen Your Sales Message with Do-it-Yourself Focus Groups - Small Business Power Tools You've probably heard of focus groups. It's a tool that the big guys use to quickly test a new product or service or to get fast feedback from potential customers. Focus groups do not provide real, actionable information but are great for what I call "clue hunting." For example, I once sat through a series of focus groups on a new camera-related product. After three focus groups, we were able to pretty well conclude there wouldn't be much of a market for this particular product, and the idea was dropped. The three focus groups probably cost this advertiser around $5000 vs. the hundreds of thousands of dollars that would have been wasted had they put the product into manufacturing. The Hardest Job Of A Trade Show You've heard this before: There were four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
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