13 Tools to Motivate Your Sales Force (And Keep Them Motivated)

Why would you want to motivate your sales force anyway? Because the better they are, the more money your company makes and everyone is happy.

Usually there are 10% of any sales force producing 90% of the results (sometimes it's just one person), the rest are mediocre and underperform, and the bottom 20% should be fired. But why is that? What makes the top 10% better than the others? Some people say "good sales people are born that way." That may be true for those naturals, but for the rest of the population, they have to be trained with the techniques that the naturals have and use constantly.

1. Get Them To Write Their Goals

a. You probably have seen this one a million times but we still have to throw this one in.
b. Getting them to write their own goals not only makes them committed to the goals, but also engages their minds on what they want (seeing the car or the mansion) and gives a bulls eye to reach it.

2. Get Them To Write Out Their Successes, No Matter How Small

a. Most sales people neglect all the little successes they have and instead focus on close or no close. While that is how they are judged in a company, in reality, sales is a process and has several steps. Mastering each step is an accomplishment on its own.
b. Show them comparisons (show them that unsuccessful sales people call only 1-3x).

3. Get Them To Write All The Reasons They Have To Succeed

a. The why is the most important (ie., why are they in sales)
b. The more "whys" they have, the more things that will keep them motivated despite occasional setbacks.
c. And it's your job to understand their motivations (what they want and are interested in.). Show them how doing well in sales will give them that, and they will be happy.

4. Get Them To Write Out All The Possibilities and Consequences For Their Success

a. What could happen when they accomplish their goals.

5. Get Them To Write Out What Could Happen If They Fail

a. Most people do things (or not do things) to avoid something. Get them to write out their fears and negative outcomes if they DO NOT reach their goals/succeed.

6. Reframe Things For Them, and Then Show Them How To Do It Themselves

a. In the beginning, reframe objections and rejections for them.
b. Example: sales person says "I'm a bad closer", then you say "You aren't a bad closer, you just haven't mastered the skills yet"
c. Show them how to do it themselves so they can reframe objections/rejections on the spot and continue calling.

7. Sales Is A Process - Break It Down For Them

a. Process: The time you first talk to someone to the time you close them are a few steps , show them each step. They require mastering systematically.

8. Practice

a. Sales is like acting, must rehearse constantly.
b. Go through potential scenarios with them (Mad, skeptical, pleasant, immediate buy, foreigner)
c. Record them (voice or camera) and let them see their performance.
d. Also, how are they perceived, what is their body language, what is their tonality like (annoying people rarely sell well).

9. Help them overcome their fears

a. Rejection, failure, and public speaking are the top fears and cripple most people from reaching their goals.
b. Work with them on those.

10. Walk Them Through Their Failures

a. An expert closer may leave because he is too frustrated, if only a little more attention was paid in the right areas, he would shine.
b. Walk him through his process and show him what happened.
c. Most sales people don't have the tools to understand frustrations, mental things, psychologies etc. They just assume really bad things about their abilities.

11. If One Person Discovers Something That Triggers A Response In Prospects, Test It And Then Show The Others How To Use It.

a. Corning example: Top salesperson didn't say much , he just went to prospects and hit a glass (the glass he wanted them to buy) with a ballpene hammer. It didn't shatter and he closed practically every deal.
b. Sometimes other sales people will say "oh I couldn't do that", that is where you the sales manager or trainer comes in: show them how to use it, motivate them to be able to use it well.

12. Accountability

a. They have to be held accountable for their progress
b. Have daily meetings. One in the morning to discuss daily goals, One in the evening to discuss successes/results.

13. Lastly, Make Them Proud To Be In Sales.

a. Nothing happens in this world without a sale.
b. Sale could be an idea, a cheque or getting someone to go to the movies with you that they don't want to see.
c. People think negatively about salespeople. Just a knee jerk reaction and is nothing personal.

In general, sales people are only as good as their training. With the proper tools, you can shape sales people to your will without all the frustration at their lack of performance. And if you show them how to use those tools themselves, you can create a legion of super closers.

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... Rank: wait... wait... C: wait... SD: wait...

Read More..

Secret to Loving Sales, and Becoming a Top Sales Professional in Any Field

Have you noticed that everyone wants to have a booming and flourishing internet business, but if you mention the need to do some selling in order to market your business, the vast majority of people run for the hills. It's really a very interesting phenomenon. Why do so many people hate, fear or break out in hives, whenever the topic of sales comes up?

Probably the biggest reason for all this distress is our pre-conceived image of what a salesman is, and what they do to us. I'm sure we all have this very negative picture of the classic "used car salesman," who traps us into buying that junk on wheels or that traveling vacuum cleaner salesman who pushes his way into our home and won't leave until he yanks money out of our pockets. None of us want to be like that, yet at the same time, there's probably that tiny bit of envy for that person who has the courage and personal self confidence to be able to put themselves in our face, and sell us something.

There probably are people who try to sell things like that. Some of them may actually succeed in making a sale or two. The truth is, that is totally NOT what the professional sales person is or does. It's very safe to say that anyone who practiced those outlandish and obnoxious methods, would definitely crash and burn before ever realizing any success in sales.

Salesmanship is a honed skill that requires practice and training. It requires the person to be a professional, and to practice excellent communication skills. Of course, it's important that the salesperson be self confident and not afraid to approach and talk to strangers. However, EFFECTIVE communication skills include the ability and knowledge of knowing when NOT to talk, but rather to LISTEN.

I have written several articles on how to conduct a successful sales presentation. I respectfully invite you to look them over, when you have the moment. However, what I want to stress in this article is a very important factor that every sales professional must always remember, if they want to consistently earn those commissions.

If you keep your focus on doing what's right and best for your customer, you will find that you will close more sales, and work less hard at doing it. The reason for this is very simple. People, whenever they have the choice, will always opt to do business with people they like and trust. When your customer honestly feels that you are looking after their best interests, they will continually seek you out. You will find that rather than handling objections and overcoming sales pitch armor, you will be doing a lot more referring, which always leads to more repeat business.

It's a sad truth, but in today's world, people have become more cynical and more skeptical. They EXPECT to be lied to and taken advantage of...especially from people they perceive as salesmen. If you don't think this is so, how do YOU react, when you are first approached by a new salesman? By treating your customer with respect and honesty, and listening to what they want and then giving them that, you build your own credibility. You will truly begin to stand apart from your competition, and people will seek you out, to do business with you.

Promise more than is expected and deliver on it, and you will also find that you will love being a sales professional. That's when this becomes one of the greatest careers, around.

See you at the top!

Read More..

How to Succeed in Sales

Selling is like Cheese. You either love it or hate it. Both for the same reasons attributed to its taste and smell. So why do some people love sales and others shun it like a disease. That's because the thought of rejection is so hard to take, that by itself is a very strong barrier which prevents most people from embracing this profession unless they have no choice.

Here's how you can excel as a salesperson:

1) Familiarize and internalize your product features and benefits. What we want to do here is to be able to understand how our product solves our customers' problems.

2) Always learn from someone better than you. Never assume that you are able to improve on your own without the help of others. Talk to top sales individuals, get tips and ideas from them. Find a mentor and learn all you can from the person. Your improvement will show as time goes by.

3) Be prepared to put in long hours and also more effort when dealing with a new client, new product line or new company. When new in the game of sales, things tend to happen slow at first. Always hang in there and persevere, it's the solution to any dry spell.

4) Satisfy your existing customers on a routine basis. Ask for their product feedback regularly and respond to it as needed. If quality issues are a concern, meet with the quality department or production staff to initiate changes.

5) Be open, friendly and cooperative on the job with everyone. Being assertive is a good trait in closing sales, but it is not advisable to be over assertive until you have become aggressive.

6) Uphold your promises to everyone especially your customer. If you cannot make something happen, tell them so. Make yourself a reliable source where they can depend on when they need to.

7) Always follow up persistently. A sale is always made after the 24th call. The first 23 are just for you to gather information, offer customers with product options and to set the ground work for closing. Read More..