nz sales manager issue 11
Post on 07-Mar-2016
228 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
ocT 1sT 2008 / Issue 11
The Upsideof downTUrns how salespeople need To adapT
FocusessenTIal HabITs For sTayIng on your game
a sophisTicaTedsalespersonIncreasIng THe proFessIonalIsmoF new Zealand’s salespeople
nZsm / ocT 1sT 2008 / 3
ocT 1sT / Issue 11
5 wanTed: a
sophisTicaTed
salesperson
How do we improve the
professionalism of new
Zealand’s salespeople?
7 This weeKs MUsT read
KeepinG focUsed
essential habits for
staying on your game
9 Two MinUTe Top-Up
The Upside of
downTUrns
How should salespeople
adapt when there is a
recession or downturn in
the market
10 nZsM calendar
11 BooK reView
DIFFICULT
conVersaTions
How to discuss what
matters most
12 sales TraininG
direcTorY
13 The close
5
7
9
11
nZsm / ocT 1sT 2008 / 4
often the key difference
between the sales person
who gets the order and the
sales person that doesn’t, is not the
price or service guarantee or qual-
ity, but the sales persons ability to
really connect with the customer and
show a deeper level of understanding and empathy for
their problems. sales people are concerned with selling
their products and services, while sales professionals are
concerned with solving their customer’s problems.
given yesterdays decision by the us government
not to bail out wall street, and the ensuing economic
turmoil, many Kiwi business owners and decision
makers will be rightly focused on minimising the impact
of these events on their businesses.
sales professionals on the other hand, especially those
selling business to business, need to turn their focus
outwards, understanding the problems these events are
causing for their customers and then assessing how
to position their products and services, if possible, in
relation to those problems.
selling IT? what can you do to help your customers
retain their customers or reduce network costs? selling
fleet vehicles? Is there a model which will help minimise
your customer’s expenses while still enabling them to
service their customers? selling training? How can
you help your customer achieve more than their “fair
share” in the months ahead?
only by “walking a mile” in your customer’s shoes
can you start to get an idea of the problems they are
most concerned with solving. while your products or
services may not be number one on their list of current
priorities, differentiating yourself by showing a little more
understanding for your customers situation will position
you more favourably than those focused only on their own.
abouT /
short and sharp, new Zealand sales manager is a free
fortnightly e-magazine delivering thought provoking and
enlightening articles, and industry news and information
to forward-thinking sales managers, business owners
and sales professionals.
edITor / richard liew
desIgner / Jodi olsson
adVerTIsIng enQuIrIes /
+64-9-361 1375 or email
richardl@nzsalesmanager.co.nz
conTenT enQuIrIes /
+64-9-361 1375 or email
richardl@nzsalesmanager.co.nz
address / nZ sales manager
magazine,127a ponsonby road,
ponsonby, auckland, nZ.
+64-9-361 1375
websITe /
www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz
got any thoughts on this topic or articles in this week’s issue? we’d love to know what you think. email your
comments to richardl@nzsalesmanager.co.nz and we’ll share the best ones in future issues.
nZsm / ocT 1sT 2008 / 5
customer research? should they pay higher salaries
to attract more professional salespeople?
while all these things would be useful, the real
antidote is actually much simpler and much more
important.
more than anything else, what we require is a
fundamental shift in how we view the role of the
salesperson in the modern economy.
we need to shift from simply seeing
salespeople as a high maintenance yet
necessary evil – the middle men and women
connecting our customers and our products
– to seeing them as an integral component of
the value we offer to our customers, and their
decision making and business processes.
as traditional “price” and “quality” competitive advantages
are squeezed to the limit, businesses – especially those
in “B2B” sectors - will need to find additional ways of
providing value to their customers. and like it or not, their
salespeople will be one of the primary means for doing so.
now make no mistake about it, the responsibility is equally
shared. our salespeople themselves need to lift their game
significantly, as it will require a much higher level of skill
and understanding to be able to provide the value their
employers will be calling upon them to deliver.
Specifically there are four key shifts occurring in the role of
the salesperson, which need to be understood.
If we want to see any real improvement in the profes-
sionalism of new Zealand’s salespeople, change must
be driven from the top – from the leadership of the
businesses that employ them.
employers must understand that today’s discerning
customers require a similarly sophisticated level of service
from the salespeople they deal with, and that in an
increasingly competitive market, how businesses sell to
their customers, is just as important as what they sell to
their customers.
many people have asked me to expand on exactly what
they should be doing to lift the game of their salespeople.
does it mean sending staff on more sales and customer
service training courses? spending more money on
a sophisTicaTedsalesperson
how do we improve the professionalism of new Zealand’s salespeople?By richard liew
nZsm / ocT 1sT 2008 / 5 nZsm / ocT 1sT 2008 / 6
3) froM InformatIon ProvIders To
InformatIon InterPreters
Thanks mainly to the internet it is rare for a customer
to call on a company without first doing some research
of their own. many customers complain that they knew
more about the salesperson’s company, products and
competitors than the salesperson them self!
Today getting the information is no longer a problem.
The problem we have instead is interpreting it all
so we can make good decisions. How do we know
what’s relevant and what’s not?
rather than needing more information on all the
products, services, and innovations that might
be able to help us, we require knowledgeable
professionals who can help us cut through and
interpret all the information available.
sure, there is always the underlying question of
whether or not salespeople can give unbiased
advice to their customers, but those who genuinely
try to add value in this way, will go a long way
towards differentiating themselves from the
competition.
4) froM suPPlIers To advIsors
ultimately, the goal of the modern sales person is to
become part of their client’s decision making team.
The question for the client then becomes not so
much, “who should we use?” but, “what should we
do?”
To achieve this, businesses and their salespeople
need to focus on becoming advisors to their clients
rather than just suppliers.
They need to become helpful experts, helping their
clients assess the issues, determine their objectives
and even help develop their decision making criteria.
Those who do this will be far more successful than
those simply pitching a range of options and hoping
for their clients to choose one, and far less likely to
have to compete on price alone.
This article first published in The New Zealand herald 09.04.2007. richard liew is editor of
NZ Sales Manager and founded the Rev Sales network in 2004 after a career in iT&T sales.
1) froM door oPenIng To
Problem dIagnosIng
In the past, old fashioned cold calling, either door-to-
door or by telephone, served a useful and welcome
purpose – to let potential customers know about
a company’s new and interesting products. In less
crowded times, when businesses had fewer ways of
getting their message to market, customers were fairly
receptive to this approach.
Today however, customers are bombarded by
salespeople and advertisers like never before. as a result
they are far less receptive to cold calling – the traditional
realm of the salesperson.
so as marketing strategies are forced to become more
sophisticated, our salespeople will require a new focus.
rather than banging down doors, they will be called
upon when the doors are already open, as experts
whose primary role is to secure relationships and build
trust in a manner similar to a trusted doctor or specialist.
To do this they must focus on developing first class
diagnostic skills and demonstrate a sincere and thorough
understanding of their client’s objectives before they
prescribe a solution.
2) losinG The us VersUs them MenTaliTY
selling is often viewed by those in sales as a battle of
wits and resilience between the salesperson and the
customer. sales managers encourage staff to “always be
closing” and to “not take no for an answer”. with most
businesses seeing selling as a “numbers game” is it any
wonder so many customers experience buyer’s remorse
and feel like just another number?
but for sometime now there has been a new dynamic in
sales, one which despite all the lip service just doesn’t
seem to be sinking in. Today’s customers want to buy, not
be sold to. In fact thanks to the high pressure, sometimes
underhanded, sales tactics of our predecessors,
customers are now incredibly wary of salespeople - even
if what they’re selling might genuinely be right for them.
Today’s salespeople need to lose the “us versus Them”
mentality and adopt the “us” mentality, “us” being
the salesperson and their client, working together in
the same team to achieve a common goal. Those who
continue to seek “victory” at the expense of their clients
will lose out in the long term, to suppliers who are
genuinely focused on playing team.
KeepinG focUsedessential habits for staying on your game
Have you ever felt like you are on a treadmill that
increases constantly in speed, and it seems as
though the only way to get off it is to blow it up?
Take comfort, you are not alone.
The average person is faced with many commitments.
Life in this twenty-first century has become one
enormous treadmill of distractions with emails and
mobile phones, which add to the heavy load of demands
on one’s performance and behaviour through instant
responses and quick decision time frames. Is there a
solution to all of this?
we need to ask, where we are going and what is the
purpose of the journey? are we demanding too much of
our mortal frames? The human body is built to cope with
all sorts of pressures and demands, but too much can be
to our detriment and hold us back from achieving.
by developing the art of focus we can make our life a
lot easier and also achieve the desired end result. Thus
avoiding heart disease caused by excessive competitive
drive, aggressive behaviour, impatience and the sense
of time urgency. To make a quantum leap in your life,
focus becomes a vital skill. results start to diminish the
moment you take your focus off the task.
here are Ten rUles To
help YoU focUs wiTh GreaT
clariTY of pUrpose:
concentrate on the “vital few”
rather than on the “many trivial”
// Be specific and concentrate on
the larger things in life. Trivia never
amounts to anything - that is why
it is trivia it is not important!
Be committed and have path
definition // be accurate about
what it is you want to accept and
how you are going to accomplish
it. be committed to its realization
and not to the distraction caused by other people’s
agendas and which can only blur your focus.
Discard old habits // They will hold you back
because habits are just behaviour adjustments done
automatically. become more disciplined in your mind
management and develop good habits, which will
help you achieve your desired results because they
will determine the quality of life ahead for you.
Develop personal power, which keeps you in
control of your life and undertakings // The
cheapest camera properly focused brings better
results than the most expensive one that is not
focused. whether it is cameras or binoculars, their
function depends on focus. likewise human beings,
who if they drift from the point of focus, get blurred
and go nowhere.
Reinforce your mental strengths and abilities //
Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do.
Programme your belief system with definiteness of
purpose and you will maximize the result.
Analyze what you want to accomplish // and decide
what is really important in a specific time frame
By Charles Donoghue
nZsm / ocT 1sT 2008 / 8
Charles Donoghue is an Auckland based performance psychology coach and author of best selling motivational books Kites rise against the Wind and swim against the Current.
Visit Charles’ website at www.donoghuedynamics.com.
without striving to accomplish too much or to participate
in too many events in the amount of time you allotted to
the purpose.
Have vision and know exactly where you are going
// without vision focus is not necessary. once you have
the vision then you need planning followed by action and
finally persistence, which is the power behind focus.
Concentrate on what you are good at then life
becomes less stressful // develop the many talents you
possess because your actions will create vital positive
energy to pursue even greater goals.
Be persistent // determination is another string to
your bow. It helps you overcome all the obstacles and
challenges you will come upon and help you up the
mountain of life.
Let go of the clutter // let go of all the non-productive
garbage in your life and move forward. start out with what
is necessary to accomplish your tasks or goals and along
the way pick up only those extras that will assist you.
Socrates was once asked the road to Mt Olympus //
He answered profoundly, “make sure that every step is in
that direction.”
Your eyes are located in the front of your head because
that is the direction you are supposed to be heading //
Just make sure every step goes in that direction.
nZsm / ocT 1sT 2008 / 9
contrary to knee-jerk expectations, periodic
market recessions can be a good thing for the
professional salesperson. If you’re willing to
adapt, recession markets can offer great opportunities to
grow both revenues and market shares.
If you can grow your market share without discounting
during a market downturn, you should be able to convert
your increased market share into even more lucrative
profits when the market recovers.
why are recession markets such great opportunities?
In recessions purchasers are more selective and take
longer to make decisions. They are more likely to break
purchasing habits as they are under more pressure to cut
The Upside of downTUrns
How should salespeople adapt whenthere is a recession or downturn in the market?
By liam Venter
costs, increase profits and find smarter ways of operating.
when customers are more selective, take longer to make
decisions and are looking for smarter options this suits
sales people who have a consultative approach to selling.
a consultative sales methodology enables you to better
engage with the customer over a longer period of time and
it helps you work with clients to provide smarter solutions.
being liked, being charming and being fun, etc are
important as always... but these items become
comparatively less important than being valuable to
your client. consultative sales people understand their
clients business, their operating environment and the
issues that effect them.
They understand their client’s requirements and the specific
results they need from a solution. This allows them to better
structure, and deliver, deals that will be compelling.
Liam Venter is an Auckland based sales trainer and author of The Consultative Sales Professional. Visit his website at www.salesfish.co.nz.
nZsm / ocT 1sT 2008 / 10
FrI 31 ocTTHu 30 ocTwed 29 ocTTue 28 ocT
mon 27 ocTTHu 23 ocTwed 22 ocT
Tue 21 ocTmon 20 ocT
wed 15 ocTTue 14 ocTmon 13 ocTFrI 10 ocT
THu 9 ocTwed 8 ocTTue 7 ocTmon 6 ocT
FrI 24 ocT
sun 26 ocT
saT 25 ocT
sun 19 ocT
saT 18 ocTFrI 17 ocTTHu 16 ocT
sun 12 ocT
saT 11 ocT
sun 5 ocT
saT 4 ocT
FrI 3 ocTwed 1 ocT THu 2 ocT
sun 2 noV
saT 1 noV
nZsmcalendar
consultative sales skillsnZIm northernaucklandsales developmentdavid Formanaucklandsales developmentdavid Formandunedinmotivation & attitudegeewizchristchurchFundamentals of sellingTop achievers sales Trainingauckland
consultative sales skillsnZIm northernaucklandsales developmentdavid Formandunedinaccount management skillsnZIm northernauckland
Time managementgeewizauckland
Time managementgeewizauckland
negotiationdavid Formanauckland
sales developmentdavid Formanauckland
negotiationdavid Formanaucklandsales developmentdavid FormanaucklandTelemarketing skills workshopTop achievers sales Trainingauckland
negotiationdavid Formanauckland
sales developmentdavid Formanauckland
sales developmentdavid Formanaucklandnegotiation skillsnZIm northernaucklandpresentation skillsuniversity of aucklandaucklandFundamentals of sellingTop achievers sales TrainingHamilton
sales developmentdavid Formanaucklandnegotiation skillsnZIm northernaucklandpresentation skillsuniversity of aucklandauckland
business acumenuniversity of aucklandauckland
cold calling workshopTop achievers sales Trainingauckland
sales developmentdavid Formannew plymouhsales planningdavid Formanaucklandadvanced selling skills (Healthcare only)pro-Formance drivenauckland (oct 20 - 22)
sales developmentdavid Formannew plymouhsales planningdavid Formanaucklandsales leadership workshopTop achievers sales Trainingaucklandsales basicsgeewizauckland
sales developmentdavid Formannew plymouhsales managementgeewizaucklandnetworking skills workshopTop achievers sales Trainingaucklandprofessional Telephone sellingdavid Formanauckland
sales developmentdavid Formannew plymouhprofessional Telephone sellingdavid Formanaucklandcold calling workshopTop achievers sales Trainingauckland
prospecting & new business developmentdavid FormanaucklandFundamentals of sellingTop achievers sales Trainingwellington
Fundamentals of sellingTop achievers sales Trainingchristchurch
nZsm / ocT 1sT 2008 / 11
B O O K R E V I E W
whether we’re dealing with an underperforming em-
ployee, disagreeing with our spouse about money
or child-rearing, negotiating with a difficult client,
or simply saying “no”, or “I’m sorry”, or “I love you”, we at-
tempt to avoid difficult conversations every day. No matter
how competent we are, we all have conversations that cause
anxiety and frustration.
This book can help. Based on fifteen years of research at the Harvard Negotiation Project, Difficult Conversations walks you through a proven step-by-step approach for how to have you toughest conversations with less stress and more success. It shows you how to prepare yourself; how to start the conversation without defensiveness; and how to keep it constructive and focused regardless of how the other person responds.
you’ll learn how to:
Decipher the underlying structure of every difficult • conversationInterpret the significance of what is said - and what is not• Identify the erroneous but deeply ingrained assumptions • that keep you stuckmanage strong emotions - yours and theirs• spot ways your self-image affects the conversation - and • ways the conversation affects your self-image
Filled with examples from everyday life, Difficult Conversationswill help you at home, on the job, or out in the world.
difficUlT conVersaTionsby douglas stone, bruce patton and sheila Heenpublished by penguin
$25.66 from www.fishpond.co.nz
nZsm / ocT 1sT 2008 / 12
nZsm / ocT 1sT 2008 / 13
“
“I buy expensive suits. They just lookcheap on me
Warren Buffet
top related