Category: Rant

by Pete (the mose) Mosley

Here's my final instalment of Sales – A Wake Up Call series. In the previous instalment, I talked about  avoiding "Black Dot" days and making sure you have a reliable, trackable sales system.

Here are my final tips for the sales folks out there:

10. Call at least two current customers each and every day.

• I have always contact all my customers at least once every three
  months. Whether I am doing active business with them or not. A note, an
  email a phone call (the best) just to say hi.
• The best thing is to sort by industry and in your reading, find two
  or three items per sector that you can start off the conversation with:

  “Hey
  Sally! How’s tricks? Great – Listen, I read that Blogtastic.com just
  purchased www.Ihavenoclue,.com? Does that impact you? What did you
  think about that?" (Oh and then let em talk.) You have two ears and one
  mouth. Listen twice as much as you speak!

11. As above, have a communication process for contacting all of
your prospects – a note, an email, a letter … have something.

• Do it so your customers are contacted at least twice a year. Better
  still get them something of value. No, not logo’s golf balls! A report,
  some research, an interesting find.
• You have to keep in front of folks. Squeaky wheel and all that. It is important to stay in touch. Out of sight – out of mind.

12. Further to the above – Get your best customers some "New
Customers". Introduce them to someone they want to do business with.

• One solid strategy I have always found: find out who your
  customer’s best customer could be. Set up a lunch or dinner with that
  “potential customer” and invite your "current" customer. Talk about
  fertile ground. I like to be a fly on the wall and not manipulate the
  meeting.
• Better still, for my personal preference, I use a golf game. Golf
  is a “contact sport”. In all my years I have NEVER come off a golf
  course with a group like this without a solid appointment, a sale or at
  the very least, a plan to move forward on something we – the three of
  us – had just discussed.

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by Pete (the mose) Mosley

 

For Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of this series, I covered selling in a down economy and tips for the bosses and the marketers.

Here's my advice to sales people.

Ok all you sales types, gather round and listen. Grab a "Cup of Joe" and pay attention.

The above illustration is the first thing we have to get over.

What do you see?

Most folks – if not everybody – sees a "black dot."

Well, that is an example of why things aren't working as well as they should for you. That black dot represents everything that is wrong right now. The bad coffee, the idiot Boss, the way they treat you, the shitty leads, the bad sales territory, the commission structure, the fact you got up this morning, tore a hole in your pants, spilled juice on your tie and the cat peed on you. All that stuff!

It goes on and on, doesn't it. This is sadly the most critical issue you face – it is called fear. It masks itself in all sorts of manifestations – mostly us wanting to have something else to blame for our failures.

Well, I believe that the first thing to do is look at the rest of that illustration. I call the technique "eliminating Black Dot days".  There will always be something wrong – there will always be a gripe. But by focusing on these things you miss the point. Look at the big picture – the white space which represents everything that is right.

 Okay, here is the list of "do's" and "don'ts" for the sales types:

1. Do a projection formula for reliable, real, achievable results – don’t lie.

• You need a formula. It has to be real. Start with what you want to make this year. Then figure out just how many sales that would have to be and base the net on what you get from each sale. Then calculate how many sales presentations you have to make to get the sales. Then the sales calls to get the sales presentations and then finally the number of sales cold calls. This is called turning Suspects into Prospects, into Sales and then repeat Sales.
• You will need to track honestly exactly how you measure up. Number of cold calls that end up in sales is a sales ratio.

2. Get a sales system that can be tracked, adjusted and monitored – and don’t lie.

• Your system must be solid, real and one that can be tracked and adjusted.
• Track the number of suspects that you need to turn into prospects (whether by sales calls/phone calls or letters) and then the number you need to turn into presentations or sales visits. And then track the number of conversions from prospects to sales. You then can track repeat sales. Look at the numbers, do some initial percentage calculations (i.e. 100 suspects = 40 prospects = 20 presentations = 6 closed sales).
• Then, if you have to, modify any and all factors. A better presentation, more work on your phone techniques, more suspects, better initial sales contacts, better “CLOSING” tactics or better tracking. All are flexible! All can be improved. And should be!

3. Never talk to other sales folks. Full stop. They lie.

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