Saturday Morning Sales

Back in the mid-to-late 1980’s, when I was in high school, cell phones did not exist as they do today. When I wanted to make plans with friends or ask a girl out on a date I picked up my home telephone and called them on their home telephone. If they were available we would talk; two people conversing using the English language discussing plans for tomorrow night or what was happening over the weekend. If they were not there I would leave a message with their parents or on their answering machine. No matter what the outcome of the initial call, in the end I had a live telephone conversation with another human being.

Fast forward to today. On a personal level conversations are now taps on a small screen in the form of texts. The human interaction has been reduced greatly. However, this is not the case in business, and that will not change. Live one-on-one interaction is and will always be a necessity. And no, email is not a replacement either.

Business relationships begin with “hello”. Your tone of voice and what you say following up to “hello” can either lead to more conversation or it is DOA. That is up to you. However, many sales reps don’t get the chance to have the conversation. They are fearful of the telephone and so more calls are DOA. Why is this happening?

In the example above, people have become accustomed to using their cell phones and email for conversation, beginning with personal and leading into business. But when you are attempting to contact someone for the first time, remember, they do not know you. DELETE!!!

It is more important today, than ever before, to practice the art of live communication. One way to overcome the fear of the telephone is to attend a networking event. That’s right, a networking event, not a phone-a-thon. Go someplace where you must engage other human beings in conversation. Leave your cell phone in your pocket, or even better, in your car. Walk up to a perfect stranger and say “hello”. Is this uncomfortable? Maybe. Does this get easier? Absolutely. And, before you know it, a couple of hours have passed by and you’ve had live conversations with former strangers.

Now get on the telephone. In much the same way as the approach with the networking event, you must have a good demeaner. You need to have a positive tone. Put a smile on your face. Sure, they can’t see you, but the smile will be seen through your tone. The most critical time in a telephone call is the first few seconds. You must capture that person’s attention. You must put them at ease. You must intrigue them to want to continue talking with you. And, you must do all of this in seconds.

Cold calling, warm calling, whateveryoucallit calling – not every call is going to be perfect. No matter how long you’ve been in sales or how great on the telephone you are, not every call will be perfect. The call may not be, but you can be. If you strive to be your best, to make every call perfect, than when one does not go well you are prepared to say “oh well” and move on to the next one.

Successful use of the telephone boils down to one attribute and it is found in every ‘A’ level sales person: ATTITUDE. If you look upon your telephone as a useful tool, and not an obstacle or some scary device, you will have a positive attitude toward making calls. When you embrace the live conversation as your primary means of communication you will have a positive attitude toward making calls. And, when you realize that your sales process (and the quality of your leads) increases dramatically because of your positive attitude then you will be witness to your own unbelievable improvement in your calls and the use of your telephone.

Stop Texting. Stop Emailing. Pick Up The Phone And Call Someone.

I was never really a fan of the word no. Like you, I always equated the word with negativity, such as no you cannot have ice cream; no I don’t want to go on a date with you; or, no you are not a fit for the job. It took some time as I matured in my career to come to terms with the word no and then it hit me – no can be a good word. No can be a very positive word. It just all depends on the context.

Sales people, I believe, struggle more with the word no than those in other professions. Inherently, as a career sales person, you only want to hear the word yes. Yes, you got the job. Yes, I will buy from you. Yes, the contract is signed. But sometimes, in certain cases, the word no has the best outcome. Let me explain.

I have yet to meet a sales person in my career that has a 100% perfect client rate. Meaning not every client creates a healthy working relationship. There are times when you, not the client, need to embrace the word no, as in “no we should not renew our contract; you would be better served with another firm”. There are times when sales people are so far into the sales process that pulling the plug on the deal seems impossible. And then, out of nowhere, the prospect says “no we’ve chosen someone else”. In either case these are blessings in disguise.

Long-term health and prosperity for your sales career depends on you accepting that the word no can be a good thing. So, how can you embrace no? Understanding that not every deal is healthy is the first step. Second, it’s not just what you say but how you say it. Saying no with sincerity is the only way to go. And finally, looking past the initial no, and fully understanding the positives or opportunities that lie ahead.

Last night I spent some time having a beer with a good friend and we started talking shop. We both had similar experiences over the past week. We each parted ways with an employee. We were discussing our similar situations when he mentioned that he read my blog every week. And so the conversation turned to a post from two weeks ago about Entitlement. He agreed with my commentary and so the conversation continued. He went on to explain that in hindsight he continued to give his support to his sales rep even when the young man was struggling and beginning to show signs that he would not make it much longer. The following is a letter we penned together to shed light on a trend with younger sales people carrying with them a sense of entitlement.

Dear former sales rep,

For many months you were a pleasure to employ. Your sense of humor was contagious and your enthusiasm for your new career was refreshing to a bunch of old guys. You really seemed to care about learning and developing. So what happened?

The team around you always painted a very realistic picture, that sales was not always easy, and that cold calling can be tough at times. We shared our own very real stories of success and loss. Did you not believe us? Did you think it would be a slam dunk with every dial of the telephone? Why did your attitude change and become so negative?

As time passed you became more and more frustrated and it seemed like every piece of advice we offered was met with disbelief and opposition. Statistically your performance was slipping with each passing day. You went from showing promise to being at the bottom of the performance list in the company of your peers. Weeks would go by without you getting a prospective meeting much less a closed piece of business. You ended up working on a probationary basis. Nothing improved.

Eventually the day came when you needed to part ways with the company. It was hopeless. You did not want to listen. You became defensive. You were lying to yourself about performance all the while struggling to even smile in the office. Instead of agreeing and accepting the outcome of the situation, it was your next actions that took us all by surprise.

You became belligerent. You demanded a form of severance even though you were being terminated for poor performance. You fabricated claims that your employment agreement and HR policies clearly outlined. You went from being the likable kid to being a jerk. And, what makes it worse, you did this to the people that supported you for over a year. You displayed that sense of entitlement that creates such disdain in the sales industry between the elder ‘A’ level sales people and the young up & comers.

We do not wish you ill will, but rather, we wish you good luck in your next position. You are a bright young man with promise. Please learn from this life lesson and you will come out ahead. If you disagree and continue with negative commentary and a sense of entitlement, this situation will ultimately repeat itself and you will again be on the losing end.

Good luck,

Your Sales Manager

So, after my small rant last week, I wanted to get back to some basics. I found myself giving a parental speech to my seven year old this week about telling lies and that there is no difference between a “little white lie” and a bold faced fabricated story. A lie is a lie. She was upset with one of her friends that told her something untrue and did not understand why. I feel like I helped her understand, but it also made me think about my daily routine in sales.

I don’t believe I’ve ever met a career, ‘A’ level sales person who has not been accused of telling a lie at some point in their respective position. It goes without fail that simply because their role is sales, they must lie at some point. I, myself, have been accused of fabricating a story to close a deal. Shame on them…I proved my story to be true. But, the accusation that I told a lie really stung, and it stuck with me throughout the entire business relationship. Changing another person’s opinion of sales is a challenge we will always face. So be it. There is one challenge though that we must face head on immediately.

Too many sales people get caught up in telling themselves, not a prospect or client, lies. Why does this happen? Are you trying to convince yourself a situation is not what it seems to be? Are you covering your tracks for a lack of performance?

Here are a few lies I’ve heard sales people admit they tell themselves:

• ·         I’m so busy right now I don’t know if I can take on anymore meetings this week
• ·         I have enough prospects that I don’t need to cold call this week
• ·         I’m going to skip the networking event tomorrow night, I have enough business right now
• ·         I am making the right calls to the right prospects, the market is just slow currently
• ·         It’s not me, I’m fine, the prospects just aren’t buying right now

And here are the actual circumstances when confronted and finally honest with themselves:

• ·         I thought I was busier but once a few appointments were cancelled I didn’t have any backups
• ·         I lost a few prospects and had to start cold calling over again
• ·         I wanted to go out with my boyfriend so I skipped the networking event…turns out my colleague came away with a few great prospects
• ·         (after management suggested calling a different group of prospects) Looks like my list was not as a good as I thought but things turned around when I began prospecting to a different group
• ·         It’s as important in how you say it as what you say…I guess my attitude has been impacting my tone and it was me not the prospects

Sometimes, and I would wager more than just sometimes, sales is hard because we make it hard on ourselves. Telling yourself a lie to make your role sound better, to make you feel better about your day, is like the “little white lie”. It is still a lie. Once you start telling yourself lies, it will become a vicious cycle. Don’t start. Own up to a shortcoming or two. Keep your focus and remember to work both hard and smart. You will be better off for it.