Saturday Morning Sales

For the past few years, since I began using this weekly blog to share stories about sales and sales management, I have been receiving numerous questions from readers including my own clients. Over the next several months I am going to use my weekly ramblings to post one reader question with my answer. Please note – my answers are based on my personal and professional experiences and in no way reflect my company or specific clients.

Q: When selling to an audience, is it rude to “dodge” certain attendees questions, especially from the lower level audience members?

A: Yes, it is rude, and no you should not “dodge” their questions. There are exceptions, but they are rare, and largely depend on the size of the audience. Let’s be realistic, you are probably not selling to a room of 30 people. Audiences will vary in size and those in attendance will have different level of organizational responsibility. However, if someone is in attendance during your sales pitch, they are most likely there for a reason, and their question may be more valid than the CEO’s.

Generally, when I am faced with either a larger audience or a time cap, I start the Q&A portion of the pitch off by saying that I will try my best to answer everyone’s questions during the meeting, but I also reserve time afterward to address some on a one-to-one basis. This gives you the momentary out to defer a question from the group time to a personal conversation. In fact, sometimes with lower level individuals, they may appreciate the one-to-one conversation, and you can win them over.

But, you want to make sure you do two things when the Q&A process takes place. One, you cannot ignore anyone regardless of their role. You must acknowledge the person and their question, even if by stating “great question and one that I will address right after we’re done with the group”. And, second, you must address that person and their question before you leave the building. I recently had this scenario play out and the person left the room at the end of the meeting and went back to their office. I politely asked the president of the company to show me to this individual so I could acknowledge them and address their question. I impressed both the president and this mid-level manager so much that I won the business and they both became fans of my firm and the project.

For the past few years, since I began using this weekly blog to share stories about sales and sales management, I have been receiving numerous questions from readers including my own clients. Over the next several months I am going to use my weekly ramblings to post one reader question with my answer. Please note – my answers are based on my personal and professional experiences and in no way reflect my company or specific clients.

Q: In need of a little help – I’m trying to explain to a few young sales interns that a career in sales is not a 9-5 job. What can a sales rep in a professional services organization expect?

A: Mary, you hit the nail on the head, sales is most certainly not a 9-5 job, especially in a professional services organization. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it is a 100% job, meaning you are always in sales mode.

So many young sales people believe sales starts when they arrive to work and ends when the leave to go home for the day. If that belief sticks with them for too long, they will fall into the trap of being nothing more than a B- sales person. True A level sales people understand that you take work home with you in the form of reading, studying, researching, planning, reviewing, proposal prep and writing, etc. You simply cannot get everything done during any given work day and thus you must be willing to take work home to stay on top of your sales.

Additionally, there are networking events in the evening. Industry trade shows or conferences to attend out of town. Weekend sales team building programs. And, of course, even on your own personal time, you’ll most likely run into a prospective or existing client. You’ll need to always have your game face on and be willing to jump right into sales mode.

For the past few years, since I began using this weekly blog to share stories about sales and sales management, I have been receiving numerous questions from readers including my own clients. Over the next several months I am going to use my weekly ramblings to post one reader question with my answer. Please note – my answers are based on my personal and professional experiences and in no way reflect my company or specific clients.

Q: Having followed your blog for some time, I am aware you have a fulltime job, as well as freelance consulting. Do you define yourself as a consultant or a coach? Is there a difference?

A: There are varying degrees of consultants and just as many text books and business books to go along with those consultants. I view a consultant as a person or entity that comes in with a specific skill set that an organization may generally not have. Or, at other times, a consultant can come in with a certain background or experience that adds, even if temporary, a different perspective to a department or entire company. Similarly, a coach needs to rally the team based on experiences, both wins and losses. I find myself often walking a thin line between a consultant and a coach. More times than not, when I manage my own fulltime team, I fill the role of coach. I’m on the field of battle with my own team members every day calling plays based on experiences. When I step into a freelance consulting engagement, I have a standard upfront homework process to familiarize myself with the client’s current situation. I then spend time assessing the situation from a hands-on, internal interview approach. I then consult with those that hired me on how to make improvements, add efficiencies, introduce change, improve moral, etc. 

For the past few years, since I began using this weekly blog to share stories about sales and sales management, I have been receiving numerous questions from readers including my own clients. Over the next several months I am going to use my weekly ramblings to post one reader question with my answer. Please note – my answers are based on my personal and professional experiences and in no way reflect my company or specific clients.

Q: I finally landed an interview for a sales position with a company I’ve wanted to join for years. I’m afraid of screwing up the interview. What advice do you have for acing the biggest interview of my career?

A: BE YOURSELF!!! While it’s not the only thing you need to do, I cannot stress this point enough. First of all, dress the part. If the company uniform is jeans and a golf shirt, ask the HR rep you’re dealing with if they recommend a suit & tie or dressy casual. You want to be comfortable and being comfortable will ease some of your stress. Second, be open. It is expected that you will be honest, but that’s different than being open. Speak from both the heart and from experience. Do not try to BS the folks you’re interviewing with, they will see right through it. Talk about your career not only in terms of accomplishments, but also how you’ve developed and learned through lost experiences. Third and finally, do your damn homework. Yes, I am expressing that in the most serious of phrases. You must set yourself apart from others interviewing. Know who you are interviewing with, what their backgrounds are, the products or services you will be asked to sell, as much as possible about the competition and market landscape and be able to speak to your addition to their team. In other words describe yourself in terms of already being a part of their team. What do you bring to the table that other candidates do not.