Saturday Morning Sales

I know the title of this week’s blog is a bit cheesy, sorry about that. I’m sure you’ve heard the play on this title from a famous sports agent movie, but not too sure you’ve heard goodbye. Long before the movie was even released this is a phrase I’ve come to love in the sales world, “you had me at goodbye”. So, now you’re probably asking, “what in the world is he talking about?”

Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret that I’ve been using in sales for over 20 years. No matter how good or bad you feel a meeting has been going, the tell-tale sign is the goodbye. I’ve sat through decent meetings that I thought went well until the goodbye. That’s when the decision maker hurried me out the door because of another meeting and barely uttered goodbye. That particular deal never happened. And, in an opposite manner, I very recently had a meeting that I thought was just oaky, but the decision maker provided me with parting words that made it all the worthwhile. Not only did she say goodbye, she referenced several talking points from the meeting, expressed her gratitude for me driving to her office, asked if she could visit my office for the next meeting to meet the team, and wished me well as I walked out of the door. We are now very close to signing the contract.

Keep in mind, especially in a first meeting, that saying hello can be awkward. There is sometimes a moment of silence, or the need to break the ice, and then get down to the business of the meeting. Meetings, depending on the topic and attendees, can be quick and easy or long and drawn out. It is your goal as the sales person to remain in control of the meeting, keeping the agenda moving forward, and hoping you’ve kept their attention to move forward toward a signed contract at some point.

I have found that when it comes time for goodbye, this is the moment of truth that will set the stage for whether your potential new relationship has legs to stand on. If it appears genuine you’ve done your job. If it appears rehearsed or rushed, keep your fingers crossed.

Not every sales manager should be the sales manager. We’ve all experienced the sales manager from hell at least once in our careers, whether as a rep or as a buyer. So what defines a sales manager from hell and why should you run away from them?

Over the past several months I’ve been counseling a sales representative that was a one-time owner in his company. He and his partner sold their business a little over one year ago and as part of the transaction they were to remain onboard for a period of eighteen months. My client Dan has always been the top producing sales person in the company, and now even in a larger organization, he remains at the top. However, he is no longer the head of sales, but rather reports to the Vice President of the company. Enter the sales manager from hell.

Susan does not trust her employees. She requires employees to be in the office way to much when they should be visiting clients. She requires pre-approval for every expense, even when buying your client a cup of coffee, otherwise she refuses reimbursement. She threatens to put tracking on the sales reps cell phones so that she knows where they are at all times. She admits to reading the reps emails. And she contacts clients to check up on her reps. Trust in her team is a foreign concept to her.

Dan has been completely frustrated. The company he loved so much is now in the hands, at least partially, of a woman that has no idea how to sell, manage accounts, build relationships with clients, and trust in her reps to continue growth. Dan is beside himself and is visibly frustrated. As he comes close to the end of the eighteen month required stay period, it is clear that he is going to immediately leave. With Dan’s 20+ year career experience as an ‘A’ level sales person, you may be wondering why he’s asked me for help.

Dan’s frustration being under the thumb of the sales manager from hell is completely new to him. We’ve been working on how to handle the current situation so that he can exit amicably. But, Dan is concerned about what comes next. He has a non-competition agreement, so he’ll be seeking a new opportunity in a new industry. He’s concerned about entering another organization and being managed by another Susan. It’s been my job to assure him that the Susan’s of the sales world are the minority.

 Sales managers from hell can be toxic to both an organization and the sales reps within. Most ‘A’ level sales people know how to avoid these managers or work around them. They know what to look out for and are careful to manage themselves rather than letting the sales manager from hell take control. So, I’ve been helping Dan identify the characteristics to avoid: (1) keep an eye out for the overly personal questions, maybe skirting the HR boundaries just enough, from the person you will be reporting to; (2) be upfront about your own working style, schedule, time management, etc. and watch carefully the visible reactions from the sales manager (read their body language for agreement or discomfort); (3) ask as many or more questions of the sales manager as they are asking of you (an interview with a new company or for a promotion in your own company is a two way conversation); and, (4) whenever possible, place the sales manager into hypothetical scenarios, and have them explain their management style.

This is an approach recommended for any interview process, but it is very important to use the scenarios as the key to make sure your methodology for selling is a match for the person you’ll be reporting to. And as for Dan, he’s going to come out on top, while Susan’s very bad flaws will eventually be her demise. Sales managers from hell always lose in the end.

There’s no doubt about it, we’re all busy. We live hectic lives between work and family. Digital devices keep us plugged in to every aspect of our own lives, our spouses, our children’s, our co-workers and so on. It is easy to forget something sometimes with so much going on. I get it. You get. Makes sense. So, what is Finish What You Start?

All too often sales people find excuses when something slips through the cracks: when you forget to send the thank you note after a meeting; the examples you were going to email took you an extra week because you forgot; or, you gave up calling the prospect after the fourth voicemail. Whatever the reason, there should be no excuses, and certainly no exceptions. You must finish what you start.

Time management can be one of a sales person’s greatest attributes or hindrances. It has been my belief for a very long time that if you work on the philosophy of finish what you start then you are a step closer to producing results. Let me explain.

As I mentioned above, we all live busy lives, and can feel overwhelmed at times. That is okay. It is how you manage your schedule, personally and professionally, that leads to results. If you manage yourself to not put something off until tomorrow, you will get more done today. I know, I know this makes sense, but it is easier said than done. Time management requires daily evaluations of how you are spending your time, what tasks are being accomplished, and making sure you check off everything on your daily to-do list before your head hits the pillow.

Clients and prospects very rarely look at the time of when an email was sent. It is most important that the email be in their inbox before they arrive to the office tomorrow morning. So work on it after the kids go to bed. When you commit to sending examples to the prospect, take your laptop into the kitchen at the office, and work through lunch.

Sales is not, nor has it ever been, a 9-5 job. Sales is a career and a lifestyle choice. You do not need to be beholden to your position 24-7, but if you apply good time management principals daily, you will finish what you’ve started, and you will sell more. If you want to chat about my approach to time management, give me a call or send me an email.

Do not put off until tomorrow what should be done today. You’ve done your homework and have made a decision, so sign now and close the deal. Be aggressive and not so passive. Have a sense of urgency in what you do.

A sense of urgency does not mean you need to fast-track your sales process, nor does it mean you should take short cuts in an attempt to close a deal sooner. A sense of urgency is about tone, attitude, demeaner, and ultimately being professionally aggressive in chasing after your goals. I’ve been reminded of this quite a few times recently. There have been scenarios in my organization, as well as with a few sales people I counsel on the side, and so I’ve been giving this topic a lot of thought.

To a certain extent you can blame the weather. It is late-August in Northeast Ohio. After a cooler and wetter summer than most would have wanted, we seem to finally be getting the warm, dry days we’ve been craving. Of course, that means no one really wants to be in the office. The kids only have a few days left of summer vacation. Lake Erie is becoming ideal for boating. Pools will be closing right after Labor Day. And again, no one really wants to be in the office. So, maybe this nice weather is wearing on sales people’s sense of urgency. Fine, I see where you’re coming from, but you need to get past it.

A sense of urgency should not be something you turn on and off like a light switch. A sense of urgency should be as much about who you are as what you do. And, if you are in sales, and more importantly striving to become or maintain ‘A’ level sales status, than get that sense of urgency going and keep it going. So what I am talking about?

A sense of urgency is as much in how you carry yourself as it is about the words you choose. I am in a service industry and so I will leverage my experience as an example. When I find a prospective client that seems like a great fit, I want this prospect to know how I feel. Therefore, I will explain why I want to do business with them from the very beginning. I will find opportunities to remind them just how and why I believe this is a great fit. I will ask often about their feelings. I will make every opportunity presented to me one to ask the client for their business. And, ultimately, above everything else, I want my sense of urgency to become contagious. I don’t just want but need the prospect to feel the same as I do about the pending relationship. I need them to feel that the opportunity is so important that we cannot delay. I need them to sign on the dotted line today not tomorrow.

This whole sense of urgency thing is not 100% full proof. It does not work perfectly in every sales scenario. But, an ‘A’ level sales person strives to have a sense of urgency 100% of the time. And, when they do, the right type of aggressive behavior shines through and the passive behavior goes away. When this happens you will see a dramatic increase in your close rate. You will also have a more energetic client base. 

I was recently faced with two similar scenarios. The first was with a prospect that I had been meeting with for a few weeks. After each meeting I would evaluate the discussion, review potential red flags in moving forward, outline reasons to continue or not continue the discussions, and then plan accordingly. The second was a sales opportunity with an existing client. We have been discussing, in both face-to-face meetings and conference calls, how to expand and enhance their marketing presence. I followed a similar path as with the prospect and outlined the ups and downs for the potential project and what steps, if any, need to take place to move forward.

In both cases, with the prospect and the existing client, I chose to walk away from the opportunities. Yep, that’s right, I walked away. And in both cases the person I had been dealing with accused me of being a poor sales person. They felt I was not looking out for “THEIR” interests. They wanted me to do what they wanted because I was a “vendor”. Well guess what folks, sales is not one sided.

By now there have been enough articles written about the “customer is NOT always right”. This is true, but how you handle each of these cases can either be a benefit or a detriment to your company and your sales performance. First and foremost, if the customer is always right, then you and your company are always wrong. Second, being treated as a “vendor” often times means that you are bidding on a piece of business based on nothing at all but price. Forget your knowledge and experience. Forget that you want to put the client’s interests first. If you are not ready to always say yes, do as they ask, and for a certain price, then you will be replaced.

I believe in both scenarios referenced above, I would lose the respect of my colleagues, and I would lose a bit of self-respect too, if I continued with the sales calls. In both cases there was enough reason to know that we were not a good fit. In both cases the prospect and the client may not get our very best work because they were not going to allow our team to flex their creative and technological muscles. In both cases the attitudes of the prospect and client were that they knew more than my team and we were just going to be hired hands to do as we’re told.

Simply put, we were going to be hired into an unhealthy business relationship, and that does not work for us. So, I did my job, and I excused myself and my firm from consideration. I can handle their criticism of my sales approach, no problem. I wouldn’t be able to handle the disappointment of my team afterward. Sales is not one sided. Remember, you have your company’s and your own interests to keep in mind too when selling. When the prospect’s or client’s needs, approach and beliefs match yours, you have found a good sale. 

I only do business on a handshake. Get the upfront contract, you know, the verbal commitment. Put the agreement together and send it over. I’ll give you the okay in an email; that should suffice.

Over the past 20+ years of sales and management I’ve heard it all. The deal. The agreement. The contract. And, sales reps always ask me, what is the best way to proceed toward a close? Is a handshake enough of a commitment? Do we need a written contract? Which is better? And, my answer has never changed – You Need Both. That’s right, you want to do business with someone because you’ve developed a relationship, sealed with a handshake. But, you must also protect your interests and your new clients.

Sales can be a tedious and emotional process. In fact, it should be, emotional that is. Sales can take time and when it does it tends to build a bond between the sales representative and the prospective client. The relationship becomes emotional and when emotion is in play things can be said that may sway the deal either in your favor or the prospective clients. Emotion can be a great selling attribute. You want to develop trust and respect. You want to engage on the services now or sell your product now, but you also want to have a long-term relationship so you can sell more down the road.

When it comes time to close the deal, by now your inclination is to shake hands, maybe break bread, and exchange the pleasantries that go along with the newly formed relationship. So what exactly was promised along the way? What are the specifics of the project, the service or the product sold? What payment terms were agreed upon? What guarantees or warranties are in place?

A contract is a business tool and should be used as such. Just as though every ‘A’ level sales person knows that budget must be discussed very early on in a sales call, so must the topic of a contract or written agreement. It must be made clear to your prospective client that the contract is a tool that you’ll use to keep his and your best interests and intentions clear. Your relationship is valuable and you wouldn’t want anything misinterpreted.

You should be prepared to share your contract language early in the process. If the prospective client has a contract they’d prefer to use, request a copy, and make sure you can live with the terms or negotiate. The worst feeling for a sales person, and the prospective client, is to watch a deal fall apart because the contract process was not managed up front. Trust me, I’ve seen this happen many times, when the contract is managed early on in the sales call the handshake will still be there and the relationship will be stronger. 

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.

In the midst of an incredibly busy calendar I found time this past week to attend a concert with my wife and a few friends. It was a small venue show with a fairly well known group that plays music in what has become known as jam band style. The average age of the audience was early-to-mid forties and everyone seemed to soak in the sights as much as the sounds. And so you’re probably saying “so what – what does this have to do with sales?”

It was in this venue during a few hours respite from my otherwise hectic schedule that I was reminded of two lessons that every ‘A’ level sales person must remember.

Lesson 1: Never ever judge a book by its cover. Come on, you’ve heard that saying since you were a kid just like me, but yet again a clear reminder was presented to me on Tuesday evening. I would never have imagined that I would run into a client, much less three clients, at the concert. One in particular works in a very polished financial organization, the suit & tie shop, and so I was a bit surprised to see him. While many, including one of the men in his group, were wearing shorts and old Grateful Dead t-shirts, he was in khakis and a golf shirt. That was not too surprising. It was his friend, the one in the old t-shirt and cut off shorts, that was the surprise. After talking a bit I became aware that this gentleman is the chairman and CEO of a holding company with seven subsidiaries. He is the majority owner. And, collectively, those seven companies are worth in excess of $375 million. We had a pleasant conversation over a beer and he is interested in meeting with me in early-July to talk shop. That’s right, the guy in the Grateful Dead t-shirt and cutoff’s. So what’s the lesson again: Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Lesson 2: In a similar manner, you do not want others judging you. Another lesson I learned at a younger age, from my time growing up in Baltimore and now having lived in the Cleveland area for over eighteen years, these communities are small even though geographically large, you will run into someone you know anywhere, any time, and certainly when you least expect it. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, ‘A’ level sales people do not view sales as a job, but rather a career or lifestyle choice. While you should never judge a book by its cover, you should always consider there are eyes on you. Be yourself, be friendly, be in control. Have fun, but remember that your actions may speak louder than words, and you may be judged by your own cover.

A concert. A concert where I didn’t think I’d run into anyone. A concert where I simply wanted to relax for a few hours. A concert that I absolutely enjoyed and would go again (I hope to go again). A concert that on a personal level reminded me of two golden rules in sales as a career. Keep these in mind as you cut loose from time-to-time. I promise they will come in handy.  

In May of 1994 I began a career journey that has been challenging, risky and rewarding. I’ve held a variety of titles, but they’ve always meant one thing – sales. My best guess is that I’ve met with close to 2,000 different companies ranging in size from mom & pop – to – start-up – to Fortune 100. And, I’ve had the pleasure of calling many in each category clients. I’ve lived in Maryland, North Carolina and Florida before eventually landing in Cleveland, Ohio which is now home. More...