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67 Sales Tips to Sell in a Recession

This is is a thanks to Jake Atwood, President of Ovation Sales and Buzz Builder, for co-presenting a webinar this week, 67 Sales Tips to Sell in a Recession. Jake is an incredible host and gave incredible practical, actionable advice that keeps the sales process moving forward. In addition, I’ve started using Jake’s software, Buzz Builder to create eMail campaigns. Again, Jake has been incredible to work with. Kudo’s to Jake! I invite you to check out his websites.

67 Tips to Raise Your Sales Results in a Recession

I’m very excited to be producing my first publication, an eBook entitled, “Yes You Can! 67 Tips to Raise Sales Results in a Recession.” For all my blog visitors, you can download advanced copies complimentary.

I’ve been working on a book for a while; however, that won’t be out until this fall. And, I know that the ideas regarding recruiting, coaching, motivating and accountability discussed in the book are needed NOW to impact 2009 revenues. So, I have a copy reserved for you. I look forward to your feedback on what’s working for you.

Lean Processes and Sales Mapping

In working with a leadership team this week, I heard the classic argument of discipline vs. creativity/innovation. The General Manager was in the midst of implementing Lean Principles in the manufacturing side of the business. They had made incredible strides in improving productivity and efficiency.

With production strengthened, the leadership team was preparing to grow revenue capacity. Since they’d seen the incredibly value of Lean Principles, they suggested that those some principles might be helpful in Mapping the Sales Process.

When the VP of Sales heard this, he was up-in-arms, “You can’t do that! We operate on creativity, gut feel. We know what’s happening with the prospect.” Sarcastically, he said, “You can’t Map out a relationship.”

This is a typically struggle as companies wrestle to move to the Next Level of growth. The trick is to balance discipline AND creativity.

I’ve learned from practical experience in leading sales teams and in helping company leaders orchestrate the Next Level of growth, that “discipline nurtured with creativity” does indeed “yield bottom line results.” Processes and accountability create the structure required for business to function. Similar to the rules of a sport, they offer an athlete the freedom and creativity to use their natural talent to score points. This discipline, when forged with creativity, stimulates team members to channels their energy on maximizing results.

Leaders who embrace this paradox will drive results in three essential areas: innovation, financial growth, and employee engagement. Creative thinking fosters breakthrough product ideas and resourceful problem solving. A culture of personal accountability drives profitability. With the freedom bring their all their talents to work, your staff is empowered to make significant contributions.

How do you balance “discipline” and “creativity” in your company?

What does the God have to do with leading in this economy?

On Feb. 6th., a colleague, Matt Meents of Reside, invited me to University of St. Thomas’s First Friday Speaking Series.  It was a great event with George Buckley, Chairman of the Board of 3M, sharing his insights on the U.S. economy based on an engineer’s analysis of the economy.

The luncheon event was launched with a prayer by Don Wienkauf, Dean of Engineering of St. Thomas University. I was struck by not only the freshness, aliveness and hope of his prayer, but also by the humility. Obviously, we were in the audience of brilliant people (OK, I have a bias. My daughter is in bio-medical engineering and my future son-in-law is in chemical engineering. Sometimes, I have NO IDEA what they are talking about! I think they are brilliant!)

As leaders, we have the opportunity to bring hope to those we influence. They best way to bring hope is to by humble and recognize that we can’t lead alone, that we rely on the “God of Surprises” to “Inspire us with the belief that the answers to our greatest problem lie in a deeper understanding of You and Your creation.”

Here’s the prayer. What are the sections that speak to you?

O Gracious Lord, and God of Surprises.

Lift us with imagination.

Fill us with wonder for what we do not know.

Remind us, and humble us with the mysteries

….of a seemingly boundless universe.

Inspire us with the belief that the answers to our greatest problem

… lie in a deeper understanding of You and Your creation.

Release us from the routine

… and prepare us to be surprised by what we have yet to learn.

O Gracious Lord, and God of Forgiveness.

Grant us the power to forgive.

So that we can cast away the shadow of what has been done,

And allow us the freedom, energy, and zeal to address

… those things which we have left undone

the things we’ve left undone… in poverty

the things we’ve left undone… in hunger

the things we’ve left undone… with a stranger, with our friends

… and in the lives of our own families.

For your greatest mercy is asked for these things

The things we can do, but do not.

Help us to remember, that life is short, that there are words of kindness and love that will never be spoken unless we say them.

Laughter that will never be shared, unless we spark it.

And good deeds that will never be done unless we do them.

O Gracious Lord, Lift us with imagination and empower us with forgiveness to move on to the great work You have set out for us to do.

What parts of this prayer speak to you?

Triumph through the Recession

Engage your Existing Clients to help you

Colleen Francis, Founder and President of Engage Selling Solutions have some excellent advice for Sales leaders in an article she titled: “Keep Customers, Kill the Recession.” She talks about the additional challenges sales people face today in bringing new customers on board. Colleen believes there is an easier way. How?

Engage your existing clients to refer more business your way. How? Providing service excellence to your existing clients shouts “stick with us” louder than anything else. The benefits of retaining existing clients are numerous; just to mention one – the estimated landing of a new account costs 5 to 20 times more than selling into an existing relationship. This will vary according to industry.

When looking at best practice in client retention you find that top companies do a number of things:

• They measure the status of their client service regularly. You can do this by hiring a consulting firm to do this research for you.
• “Out-service” the competition. Find out what your competitors are doing well and outsmart them. Do you have a toll-free help line or a user-friendly web site?
• Your sales staff needs to know their clients and show their appreciation.

It is not a myth that service sell. Your Sales Manager should instill quality service in his sales force. If they consistently deliver this there is no reason why they cannot ask for referrals with the greatest of confidence.

As CEO and leader, how well do you know the CEO’s of the top clients of your company and how often do you network with them?