The Sales Growth Specialists Blog
Get insight on building a high performance sales organization that delivers results, regardless of economic, market, and industry obstacles, from Danita Bye, founder of Sales Growth Specialists.
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Ethical Sales Leadership: Raising the Bar (1 of 5)
“Beware of no one more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.” Charles Spurgeon, British Baptist Preacher. (1834 – 1892)
Over a decade ago, I launched Sales Growth Specialists. I was tentative about whether this was really the career where I wanted to
invest my life. I was leaving an industry I loved, the health care industry, which held intrinsic value for me. Why? Because I knew my work was contributing to helping grandparents who previously got frustrated at not being able to hear the high-pitched voices of their grandchildren. It gave me an indescribable internal buzz to know I was making a positive contribution to the passing on of values to the next generation.
I was discussing my trepidations with a new colleague in the sales force development field. Sensing my hesitancy and lack of enthusiasm in charging forward, he asked me to elaborate. Much to my own surprise, I heard myself saying, “I’m embarrassed to be in sales!” Being a good coach, he probed even deeper. I responded with, “I hate sales! It’s slimy, slippery and manipulative! And, that is not who I am!”
Then came the most life-impacting part of the conversation. He said, “Danita, that’s the very reason you need to be in the industry – to raise the bar, to call the industry to a higher standard.”
My lunch date with another friend a couple of weeks ago, reminded me of this conversation. In my next posting, I’ll tell you about the important lessons I learn over lunch.
Sales Growth Question: What are you doing to raise the bar for those you are leading with regards to ethical business processes?
Sales Growth Lesson: As transformational leaders, we can inspire and motivate others to nurture an ethical culture in our sales teams.
© Copyright 2012, Danita Bye Sales Growth Specialists, All Rights Reserved.
Hope is a Sales Leadership Strategy (2)
Definition of hope: an activating force that enables people, even when faced with the most overwhelming obstacles, to envision a promising future and to set and pursue goals.
We all watched in dismay on Friday, January 13, as 3000 tourists and 1000 crew members aboard the Costa Concordia, an Italian cruise ship, faced the nightmare. Their dream of a lifetime turns into a titantic-like disaster.
I’m amazed watching the news coverage about the tragedy. Initial reports are about the destruction and loss of life. But then miracles happen. People are rescued from their cabins; families are reunited – and these stories bring hope.
Susy Albertini, the mother of missing five-year-old Dayana Arlotti, was on the island and had planned to leave flowers at the wreck. But, she said, she could not go through with it while a glimmer of hope remained that her daughter might be found alive.
In the wake of the financial recession, negativity was also initially making up most of the headlines. But then, as with other disasters, stories of hope and heroism, start to filter through. The entrepreneurial energy of leaders kicks into gear.
How can you not be consumed by a feeling of hopelessness as you’re facing increasing higher goals with no expansion of resources? As a sales leader, how can you harness the true potential from hope and use it as a powerful sales tool?
Reading the article “Towards a deeper understanding of Hope and Leadership”, published in the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies by Martha Helland and Bruce Winston, I learned about how Hope inspires you, as a sales leader, to make a mind shift – away from despair and towards a hopeful future. With your mental shift, you encourage your team to the innovation and tenacity that’s born in hope. Hope is:
- Born in relationship.
- Inspired by the belief that the future is open and can be changed.
- Generated by positive action.
High Hope Leaders have these characteristics:
- Set goals by making realistic assessments of their ability to attain a goal.
- Pursue goals with determination and energy.
- Generate more goals.
- Strive towards productive relationships with others where they can reach goals as a team.
- Experience less stress and are able to implement effective coping strategies when faced with unforeseen challenges.
As sales leaders, we have the responsibility – now more than ever before – to instill hope in our sales teams. I take courage from these words by Albert Einstein: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” And, we’re reminded of the power of real hope in I Cor. 13:13, “These three things remain, Faith, Hope and Love.”
SALES GROWTH QUESTION: What can you do to lead your team away from negative thinking towards hopeful thinking?
SALES GROWTH LESSON: Hope is an important virtue for sales leaders.
© Copyright 2011, Danita Bye Sales Growth Specialists, All Rights Reserved.
Hope is a Sales Leadership Strategy (1)
Some psychologists identify hope as an activating force that enables people, even when faced with the most overwhelming obstacles, to envision a promising future and to set and pursue goals.
College break is over and I’m sending two students back to the university. Over break, we had long discussions on the degrees they might pursue based on the needs of the continually shifting global economy and their unique set of gifts, talents and interests. There’s much uncertainty since most of the careers as we know them will be gone in the near future – phased out in favor of new ideas and technologies.
Hope - A Leadership Strategy
Even though many industries are reporting better-than-expected sales and there’s a general sense of hopefulness in small to mid-sized businesses, we know that we’re still facing challenging and uncertain times. The paradox that captures headlines every day is this – the only certainty we seem to be sure of, is that uncertainty has come to stay.
Interestingly, research in the field of Positive Psychology now supports the power of hope. Inspiring Hope actually is an important leadership skill in the New Normal.
Look at it this way – without hope, sales teams fall into a state of status quo. They believe they have no control over anything anymore and they should just wait it out until things get better, i.e. the economy gets better, the competition goes bankrupt or the company management finally gets their act together. Of course, these beliefs sabotage the energy and creativity needed to create a sales team that can consistently win more new accounts.
I can tell you for the lessons I have learned in business as well as growing up on a ranch in North Dakota, where uncertainty was part of our daily lives, ‘waiting for things to get better on its own’, was never an option.
Rather, I was taught a sense of hopeful realism – a reasonable expectation of a good end – neither a misleading hope nor a false despair.
With intentionality, hopeful realism can become a dominant attitude throughout your sales organization.
In our next posting, I’ll share some ideas on how you can harness the true potential from hope and use it as a powerful sales leadership strategy.
SALES GROWTH QUESTION: What are you doing as a Sales Leader, to make sure your team stays both realistic and hopeful at the same time?
SALES GROWTH LESSON: Hope does not sit around waiting for things to get better on its own. Hope takes action to make things happen.
© Copyright 2011, Danita Bye Sales Growth Specialists, All Rights Reserved.
Strategic Initiatives 2012
Strategic Sales Survey for 2012
Last December, I asked my readers to participate in a strategic sales survey. The response was impressive with over 250 business and sales leaders like you responding to that request. A year has past and it is time to gather benchmark data for 2012 strategic efforts. Please consider investing 3 to 5 minutes again this year to participate. Your insights are valuable.
What is in it for you? Like last year, participants receive a free summary of the data that you can use for your strategic sales initiatives. The report included last year’s sales results, next year’s growth projections and the strategic sales growth initiatives being planed.
Last years report was praised for the usable, real world, strategic benchmark data it provided (compared to the gloomy editorialized news we see daily).
Thanks in advance for your help.
PS: This is a confidential survey, your responses and participation will remain private.
PPS: Feel free to forward this link to business and sales leaders that would find it useful. http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/753646/Sales-Growth-Specialists-Strategic-Initiatives-Survey
© Copyright 2011, Danita Bye Sales Growth Specialists, All Rights Reserved.
Climbing the Value Ladder™ – Part 3
Don’t be disposable – become indispensable (Part 3)
To read this series from the start go to: Climbing the Value Ladder – Part 1
Statistics from AllBusiness.com indicate that eighty percent of new sales are made after the fifth contact, but the majority of sales people give up after the second call.
When your sales people make cold calls, the primary goal of the person on the other side is to get them off the phone as quickly as possible. One of the first thoughts going through a prospect’s mind when they pick up the phone and hear a salesperson on the other side, is: “How long is this going to take?” or “How can I get rid of this person as quickly as possible?
Help your sales team by teaching them how to deliver messages that will move them up the value ladder.
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Teach your sales team to find out as much as they possibly can about the company or individual going to cold call in advance. This gives them the advantage of being able to talk to the client about their business and their needs. Understanding the client’s key challenges, pains, and obstacles will help your team to formulate a message that has true value. |
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During sales meetings, most sales managers ask, What was your biggest success this week? I also encourage you to ask your sales team this question: What was your biggest failure this week? Then, creatively brainstorm how to turn the failure into success. Come up with creative solutions. That’s how they learn to make better sales calls. |
New technology is opening a multitude of creative avenues that can spark immediate interest with your prospects – webinars, text messaging, and personalized gifts. However, a well-directed, thoroughly researched cold call with valuable content will always be a key component of an excellent sales kit and help your sales team to become an indispensable part of your prospect’s business.
Sales Growth Question: How are you helping your team to broaden their vision and look at alternative ways to communicate a value message to your clients and prospects?
Sales Growth Lesson: Explore how to turn failures into successes through creative brainstorming.
© Copyright 2011, Danita Bye Sales Growth Specialists, All Rights Reserved.
Climbing the Value Ladder™ – Part 2
Don’t be disposable – become indispensable (Part 2)
In our previous posting, we established that it’s critical for your sales team to move from a disposable irritation to an indispensable part of your client’s value ladder. However, in order to become indispensable, your sales people may need your help.
No-one likes to fail. It feels good to succeed, but some sales people have perfected doing the wrong thing well. What do I mean?
Let’s say your sales team’s target is to make twenty cold calls in a specific time-frame. They make the calls. Do they get any appointments? No. Do they feel they have failed? No, because they reached their target of making twenty colds calls within the set time-limit. They feel successful because they’ve checked the 20 calls off their ToDo list. So, how can you help them turn this apparent failure into opportunity and success?
Your salesperson only has a few seconds to grab the prospect’s attention. Here are some steps you can share with your sales team to ensure they communicate a message to your prospects that delivers results.
Your sales person can create value by using a client-specific message that makes prospects feel they want to spend time with him. (They believe has a solution for their problem.)
Listen to your salesperson’s pitch. Does it sound as if he is reading from a brochure or has he researched carefully what he’s going to say to the clients/prospects, taking their unique situation into account?
If your team can’t get a strong message to your prospect, they will never get the first meeting. Conduct regular brainstorming sessions with your sales team to explore non-traditional ways of communicating your message.
In our next posting I will give you some more examples of how you can help your sales team to make the most of their sales message.
Sales Growth Question: What are you doing to ensure your sales team understands the importance of the message they deliver to their prospects?
Sales Growth Lesson: Client specific messages that are well researched add value to your sales strategy.
© Copyright 2011, Danita Bye Sales Growth Specialists, All Rights Reserved.
Climbing the Value Ladder™ – Part 1
Don’t be disposable – become indispensable (Part 1)
As a business leader, president or VP of Sales, do you often hear your salespeople say it seems everybody has what they’re trying to sell them? Well, it’s generally true that most people really don’t enjoy talking to a salesperson that’s focused on their own agenda. However, I also know that every person has problems that need fixing. So, your sales staff’s goal is to make sure they are adding value to their prospects and clients lives, becoming their indispensable problem solver.
It’s critical that we teach our sales teams to climb the Value Ladder™.
What does this value ladder look like?
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STEP ONE – Disposable The prospect/client literally throws in the trash – or sends to the recycle bin – what your salespeople are sending. Either it’s not what they want or need. Or, it’s outdated. |
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STEP TWO – Usable The prospect/client listens to what your salespeople have to say, and they are mildly interested. They even tell you, Well fine, send me a quote, I’ll take a look at it. |
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STEP THREE – Valuable Your sales person is doing something for the client that solves a problem very few people can. Your prospect/client isn’t wasting his time with your company’s proposal. In fact, the they believe that you will deliver on your promises. |
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STEP FOUR – Indispensable You’re salesperson and your company is the only one in the client’s life that can solve the problem. Your team is able to deliver on a consistent basis because of your support system. |
So, if the goal is to go from disposable to Indispensable, how do you lead your team in that process? One of the key components that I have found in my work with growth oriented companies, is that they have formulated a client-specific message prospects want to listen to.
In our next posting, l take a closer look at this message and how it can help you to make more sales.
Sales Growth Question: What can you do to inspire your team to think creatively about adding value to your clients’ sales experience?
Sales Growth Lesson: We need to learn how to become indispensable to our clients, so that we are the first person they call when they have a problem.
© Copyright 2011, Danita Bye Sales Growth Specialists, All Rights Reserved.
Avoid these 5 Common Mistakes when hiring a Sales Manager – Conclusion
To start reading this series from the beginning, please go here.
Hiring the right sales manager is a key growth strategy. However, the shocking fact is that according to research conducted by Objective Management Group, only
8% of Sales Managers are top performers. Statistics also show us that 18% of Sales Managers should never have ended up in that position.
According to Dr John Sullivan,(1) a well-known leader in HR, most informal assessments peg the cost of a bad hire to be 150-300% of their annual salary each year they remain employed. So, what can you do to ensure you hit a bull’s eye when you appoint your new Sales Manager?
In the previous postings, we’ve looked at five of the most common mistakes that companies make when they appoint a sales manager. We’ve also looked at some of the character traits, skills and values your sales manager should have.
• We understand what role our Sales Manager should play in our business strategy.
• We’ve ensured that he/she will be a perfect fit for our selling environment.
• We’ve identified a candidate who will be able to execute our sales strategy.
• We’ve used intensive interviewing techniques to ensure that there is no culture clash.
• We have pre-determined on-boarding metrics to let us know whether our Sales Manager is on track or off track.
I know it sounds like I’m stating the obvious, but just think about this for a minute: the sales activity of a company is the only activity that brings in revenue.
The job of the sales manager is the one position in a company where numbers speak for themselves. A Right Fit sales manager can grow sales by a minimum of 20-30%.
Do you have the right sales manager on your team?
Sales Growth Question: How is your Sales Manager contributing to the growth of your company?
Sales Growth Lesson: The right Sales Manager is the person who fits in perfectly with your unique selling environment, sales strategy and company culture.
NOTE:
1. Dr. John Sullivan is a well-known thought leader in HR. He is a frequent speaker and advisor to Fortune 500 and Silicon Valley firms. Formerly the chief talent officer for Agilent Technologies (the 43,000-employee HP spin-off), he is now a professor of management at San Francisco State University. He was called the “Michael Jordan of Hiring” by Fast Company magazine.
For the full webinar that I did for EcSell Institute, go to 5 Mistakes Webinar.
PPT Slides can be viewed at 5 Mistakes Presentation.
© Copyright 2011, Danita Bye Sales Growth Specialists, All Rights Reserved.
Avoid these 5 Common Mistakes when hiring a Sales Manager – Mistake 5
NOTES: To start reading this series from the beginning, please go here.
Mistake #5: Not understanding the role of on-boarding metrics
Another mistake that companies often make when hiring a Sales Manager is overlooking or not understanding the role of the on-
boarding process. Companies usually have clearly defined metrics for the sales people, but it’s almost like a black hole when it comes to the Sales Management function. Due to the lack of concrete expectations, you then don’t have the insight to know if your Sales Manager is indeed on track or off track.
On-boarding metrics for the Sales Manager play an important role. The on-boarding process goes well beyond the orientation process, which is typically a one day event that focuses on the organization’s structure, mission and policies and deals with the administrative part of completing the appointment. However, the Sales Manager’s on-boarding should be a systematic process which can last up to 18 months, depending on the position. This process includes the cultivation of a long term relationship.
INTERVIEWING TIPS:
Establishing very specific guidelines about your expectations for the Sales Manager will make future judgment of his performance a very clear and measurable process. Another advantage of setting these standards beforehand and discussing it with a candidate during the interviewing phase is that the presentation of the metrics will result in some candidates disqualifying themselves before they could be appointed. Imagine the saving in time and revenue!
Keep your metrics clear and measurable with activities and goals linked to specific dates. Some examples of what your Sales Manager On-boarding metrics could look like are:
- Raise the activity level of the team from 35 per day to 40 per day by ____ (set a date)
- Increase the Sales pipeline from $1 million level to 1.3 million by ____ (set a date)
- Increase the year-to-year comparison of monthly sales with at least 5% by _____ (set a date)
- Meet with each salesperson 1/2 hour per week at a regularly scheduled time.
- Meet with 2 key accounts weekly for the first 3 months.
- Have a weekly sales meeting with the entire sales team.
- Travel with 2 members of the sales team 1/2 day per week for first 3 months.
You don’t want to play guessing games when you measure your sales manager’s performance. When you set up metrics in such specific detail as we have shown in our examples above, it will make your future communication with your Sales Manager that much easier and effective. Determining his or her performance will not be linked to emotions or feelings, but to a specific number that can be measured.
Sales Growth Question: What processes are you using to determine how closely the Sales Manager is fulfilling his role in your business?
Sales Growth Lesson: When you appoint a Sales Manager without proper processes in place to measure his or her performance, you might as well be throwing darts with a blindfold on.
For the full webinar that I did for EcSell Institute, go to 5 Mistakes Webinar.
PPT Slides can be viewed at 5 Mistakes Presentation.
© Copyright 2011, Danita Bye Sales Growth Specialists, All Rights Reserved.
Avoid these 5 Common Mistakes when hiring a Sales Manager – Mistake 3
To start reading this series from the beginning, please go here.
Mistake #3: Hiring someone who can’t execute your sales strategy
From our previous postings you have learned the importance of understanding the role of the sales manager position and finding the
exact right fit for your selling environment. But if your best candidate isn’t able to execute your sales strategy, he or she is still not the right person for the position.
Again, it is important that you know exactly what it is that you require, before you can find the person who will be able to meet those needs.
So the next mistake to avoid is not being clear on your sales strategy. As a sales leader, you know that your product or service requires a unique sales strategy. Here are some examples of the areas you that you could consider:
- Are you volume or profit focused? A volume driven sales person focuses on high growth whereas a profit driven salesperson will be focusing on a different metric.
- Is your recruiting strategy to hire ‘A Players’, ‘first available’ or ‘best available’ candidates?
Different thought processes are applied in the search for ‘A Players’ than when you are going to compare three ‘first available’ candidates against each other.
- When you define your requirements very specifically beforehand you avoid conflict at a later stage.
- Is your key growth strategy to find or grow new business?
INTERVIEWING TIPS:
During an interview, remember that sales people are usually very good talkers, so don’t just accept everything they say at face value. Drill down deep and ask for specifics, steps taken during stages and metrics, where applicable.
Remember that a shift in your sales strategy, will require a different set of metrics, and would therefore require a different type of Sales Manager. Your sales strategies shouldn’t remain stagnant so search for coachable candidates. Look for signs that they will be able to grow and change with your business, as the new market conditions may call for these shifts on a regular basis.
Ask your prospective new Sales Manager these questions:
- How did you manage the volume vs. margins of your sales team?
- How do you determine whether to hire an A player, the best available candidate or the first available candidate?
- What strategies did you execute to grow sales?
- Which of your roles were focused on growing, defending or maintaining your margin?
Sales Growth Question: How will a shift in your sales strategy influence your decision to hire a specific type of candidate?
Sales Growth Lesson: We need to continue to learn and rise above the pack. Status quo is the kiss of death for any company.
For the full webinar that I did for EcSell Institute, go to 5 Mistakes Webinar.
PPT Slides can be viewed at 5 Mistakes Presentation.
© Copyright 2011, Danita Bye Sales Growth Specialists, All Rights Reserved
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