Sales Leadership with Jim Pancero

You can increase your sales team’s effectiveness by strengthening the persuasiveness and effectiveness of the questions they’re asking prospects and customers. Questioning is the path to discovering and explaining how you can improve your buyer’s lives, lower their risk, make their life easier, and increase their profitability. But the only way you can do that is by asking probing questions. Most reps' approach to questioning lacks organization and structure. How many of your reps are intuitive in their questioning skills, only thinking of their questions when in front of a customer?The goal as a manager is to help your reps master the key questions for your business that can best help them uncover the strongest buyer needs and help explain how you can help solve their problems. Could this be a good time to meet with your team to discuss the best questions to ask based on your specific industry markets so you can effectively uncover buyer needs and position your solutions?Today’s video discusses ideas to help you strengthen and improve the questioning skills of your team…so they can sell even more!

You don't have to be the lowest price…you just have to prove you’re in range of your competitor and are offering a lower total cost. How much extra would you pay to have safer tires on your car? Sales is really just a two-step process. The first step is to communicate your uniqueness and value to prove you’re a better option, even at a higher price.The second step is to then show how your price is still “close enough” to your competitors, explaining how, even though a higher price, you’re still a lower total cost…and that extra value is worth paying more to achieve.What can you do to help your team understand how to sell your value, and not your lowest price, to win the business?Today’s video shares how you don’t have to be the lowest quoted price to win business in a competitive marketplace; you just need to communicate and prove your lowest total cost. Focusing on selling the lowest total cost (instead of the lowest price) is one of the best ways to help your team sell even more!

How persuasive are you selling to someone with a personality and communication style opposite yours? Most salespeople tend to be persuasive when their buyer’s motivations or interests are like theirs. The real selling challenge is selling to somebody opposite of you.How do you sell to a detailed person if you're more big-picture? How do you make sure you’re able to communicate and deal with their comfort zone, not yours?This personality stretch factor is a challenge for most salespeople. They’ve grown up selling to people just like them. What happens when buyers’ interests are different than yours? What are you doing to help your reps understand their strengths and also where their personality and communication skills can be improved? How are you helping them stretch and understand how to be persuasive to all individuals, even those completely different than themselves?Today’s video talks about why it’s so important to be able to sell to all buyers…not just the ones like you. Because if we can help a sales rep increase their flexibility and ability to sell to those different than themselves…they sell even more!

There are three levels of competitive awareness. The first level is your PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE competitive awareness. It’s understanding how your features and benefits compare to your competitors. About 90% of all salespeople have fairly strong product knowledge competitive awareness. This is where they received the most training.The second level is your PRICING & DISCOUNTING competitive awareness. It’s knowing your competitor’s prices as well as when and how much they’ll offer last-minute discounts. About 70% of salespeople have strong pricing and discounting competitive awareness.The third area is where most salespeople are weakest…MESSAGE competitive awareness. How are your competitors explaining their uniqueness and value when talking to prospects or customers? How are they explaining why they’re the better choice?What can you do as a leader of your team to improve all three levels of competitive awareness? Today’s video talks about the critical importance of these three levels of competitive awareness. Mastering all three levels is one of the best ways your team can sell even more!

There's an old sales term of “under-promise and over-deliver” to help make sure we are impressing our customers and satisfying their concerns. Are you, like too many other businesses today, not following this “under-promise / over-deliver” philosophy?I called my doctor to schedule an appointment. I called them at 5:55 p.m. No one answered, and instead I got a voicemail recording saying, “Our normal hours are 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Please call back tomorrow.”I still had five minutes before they officially closed, but they had already shut down their office for the day…even though their voicemail said they should still be open. Think customers might think they’re following a philosophy of “over-promise and under-deliver?” How many of these small issues like this do you think might be concerning your customers? If you say you open at 8:00 a.m., how about starting to answer your phones at 7:50 a.m. so if a customer is a few minutes early, they might be impressed with your extra service?Today’s video discusses the concept of “under-promising and over-delivering…” so your team can sell even more!

Most believe they have a fairly strong level of competitive awareness. They know what their competitors are doing, their prices, how they sell, and how they close business.But we're in a very fast-changing environment today. Companies continue to respond and adjust how they communicate their competitive advantage. Just because you understood how your competitors were selling and the messages they were delivering a year ago doesn't mean they’re still saying that today.A client was describing how their competitors sold against them, but when they did more research, they learned their competitors had significantly improved how they were selling. What can you do to make sure you and your team have current competitive awareness and how they’re selling against you? How and when are they discounting? And how are they explaining their message of uniqueness to convince prospects to want to buy from them?Today’s video explains the importance of competitive awareness…and what your team can be doing about it. Understanding your competitors so you can improve your sales messaging is one of the best ways to help your team sell even more!

The reality over decades of research is that people coached by somebody more skilled tend to have the fastest improvement in those skills. Your job as the coach and leader of your sales team is to help strengthen and improve the skills of all members so they can sell even more.Who’s coaching you, the manager? Who's helping you understand how to be more effective? How to be more persuasive? How to create a stronger motivational environment? How to gain more control of their selling processes?Most sales managers have no coach. They're the top person in their company with no one else to talk to. The great news is your coach doesn’t need to be from your company! Consider forming a Mastermind Group made up of other sales managers not in your industry who also manage salespeople. Can’t we all benefit from receiving help from someone more aware and experienced? Today’s video talks about the need and benefits of receiving coaching help on how to be a more effective leader of your sales team…so they can sell even more!

Too many salespeople are afraid to ask for the order. They're either afraid they’ll seem too pushy or they don't know the steps to getting a buyer to say yes.The close is not the most critical step in the selling process, especially when you’re successful implementing the first steps of their call. If you've effectively lowered their resistance, asked questions, and presented solid solutions, then your closure will be easy and low pressure.The three most powerful, yet low-pressured closing questions are “What do you want to do now?” “What happens next?” and “So where do we go from here?” Notice those aren't pushy, aggressive or high-pressured closing questions. You don't need to squeeze a customer into saying yes if you’ve discovered what they need, shown them your solutions and asked for their commitment.What can you do to improve your team’s ability to persuasively ask for the order?Today’s video talks about the importance of utilizing low-pressured closing questions so you don’t sound like others still using old, tired, higher-pressured closing techniques. After all, when we improve a sales rep’s closing skills…they tend to sell even more!

I ask my sales training attendees to identify the slimiest salespeople they’ve ever met. Most identify a specific industry like time shares or used car sales.I next explain, the difference between a trusted advisor to a customer and somebody who's slimy and pushy is not in the steps of a sales call. They’re all using the same steps. The differences are in how they utilize the steps.High pressure slime ball salespeople focus the majority of time on the last steps of a sales call, presenting and closing. They spend little time asking questions, lowering the buyer’s resistance or positioning what they're going to say. They immediately start selling their message and closing as soon as possible. To be considered trusted advisors your team needs to be asking more questions than presenting and listening more to buyers. Today’s video talks about Trusted Advisors vs. Slimeballs. It’s an idea from a good friend and fellow sales trainer Jeff Slutsky from Kansas City. Your reps will better position themselves as trusted advisors when they spend more time lowering resistance and asking questions…so they can sell even more!

Blitz Days are based on team members blocking their calendars for a specific date agreeing, if at all possible, to not be calling on existing customers. The entire day is devoted to prospecting for new accounts and stopping by to identify new contacts to be talking to. Today even walking into an account is a challenge since there are few secretaries or receptionists anymore to greet you. But your reps can still identify companies you want to be pursuing and to start attempting new conversations.How much new business prospecting is your team attempting? Most are not doing enough until pushed by their managers. When was the last time your reps searched online for new companies or did any background research on identified new prospects to see if they could be a potential fit for your company?The idea is to occasionally hold a Blitz Day to focus your sales team for a day of new business outreach attempting to contact and connect with new selling opportunities.Today’s video talks about holding new business Blitz Days to identify new prospects and to help re-energize your reps. Think Blitz Days could help your team sell even more?

Effective sales leadership is based on mastering four distinct skill sets to increase your team’s success, persuasiveness, and stability.The first skill set, taking the majority of most manager’s time, is solving problems and fighting fires. The second skill set involves managing your team’s “performance numbers.”Most sales leaders are good at these first two skills. But for too many, these first two areas define their job as a sales manager. How much of your week involves reactively fighting fires and “crunching numbers?”Third is your ability to motivate your people to be energized and committed. Are you an effective motivator?The fourth skill set (also usually the weakest area for most leaders) is helping reps master selling “best practices” by helping them think and plan multiple moves ahead to improve their selling consistency.Which of these four areas, if improved, can have the greatest impact for your team?Today’s video discusses what you can do, as their leader, to be more balanced by investing time in all four of these critical leadership efforts? Mastering these four areas can help your team sell even more!

Do you know anyone who doesn’t trust salespeople? They're afraid of being taken advantage of and not being told the truth. Do your buyers trust and believe your reps are committed to their best interests? Three ideas to help build even more buyer trust… 1st - Make sure reps have a “No Surprises” selling philosophy. If a delivery is delayed, are they immediately alerting their buyer? Are your proposals positioned so buyers never have to discover (when you’re not there) that your prices are higher than your competitors’?2nd - Offer predictive support. Predictive support is not waiting for buyers to ask for help or identify a problem. The goal is to predict and identify where problems are likely to occur and then be the first to offer solutions. 3rd - The best way to create a loyal buyer is to constantly bring them new ideas that improve their operations or profitability.  Trust has to be earned, but also proactively nurtured. Can these ideas help your team strengthen their buyer’s trust and loyalty?Today’s video shares these three ideas to help your team build even stronger trust and loyalty with their buyers…so they can sell even more!

Give one of your rep’s a new sales lead…what will they do first?  Sadly, most immediately grab their phones calling the lead to get a conversation, or even better, schedule a face-to-face appointment.But these reactive “Ready – Fire – Aim” people are just “shooting into a darkened room.” It’s kind of hard to hit something if you don’t know what you’re aiming for and can’t see the target. Could you improve your chances of selling this prospect if your salesperson’s first action were to conduct company and contact name online research? Check LinkedIn to confirm job titles, prior jobs and education levels? What about Facebook to learn more about their hobbies and interests? And checking company records to see if they’ve ever been a customer?A sales team improves when they improve their selling steps, processes and approaches. Success in selling today requires reps to see selling as a habit of processes. Today’s video discusses the challenges following a “Ready – Fire – Aim” selling approach. Doesn’t it make sense that more research and learning more about your prospect (and more than your competition) before you start firing/selling could help you sell even more?

Successful selling today demands we master both sides. But most salespeople only gravitate to one side, and that side is usually the intuitive art side. It used to be having the “gift for gab” was all that was needed to be successful. But today, with tougher competitors, less product differentiation and less time in front of buyers, sales pros also need more structure, more consistency and more process controls.How strong are your rep’s understanding and controls of the steps of a sales call? What about defining, and following your multiple-stepped “ID to Close” selling process? How are they getting higher, wider and deeper within their accounts? What can you do to work with your team to instill more “science skills” to help your sales team increase their revenues and success?Today’s video discusses this challenge of selling being an art vs a science. And when your team can master both sides…they’ll tend to sell even more!

How many of your reps could be selling more…if they just put more energy into their territory? How you motivate your people and get them energized is a critical component of effective sales leadership.There are four simple rules of motivation. The first rule is you can't motivate anybody to do anything. The reason you can’t is due to the second rule… you can’t motivate anyone because everybody is already highly motivated.  The problem is rule number three. People are motivated for their reasons not for yours, because of their bias, background, culture, beliefs and personal experiences.Because you can’t motivate anyone to do anything…since they’re already motivated, but motivated for their reasons and bias, the fourth rule is all you can do is create an environment for people to motivate themselves.As their manager and leader, you need to find out what excites and fires up your people, and then show them how they can achieve their goals and have the success they're looking for.Today’s video explains these four rules of motivation, and how you can motivate your team members to sell even more!

Are your reps only bragging about what they’ve got instead of focusing on the benefits your buyers will get?How many of your reps sell utilizing a self-focused approach. How many were taught a “feature-benefit” presentation style?“A feature of this pen is the cap fits on the base. The benefit to you, the buyer, is it can improve the quality of your presenter’s handwriting.”Look how the rep is bragging about their stuff before talking about any buyer benefits. Consider reversing this process.Consider utilizing a “benefit-feature” approach. “A benefit of my pen is it can improve the quality of your presenter’s handwriting, because the cap fits on the base.”Now your features are no longer the star of your presentation, but instead are now validation, support and proof of the benefit(s) being promised. What can you do to work with your team so, instead of leading with your features, you first talk about the improvements and benefits your buyer will receive…because of your features?Today’s video discusses how you can improve your presentation style becoming more customer focused by switching to a “benefit-feature” approach…so you can sell even more!

One of the best ways to increase your team’s effectiveness (and sales) is to not respond with the same answers everybody else gives when asked “Why do I want to buy from you?”Ask this question of your reps and you’re likely to hear… “Because of our high-quality products, strong levels of support, our competitive prices (we’re not the cheapest but we are competitive) and you get me!” These responses themselves are not the problem, it’s that everybody else is also delivering this exact same message. And if your buyer hears the same message from everyone they just buy based on lowest price.When was the last time you worked with your team on the best response to this question? Think this is a good time to work with your team to improve the consistency, effectiveness and persuasiveness of their response to a buyer asking “Why you?”Today’s video describes how everyone is delivering this same response and how your team can increase their competitive edge by improving their answers. And when you do, you’re likely to sell even more!

There are three skill sets a salesperson needs to master to achieve long-term success in selling. We can view this as three points on a triangle.The first skill area, and triangle point, is strong relationship skills so your buyers like and trust you.The second area, or triangle point, is your industry and product knowledge so you understand their business bringing them technical solutions that can save them money, make their life easier or improve their competitive edge. The third skill, and triangle point, is your business and financial skills including your ability to financially justify your higher-priced products and services so you win their business by proving you’re still their lowest total cost.How many of your people embrace one skill area, tolerate a second and completely ignore the third? Most salespeople today are ignore improving their business and financial skills. What can you do to help your team master all three of these skill sets? Today’s video talks about these three critical selling skill areas, and how, when strengthened, will help your team sell even more!

How much time do you spend fighting fires and fixing problems compared to actually coaching…and leading your team? Will you be able to spend more time this year being more of a coach conducting account planning and strategizing with your salespeople?Too many sales managers are so busy selling in their own territory, helping their team close deals and handling problems that they have little time left to actually help improve the skills of their team through coaching, account planning, and strategizing.What can you do to make sure there's more one-on-one time spent with your team riding with them on calls as well as coaching them to think and plan more moves ahead? Today’s video discusses the changing role of a sales leader, and how you, through your coaching and leadership, can help them sell even more!

Most businesses assume their employees understand, and are following, their company’s values and ethics. But for most it’s also been a while since management actually talked with their employees to review the values and ethics expected. Values, ethics, professionalism, and trust have become such critical foundations of competitive buying today. Buyers have become so distrustful of salespeople. We need to make sure we're communicating the highest values, ethics and professionalism to our customers. If you haven’t talked with your reps lately about this, they might not have everything aligned with how you are expecting them to handle opportunities or solve customer problems.What can you do to review with all members of your team how you expect them to conduct themselves ethically and professionally in how they deal with customers and solve their problems.Today’s video talks about the importance of communicating your values and ethics of doing business…because when you and your team are seen as the most professional and ethical alternative…you tend to sell even more!

Are your reps in a “selling rut,” going through the same motions, making the same calls and saying the same things to the same buyers day after day? Have any of your reps lost any of their selling energy? How many don't have as much spark compared to when they first began selling? You can help your team be more effective by giving them a shot of energy and excitement by doing something different that can help re-energize their efforts (and results).Consider having a surprise sales contest. The goal of a sales contest is not necessarily to have a significant increase in sales but to energize the team by giving them a distraction of doing something different. Also consider prospecting “blitz days” where everyone devotes the entire day to looking for new business. What can you do to re-energize your sales team? To build up their energy and excitement by giving them a little variety?Today’s video talks about this opportunity you have as the sales leader to re-energize your team…so they can sell even more!

A great way to increase the effectiveness and impact on your customers is to make sure all members of your team interacting with buyers have all the persuasive and problem-solving skills needed. Whether it be a delivery person, inside salesperson, administration, or counter sales.Too many businesses only train and work with their outside sales reps and do nothing to improve the persuasive skills of their support teams. The goal is to make sure your entire team is bringing your customers complete solutions to their challenges. What can you do to improve the skills of all members of your team, not just the salespeople? Can you spend some time coaching your drivers, credit department as well as your inside and counter salespeople that talk to customers? Today’s video talks about the best way to bring a single persuasive solution to a customer is to make sure all members of your team, inside and outside, have the persuasive and problem-solving skills they need to help you sell even more!

Are your people giving up too early? How many voicemails will your reps leave before they abandon a sales lead? Zig Ziglar was famous for his motivational talk explaining how an old farm pump and selling have so much in common.  The idea of the farm pump was the analogy that the pump was just like selling. He talked about how you have to pump and pump and pump with nothing coming out, but you can't give up. He also pointed out that once you start having water come out of the pump you still need to keep pumping. His message was that most salespeople start pumping/prospecting, but they stop prospecting as soon as they start selling stuff.Even though Zig is no longer with us, his famous farm pump story is still available on YouTube. Just do a search on “Zig Ziglar Farm Pump.”Today’s video shares Zig’s farm pump message could be a great story to share with your team on how to give up and to keep pumping…so you can sell even more!

Business decisions used to be very hierarchical. The company owner or department head would make the final decision after getting input from their team. Selling in the past focused on getting to that single, top decision maker.Decisions today are much more consensus oriented. Even though one person in charge is still responsible for making that final decision, today they’ll first get input and agreement from their team about their upcoming decision.Selling success today is based on getting higher (to the top decision makers), wider (to the decision influencers), and deeper (to the front-line workers). You can’t only be selling to the decision maker today. There are too many others who have influence, input and will be part of the final decision process.What can you do to help your team understand and direct their selling efforts to include all expected to have influence on the decision to buy from you? Today’s video talks about this shift to consensus decision making and how the way to win more business is to sell to the entire decision team, not just the top decision maker. Making this change could help you sell even more! 

Ever hear of the selling concept called “Second Step Selling?” Step one is satisfying your buyer’s needs so, Step two, they’ll satisfy your needs by giving you their business.The only way we can get what we want is by first making sure we do something that brings our buyer value by either lowering their buying risk, making their life easier, increasing their profitability (or lowering their cost), or increasing their competitive advantage.Needing to be more buyer focused has been a common sales challenge for decades. We need to make sure we're seen as a solution provider showing interest in their buyer’s problems instead of our competitors only concerned with getting the order.What can you do to apply this “Second Step Selling” concept so you come across as more persuasive and helpful? Could you be asking better questions to uncover their challenges and how you can help?Today’s video talks about this “Second Step Selling” goal of being more buyer-focused instead of just talking about how great your new products are. Becoming more customer focused and effective is one of the best ways to sell even more!

Have you noticed most sales reps today do not think or plan enough moves ahead? Most don't even know until the Fall what they still need to do to achieve their annual quota.There's a great exercise you can conduct throughout the year called the “100% Forecast” that can help reps better understand what they still need to do to have a successful selling year. Each month reps prepare a forecast listing all the accounts they need to sell to achieve 100% of their annual quota, even if several line items only say “Prospect” with an average expected amount to be sold. The goal is to provide an earlier awareness of what reps still need to sell to achieve 100% of their annual quota. Then each month they update their forecast by listing their year-to-date sales plus additional forecasted accounts so it adds up to 100% of their quota.Today’s video shares this proven idea using 100% Forecasts to help you and your sales team better understand what still needs to be done this year so they can achieve their numbers and sell even more!

It used to be how often you contacted a buyer was defined by their sales volumes. But today things are more complex. One of the best things you can do is to just ask customers how often they want you calling and bringing new ideas.We risk losing the account to our competitors if we call on them too infrequently. But if we call too often, they can develop a resistance to our products and our messaging because of feeling pestered. A good policy is to reach out to your buyers at the beginning of each year and then again mid-year to review how often they want to be contacted. This is also a great time to ask for feedback on how you and your team are doing.What can you do to reach out and ask your buyers how often they want you calling, bringing them new ideas and giving them the support they expect?Today’s video discusses this great opportunity to reach out to your buyers to confirm what they define as great customer service and sales support. When you do…it could help your team sell even more!

Years ago I consulted with a major bank in Cincinnati. I was so impressed with the senior leadership of the bank. They had a rule their senior leadership had to do business with another bank. They wanted to make sure their executives clearly understood the competitive service challenges they were facing in their marketplace so they could decide what they needed to be doing to increase their sales and win more business.Are you and your leadership team able to do business or conduct blind shopping studies of your competitors? It could be a great way to increase your competitive awareness as to why they're winning business and what you need to do about it!Today’s video discusses the benefits of blind shopping or doing business with your competitors. After all, the more you learn about your competitors the more you are likely to sell!

Though cell phone video capabilities have existed for years, most salespeople are not taking advantage of this technology. The goal is to use your cell phone to capture more images of your products being utilized and satisfied customers talking about why they like doing business with you.Video technology is advanced enough today that a message recorded on a cell phone is high enough quality to post on your website and on social media. You can also produce brief cell phone videos highlighting your manufacturing processes or warehouse. Cell phone videos don't have to be professionally produced. It has been proven buyers tend to like more informal videos than they do something that is slickly produced.Your sales reps need more sales tools to help deliver your messaging of value and uniqueness. Using cell phone videos when they're in front of a customer helps deliver a more persuasive (and memorable) selling message.Today’s video talks about how your team, using their cell phones to record brief videos…can help them sell even more!

There's an old 1950s selling concept called “WIIFM’s.” It was a simple acronym that stands for “What's in it for me?”A salesperson explains to a buyer their product is so great because it has an extended handle. The buyer’s first thought will likely be “So what?” Selling to the “WIIFM’s” is rephrasing that statement instead focusing on how the benefits to your buyer having an extended handle will resolve or improve for them… answering “What’s In It for Me?”We need to shift our selling focus away from talking about our product features and instead focus on our customer’s needs and the benefits they're going to receive when they buy from us.This is a great exercise for your next sales meeting. Take one of the main products you sell and have your team identify all of the “WIIFM” they could explain to their buyer.Today’s video talks about “WIIFM’s” and how, instead of pushing your product features, you explain the “What’s In It For Me?” buyer’s benefits so you can sell even more!

How many of your reps follow a “Ready – Fire – Aim” selling philosophy? Most are so action oriented they only think one selling move ahead.If you gave any of your reps a new sales lead, how many will go online and Google that customer's name to research their business before they call? How many would check your company records to see if they had been a customer before? How many, instead would take your lead and immediately give them a call?We need to be encouraging our sales reps to be more multiple-stepped process focused and to respect the importance of customer data and research. The goal is to make sure your team’s first call to a prospect will be their best call…because they have a better understanding of the new buyer they’re trying to sell.Today’s video talks about the challenges of reps having a “Ready – Fire – Aim” approach to selling and how doing more research could help them sell even more!

Effective questioning skills are the foundation of all persuasive communications. There are three questioning structures your team needs to be utilizing:1st - Ask open-ended questions then moving to more close-ended questions. Open-ended questions (“What are your business goals for this year?”) encourage your buyer to talk. Asking Closed-ended questions (“How many employees do you have?”) ask about specific points with much briefer responses.2nd - Make it easier for your buyers to say yes by first asking “Big Picture” questions (“Which model do you think will work best for you?”) before moving onto more “Detailed” questions (“What color do you want?”).3rd questioning structure to improve is to focus on your buyer, their pain and their needs, instead of just talking about how and why your stuff is so great.Today’s video talks about these three structures of asking questions…and how, by improving your team’s questioning skills, they can sell even more!

There was an old sales training exercise used for years called the “Match Test.” The test involved a sales rep lighting a match and then, before they burned their fingers, having to deliver their complete message of uniqueness of why a buyer would want to buy from them.This was a great exercise due to only giving the rep about a minute to deliver their message before burning their fingers. It’s a fun and challenging test to help improve your messaging and positioning.Think this idea can help your team deliver their message of why, based on all the competitive alternatives available to a buyer, they still would want to buy from you…before they burn their fingers?Today’s video explains this “Match Test” and how it can help your people develop, and appreciate, a stronger (and shorter) “Why buy from you?” message”…so they can sell even more!

How aware are you of the physical comfort zones you have between yourself and your customers? Being too far away from a buyer could be seen as being aloof. But if you stand too close, you could be seen as pushy and aggressive.The first zone is your INTIMATE ZONE where you are in an intimate relationship, whether as a spouse, child or parent. You could be sitting next to them and even touching their arm, but they’ll not care due to your intimacy.The next comfort zone is your PERSONAL ZONE. This is the space of your personal friends.Third is the STRANGER ZONE where there are unknowns with this person.The final outside zone is the DANGER ZONE. Being 6’ 7”, this space has been a challenge for me. Being so tall I'm in the Danger Zone for most people and need to give them more space or I'm going to increase their resistance making them uncomfortable.What can you do to help your reps understand the newer their customer relationship, the more physical distance they’ll need to be comfortable with you and your message?Today’s video discusses how to control the spatial distances you have with buyers, and the direct impact this will have on your ability to close business and sell even more!

Is there any seasonality to your team’s selling efforts? What can you do prior to a season’s start to coach, remind and fine-tune your team’s selling skills and messaging?Each industry tends to have a different peak time of year, whether it's the peak season for trade shows you attend, a holiday peak season, or because of weather-related sales.Most companies assume if a sales rep has been selling for a few years, they don't need any actual coaching or training on this new season because they “do it every year.” But most reps are not organized or proactive enough in their selling efforts over the year and only call on buyers reacting and responding to what is asked.Is this a good time to conduct some pre-season training? Reminding them of the technical aspects to how and why you have a superior solution, what problems you're solving in this upcoming season, and what you can do to support them. What are you doing to help your team get ready for whatever preseason you're about to face?Today’s video shares ideas to help you take advantage of your selling seasonality to increase the skills and competitive edge of your team…so they can sell even more!

Do the presentations being given by your sales team to your independent distributor or dealer salespeople have the best information possible so they can do their job more effectively?The problem is most sales presentations given to these people are very weak. All they do is focus on how great your stuff is, your latest models, and the support you offer.How can you make sure your team’s presentations actually focus on the distributor’s sales team? How can the information your team shares help them sell more or make their job selling to their customers easier?Second is to make sure, when you do talk about your products or services, you talk about them compared to your competitors. After all, that's the “How do you compare?” challenge they're going to get from their buyers.Also make sure your presentations actually focus on how to sell your stuff, not just why your products or services are so great. Think your team’s presentations can be improved?Today’s video shares how you can strengthen and improve the selling impact of your presentations to your independent channels…so you can sell even more!

Do your reps automatically go into “Presentation mode” when a buyer says they only have a few minutes to talk?A buyer starts off a call saying “You’ve got 5 minutes… what do you want?” or says “We're very happy with our current supplier, why should we talk to you?” Too many reps immediately go into presentation mode doing all the talking. Looking at the steps of a sales call, what they should be doing is asking more questions before presenting. If a buyer says “You’ve got five minutes…,” the most effective thing a rep can do is to spend four minutes asking questions to try to gain interest so they can continue the conversation later. But when most reps are put under a time pressure, they tend to just start talking and presenting.What can you do to make sure your reps truly understand and are using the steps of a sales call of first lowering resistance, asking questions, presenting, closing and then setting up their next contact? The goal is for your reps, even under pressure from their buyer, to still follow these steps, and do more questioning than presenting.Today’s video talks about this challenge of sales reps over-presenting and not asking enough questions…to uncover how they can sell even more!

Too many reps come back to the office announcing “We lost the Phillips proposal because our price was too high.” A critical responsibility as a sales leader is to understand price is never a reason you lost. Price is only a symptom. The real problem is your customer didn't see enough value (compared to your competition). If you offered a higher value than the others, your buyer would be happy to pay your higher prices.What caused your buyer to not see your extra value? It could be you have a weak message when buyers ask “Why do I want to buy from you?” It could be your reps are not proactive in how they work your buyer through the evaluation and proposals offered. What about reps not focusing on the buyer's challenges and are just pushing their products?These are all reasons why a customer would say your price was too high, even though your loss is due to something other than price. After all, the more of a differential in value you offer, the more of price premium they will be willing to pay.Today’s video talks about how you can help your reps still get significant value out of their lost sales…so they can sell even more!

How buying decisions are made has changed dramatically in recent years. It used to be if you wanted to buy something, like a hot tub, the first thing you’d do is stop by a hot tub store, talk to a sales rep, pick up some literature and pricing and then go home to talk with your family about your options.Look how different buying is today. If you want to buy a hot tub today, the first thing you’d likely do is ask your friends for suggestions (if you’re younger) or do research on Google (if you’re older). In either case, the first thing you wouldn't do is talk to a salesperson because of feeling unprepared and being taken advantage of by the rep.By the time a sales rep actually gets to talk with a prospect, there's a high probability your buyer has already completed extensive research and made some decisions. They also have likely made wrong decisions. How can you help your team understand today they need to qualify prospects to learn what kinds of research they’ve already completed, any decisions they’ve already made, and how they now want your help.Today’s video discusses this reality of buyers completing their research on their own before ever talking with a sales rep. When we learn we are now coming in the middle of their decision process we can ask better questions…and sell even more!

Where are your sales reps positioned in the eyes of your customers? Too many salespeople are not functioning as trusted advisers in their customers eyes but are just seen as order takers and fulfillers of what their customers need. This is a key differentiator in selling today between the successful reps selling as trusted advisors and those struggling as order takers and reactive responders.This is a great time to lead your team in a discussion of ways to be more proactive bringing solutions to their buyers and re-affirming their value and relationship. What should reps look for when on a facilities tour? Talk about each of the industries you sell to discuss potential customer challenges you can solve or at least improve. Today’s video discusses how, and why sales reps need to be positioning themselves as trusted advisors to their buyers…so they can sell even more!

I was speaking at a conference at a Disney hotel in Orlando. As my cab pulled into the hotel, the hotel valet got into an argument with my driver over who should pull my bags out of the cab.As I checked in at the front desk, I shared the confrontation between their valet and my cab driver. I wasn’t expecting anything, I just thought they’d want to know a castmate needed more training.Once in my hotel room I received a phone call from a manager asking what happened. As I shared my check-in challenges the manager started offering me things as an apology. I kept saying no to his offers of a free dinner or breakfast because I was leaving the next day and had no extra time.He then asked “Are you ever going to come back again?" I said, "I’m back in Orlando in a few months for another client.” He said "Then you have a one-day free park pass as our apology for your experience."I was impressed with his extra efforts. It was evident he wanted to make sure our call ended as a positive experience for me. What can you do to make sure, when your customers are unhappy, you can still make their outcome more positive than the experience itself?Today’s video shares my Disney experience and how you can apply their service philosophy…so your team can sell even more!

Ever read the book “The Challenger Sale” by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson? It was one of the hottest sales books twelve or thirteen years ago that had a big impact on a lot of sales teams.The authors did research on the best personality styles for a sales rep to have to be successful and win the most business. The book outlined five different approaches or styles of selling. The “Hard Worker,” the “Relationship Builder,” the “Lone Wolf,” the reactive “Problem Solver” and finally, the “Challenger.”They explained how each style of selling had a different approach to reaching and persuading a customer. Their research showed the Challenger was the most effective selling style, challenging a customer with new ideas and thought processes.This is still a great book to remind and discuss with your team what style is most effective for them and how they can apply the concepts of the “Challenger Sale” to improve their selling efforts and results.Today’s video talks about the “Challenger Sale” and how, when you challenge your buyers by bringing new ideas and solutions so you can sell even more!

Years ago I noticed my backyard was filled with moles. They were digging tunnels all over my yard making it look terrible.I spent a month working with my local hardware store trying to fix my mole problem. I put poisons down the holes and set traps but still didn’t get rid of the moles. My uncle stopped by and asked what was wrong with my yard. I shared I had a mole problem. He replied “You don't have a mole problem; you have a grub problem.”He said the reason I have moles is because my backyard was infested with grubs… and moles eat grubs. He told me if I get rid of the grubs, I’ll get rid of the moles. After two weeks of treating for grubs the moles were gone.My situation reminded me of what I’ve seen in so many salespeople. They work hard to solve their customer’s symptoms, but miss the core problem(s) causing the symptoms.What can you do, as the leader of your sales team, to discuss with your reps the difference between solving symptoms and solving actual problems?Today’s video talks about this challenge of only solving symptoms and missing the real customer problems. When you can sell to your buyer’s problems, and not just their symptoms, you’ll sell even more!

Any low-motivated members of your team? The first challenge is not how we get them motivated but how we discover why they’re unmotivated. They could be unmotivated due to any of four reasons…Are they coasting to retirement? If within a few years of retiring, it’s likely they're not going to be motivated to try new ideas or to work harder.The second could be they're happy with their current income. They'd rather spend more time with family than working harder.It could be they're just not happy with their manager, their job or their company. Unhappy people tend to also be un-motivated.It also could be they’re not trained and lack the proper skills.The first step to getting them motivated is to have a private talk to ask what's wrong. Why are they not exciting about their job?Ultimately it might be they're just not a good fit and you need to either help them get another job within your company or find employment elsewhere.It’s too expensive for you to let them coast and under-perform. You need to deal with this upfront. What can you do to start talking with these unmotivated and under-performing team members?Today’s video talks about why employees tend to be unmotivated…and what you can do as their manager so you can help them sell even more!

In the past, a sales rep with a strong set of existing customers could be successful reactively supporting their buyers by answering their questions and fixing any problems that arose. But today we're selling in a hyper-competitive environment. There's so much more information available to buyers through Google and other search platforms. To be successful today requires salespeople to be more proactive, acting as initiators of new ideas and solutions instead of just functioning as supporters and responders.How many of your reps go to their customers asking the same questions of “Anything you need?” “Anything coming up?” “Anything I can help with?” And “How's the family?”Can you help your sales team identify additional proactive efforts and solutions they can bring to their customers?Today’s video talks about the critical need for sales professionals today to be more proactive in how they sell and support their customers…so they can sell even more!

A customer recently asked what to do when their products or services just aren’t working. It might be because of your service levels, scheduling, delivery delay or performance issues compared to your competitors.How does your company support your reps during these challenges? Too many companies do little to help their reps during these types of challenges except to demand they keep selling.As the leader of your sales team, you need to be working in advance so you’re prepared and can effectively support your team when challenged so you minimize lost sales. Consider conducting role playing exercises on how reps can discuss and handle these situations. This is a chance to prepare your team so, if challenged, they still have the best answers possible.Today’s video discusses what you can do if your team is facing quality, performance or service problems. Only if you help them prepare for these challenges will they be able to sell even more!

Are your reps trying to take care of their customer problems themselves, and not asking for help soon enough? This happened to me when I was new to selling. I was trying to fix a problem one of my customers was experiencing. I was working hard to fix their problem but wasn't being successful.I brought my manager on a sales call to talk with our customer (without me present in the room). As we were driving back to our office, my manager shared how Charlie (the customer) was very happy with my work except for one major complaint. I was holding onto problems too long.My manager explained we're a large corporation. Even though we have hundreds of people to support our customers, I was handling everything alone. I wasn’t using our company resources soon enough and, because of that, I was upsetting our customer.How many of your sales reps are holding onto problems too long? Is this something that needs to be discussed with your team?  Today’s video discusses this challenge of reps holding onto problems too long…and what you can do about it so your reps can sell even more!

It's tough finding exactly what you want in a new salesperson. A great way to achieve better hiring decisions is to ask better questions. Consider including these four sets of questions to ask sales candidates. FIRST ask about their attitude and energy. How do they keep working hard? How do they deal with rejection and stay motivated?SECOND, focus on their personal selling skills. Do they understand the steps of a sales call? How to handle objections? How to ask questions, present and close?And THIRD, ask about their understanding of the multiple steps of their selling processes. What do they do from the time they identify a new opportunity until they close the sale? How do they maintain and support a customer over a full year?The final set of questions are meant to focus on their ability to communicate a strong message of value and uniqueness. Today’s video discusses how to make your next round of interviewing stronger and more effective. Only by hiring the best sales candidates will your team be able to sell even more!

Could any of your reps benefit from help improving their efficiency and effectiveness? As sales managers we need to be helping our reps evaluate how much time they’re investing in each of their customers, what they’re doing, and asking if this is the most efficient and effective way to be utilizing their week/month/year in their territory. Too many reps approach their territory in a rather reactive way. They’ll invest extra time and attention to an overly demanding customer at the expense of the time available to support their other customers or to go after new business.What can you do, as the coach and leader of your team, to help make sure all team members are investing the proper balance of time to maintain existing business, keep their customers satisfied, and still have time to go after new accounts?Today’s video talks about how to help a sales rep be more time-balanced, so they can sell even more!

Are you leading your sales team…or just acting as the head doer? Too many managers today personally spend so much time selling and closing business that they’ve little time to be a coach and leader to their team. Are your “doing” efforts preventing you from investing in the “leadership” efforts of your team?” Are you, as the head of sales, acting more like the head salesperson personally handling the largest accounts closing the most business while giving little coaching help to the reps reporting to them?What can you do to make sure you're not so busy selling and closing deals that you're ignoring your reps because you have no time to coach?Today’s video discusses how you can become more of a “managing manager” and lead your team to selling success so they can sell even more!