Successfully reaching the commercial top:

When you see successful salespeople at work, what they do often sounds very natural and selling seems so easy. In practice, it turns out to be more difficult than it seems for many sellers. How did that happen? What causes things not always to go so smoothly? Where is it going wrong and what can be done immediately? I will take you to some pitfalls from daily practice. Pitfalls that will now be a thing of the past within your company.

There is a lot of knowledge within our company:

Within most companies there are quite a few people who have 'knowledge'. Knowledge of the product/service, knowledge of the application possibilities, knowledge of the service, knowledge of the product range, knowledge of the production options and knowledge of the company's R&D capabilities.

Not just any knowledge, but a lot of knowledge. If you look at it soberly, these people are simply an authority in their field and therefore of great value to the company. Many entrepreneurs are often concerned about how they can retain these people (I also have tools for that, but that is not what this blog is about). They possess the important knowledge that the organization needs with love and sincerity to convince, satisfy and keep customers satisfied.

That vacancy was filled surprisingly quickly:

If a vacancy arises in the sales department and 'knowledge' of the product or service is a requirement, the link is quickly made to enthuse one of the top knowledge employees for the sales position (with, of course, that nice lease car, a lot of freedom and the promise that he/she will be helped from all sides) and thus the knowledge worker accidentally enters the sales profession. This is mistake number 1, because they usually start working completely unprepared, without a sales assessment and training. It is actually 'by chance', while the investment in, for example, an assessment will more than pay for itself within 1 quarter. The reason is simple; you will be clear in advance whether the person is suitable and where the GAP of potential sales skills lies. It prevents a lot of misery and is therefore always recommended (NB. For more information see: https://trainingwww.kennethsmit.com/en/training/sales-assessment/ or feel free to contact me).

I am the new seller in your area:

He/she is suddenly 'salesperson', 'account manager' or gets another nice title on the business card. He/she knows the company, therefore needs little training time and (believe it or not) in many cases goes to work untrained (encouraged with fancy words such as: 'anyone can sell' or 'it's just like swimming. If If they can do it, they will rise to the top'). In short, not armed with any sales knowledge and experience, he/she makes agreements with an introduction; 'I am the new salesperson in your area and would like to get to know you' (sounds crazy, but it is surprising how often someone manages to get a first appointment based purely on the salesperson's enthusiasm and the customer's curiosity). They (the new salespeople) go out full of energy and show all knowledge of the product, service or service at the first meeting in order to position themselves and convince customers.

Selling is like walking a tightrope uphill:

Only they have never learned that there is absolutely no point in offering someone an aspirin if they do not have a headache. Now I hear you say that this does not work that way for you, that it is different. Then I have good news for you; Fortunately, you work at one of those companies that understands that you first have to prepare people for the job before they can become successful at it. First determine whether someone has the ability to fly, then fit wings, learn to flap them, then carefully leave the nest to fly. Gaining experience, encountering obstacles, overcoming them and discovering in practice that you need endurance to climb up. Selling is often like walking a tightrope uphill. Selling is a profession for real professionals.

How much disappointment can a person endure:

If results are not forthcoming, you will see that the 'salespeople in the making' will be even more fanatic, partly because the organization is slowly starting to tighten the thumbscrews. A few succeed because they turn out to be a natural talent. Some because they work from sheer perseverance and tenacity, including a 'face to face' attitude, applying a 'fake it till you make it' strategy and shouting that if you hear a lot of 'NO', a 'YES' will automatically follow. (nice if it works, but also wonder how happy customers are with such salespeople who are always pushing hard). Sooner or later disappointment arises for many 'salespeople in the making'. They become cautious, their enthusiasm fades and even the dreaded burnout monster lurks. Doubt sets in.

How do you proceed? How much disappointment can and want to tolerate? In many cases, this is the moment when the sales profession is left, often by changing jobs, stating the reason 'having learned a lot and now wanting to give a different direction to their career'.

As a company you actually have several problems:

-You lose a 'once' good employee.

-You had to fill all his/her previous position.

-You lose a seller who hasn't made any money yet.

-You have to appoint a salesperson again (before you know it, it will be 3-4 months later).

-You have to train this new salesperson, get him involved and keep him involved, which takes time, time you often don't have and which makes it very tempting to revert to old behavior and throw someone in at the deep end again.

-Your customers will once again have to get used to a new face (and in the meantime they will also talk to the competitor who finally sees his opportunity).

-It's almost a year before this new man/woman starts making real money.

If you consider all the above things; how often has this happened within your company? How much do such jokes cost? How much energy does it require from the other colleagues who 'temporarily' have to do some extra work? What does it cost if a district cannot be processed efficiently for a while?

Personally, I always find this a shame to hear, especially because it is often completely unnecessary. Moreover, in most cases someone is unintentionally damaged, while you can do something about it successfully at an early stage.

Then what is the secret?

The secret is in the combination of “Knowledge” and “Skills”. In fact; I think there is a direct connection. Because 10 (knowledge) x 0 (skill) = 0, but 8 x 8 = 64. However great your Knowledge may be, if Skills do not support it, the result will always be disappointing. Especially in contact with customers, this combination is extremely important and is unfortunately too often underestimated. Especially now that customers are increasingly getting information in advance via the internet, via advisors and thus have already formed an opinion for themselves before you come to the table. In addition, decisions are increasingly made by several people as a team (people who also have their own opinions), which adds another dimension to the job of a salesperson as a manager of the process.

Theory and reality:

When I discuss the 'Knowledge and Skills' aspects with a potential customer, I invariably hear: “that's logical, this is fine with my people”. When I ask when they last went out with their salesperson(s), it turns out that unfortunately there is not enough time for that, let alone time to coach people. If we then decide to make a good practice analysis and as part of that I travel with you for a day to attend 'real' customer conversations, you often see the following happen; The conversation is opened neatly, pleasantries are exchanged politely, a few questions are asked without going into depth. As a result, many assumptions are made by the salesperson who then quickly thinks he knows what is good for the customer.

However, the customer has not gotten that far yet, does not have a headache yet or has been dealing with it for so long that he has become used to it. He/she is not yet open to hearing what the seller can do. However, the seller does not see this, does not hear this, does not feel this and continues to sell in his/her enthusiasm. “After all, we come for a reason, the customer's time and our time are valuable, we have to keep it businesslike and the customer understands that I am here to sell,” is what I hear as an argument. In short; After a few minutes the laptop opens and the brochure or sample model is placed on the table to explain to the customer what they can achieve with it.

In the meantime, the customer comes up with some objections and comments that the salesperson repeats, downplays, completely ignores or squelches with a technique (if they can use an objection technique at all). The salesperson starts to “press” more towards the customer, who then slowly drops out or starts to push back.

And if you are allowed to make an offer, realize that it will often be used to subsequently reject your proposal. It was an excuse to get rid of you and end the conversation. Unfortunately, many salespeople get into the car after such a conversation as a 'happy egg' because they can make a quote. If you are a seller yourself and you can make a lot of quotes, read on.

How do you avoid the 'just make a quote' pitfall?

TIP 1: If you can make a quote, ask the customer what she will do with it. Listen carefully, it often gives you additional information to determine whether the quote is useful or whether it is getting rid of you.

TIP 2: Make a follow-up appointment immediately on the spot to discuss the quotation, it will increase your chances.

TIP 3: Do not send the quotation, but deliver it personally, explain it and enter into dialogue.

Finally; I hear as an excuse why it wasn't a deal; “If I could negotiate a little better, things would really go better....” However, you only negotiate when both parties have found each other, but still disagree about serious details. Realize that in many sales conversations things don't go wrong at the end, but right at the beginning. The right option is not "negotiation training", but training as an "Expert in Sales" to learn the tricks of the sales trade. You will find more information on our website, you can also contact me or my colleagues directly if I can help you and your team.

If you want to learn to swim, take swimming lessons:

In the beginning I wrote that quite a few companies use the motto: 'If they can swim, they will float to the surface'. I like to use the motto: 'If you want them to learn to swim quickly, send them to swimming lessons. You don't just throw your children into the deep end!'

 

Knowing more? On our new website you can easily and intuitively navigate through the information including what we stand for and the many options with which Kenneth Smit can help on the journey to your commercial success. We like to train, but based on the practical objectives of our clients. It will be a tailor-made approach so that people and organizations grow step by step. We succeed in this because we continually create a safe environment for our participants and work intensively with the client. Because; Without ambition there is no goal. Without a compass there is no direction. Without action there is no result.

Koos Minnema
k.minnema@kennethsmit.com
06-51965959

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#Sales #Selling #Salestraining #Salesmanagement #Negotiation