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Sales Executive Council
Sales Manager
Innovation
The New Missing Link
Beyond management fundamen- tals like integrity, reliability, team-building and communica- tion skills, sales managers need to be skilled in selling, coaching and sales leadership areas of culture creation, sales process clarity and best-practice sharing.
Additionally, truly effective sales managers bring something so very valued but difficult to lock down: sales innovation.
The Sales Executive Council defines sales innovation as driving sales performance through unforeseen obstacles and unexpected events. This skill alone, at 29%, is the single biggest sales-related attribute contributing to world-class sales manager performance. This is even more important than selling skills or one's ability to allocate resources.
While coaching comes in a close second at 28%, sales innovation has not been systematically taught or addressed. Time for that to change. It's the new missing link to successful sales organizations.
More ...
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Are Sales Superstars Natural or Developed?
The age-old nature vs nurture question is back: Are great salespeople born or developed? The implications loom large if recruiters and sales managers need to test and assess the troops and then fire and rehire to new specs. Relax, the answer is good.
Answer: Developed
As we've discussed in previous articles, today's modern sales superstar is predominantly a Challenger sales rep; that is, one who challenges the customer with new ideas, business insight and even provocation that teaches and guides new thinking about the customer's problems known or unknown. It's a definite acquired skill. While some possess more natural proclivities, there is a little bit of a challenger inside all of us. Indeed this skill can be honed and developed.
Many high-performing sales superstars have long been those who engaged with customers naturally or were taught to 1) respectively teach, 2) tailor appropriately, and 3) control the conversation. Recent research conducted by The Corporate Executive Board reveals that up to 40% of all top sales performers (superstars) sell this way. We now have a good label for it.
But now the onus is on companies and their sales organizational leaders to drive their teams in the new day. Note that this comprehensive research on global salespeople highlights those who were top producers in the post-2008 marketplace. Anyone who successfully achieved top-of-the-charts ranking in 2009 and 2010 are clearly those equipped to sell well in the new selling era.
Whether a manager or a rep, are you developing the Challenger inside?_____________________________________________________ |
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Rolling Objections
You're doing well in the sales call until the customer throws out a derailing question or obstacle before you. The dreaded Sales Objection. Now what do you do?
In effect, the customer or prospect has "rolled you the ball." It's fair game. Was it something you said? Probably. Regardless, something you said or presented triggered something in their mind whether real, true or substantive.
You need to deal with it, but use it to your advantage.
"Roll the ball" right back at them. That is, return a question in response seeking further clarity and information. By rolling back a question like "What do you mean by that?" or "That's interesting you say that; is that a major concern of yours?" you steady yourself while driving the prospect to further explain and clarify himself. Often customers will minimize and even answer their own objections when the ball is returned to them with natural curiosity.
At least you're now dealing with something closer to the truth and the real issue. You may find that the objection actually was not an insurmountable wall. You professionally confronted the issue, didn't go around it...you rolled right over it. Nice work.
Are you "rolling" objections?
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"How You Sell" Determines Relationship Quality
Though no surprise, the 2012 Sales Performance Optimization Report published by CSO Insights once again supports a strong correlation between effective sales process execution and the quality of relationship companies have with their customers.
There were 33% of companies with Formal and Dynamic sales processes rating high as Trusted Advisor and Strategic Contributor. At the other extreme were 24% of companies with Random and Informal sales processes getting lower relationship quality marks as Approved Vendor and Preferred Supplier. The largest group, 42%, straddled the middle.
The good news is that these numbers are trending, albeit slowly, toward more refined and dynamic sales process.
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Greeks on Sales Skills Development
"Natural ability is by far the best, but many have succeeded in winning high renown by skill that is the fruit of teaching." - Pindar, Greek Poet |
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