How to Be The Sales Pro Your Employer Wants – Part One
So how does Peter hit his numbers so early in the quarter? How does Lauren stay on the ‘Top 10 Producers’ list year after year after year?
Are they smarter than you? More personable, outgoing and likable? Absolutely not. So how come they outperform the rest of the sales team? Let’s take a look.
Bottom Line = Results
Outside sales is a results-oriented business. There’s no one watching over your shoulder, you often make your own schedule (at least some of the time) and you can punch out early after a particularly difficult day. All good stuff.
Your job success comes down to numbers, straight and true. Typically, especially within companies that maintain a large marketing and sales division, field representatives are assigned sales quotas that must be met weekly, quarterly, annually – it changes from position to position. Hit your numbers, you’re a hero. Miss your quarterlies and the division manager wants to have a little chat. Tough.
So, the question is: Are you reaching your quotas? All of them all of the time? Are you exceeding the expectations of your employer? If not, it’s time to determine how to move up the sales ladder to become an asset your company just can’t afford to lose.
Know Your Territory
Jim works for a large commercial insurer that specializes in coverage for new- and used-car dealerships. He has a four-county territory, rarely visits the company headquarters and delivers the best numbers of any rep in the region. Oh, and his assigned territory is in the boonies!
“When I was first given the territory, I went to the library and went through every town telephone book within my (four-county) territory. I made a list of every (car) dealership…even the real small, mom-and-pop used-car businesses.”
Jim spent a day at the library and three days entering his findings into his home office database. “Then I started dialing. I called every dealership – over 218 individual dealers – not to sell them anything. In my business, people don’t want to do business over the phone. I just called to introduce myself and to let the owners know that I’d be stopping in.”
For the next two months, Jim drove the Crown Vic down rural roads and through the small communities that made up the bulk of his territory. Along the way, he stopped for what he calls ‘handshake’ visits. No sales, no questions and “…certainly no pressure. I just wanted to say hello and let them know I was there. I left a business card. That was all the selling I did at first.”
Know Your Client Base
The day of the hard sell is long gone. People don’t want to be pressured; they want good value for their business buck, not a lot of hype.
Jim is a model of the successful sales rep. The first thing he did was study his territory and develop his own database, instead of using the database provided by his employer. That’s initiative.
However, he didn’t stop there. He spent time working the territory and developing personal relationships with the auto dealership owners that made up his client base. No selling yet.
He took a low-key approach. He e-mailed and sent out mailings to everyone listed in his computer. He didn’t push. Instead, he worked to develop relationships with potential clients. He developed a rapport and first-name friendships with as many clients as he could. And he made this a part of his work everyday. “My goal is to do at least one thing everyday that has the potential to make a sale,” Jim said during a telephone interview. “That way, I create 365 new avenues each year. Now sometimes…it takes a whole day…I play in a couple of golf tournaments with clients…other days, it’s just a cold call. The key is to do one thing everyday. Just one thing.”
Jim also makes regular stops at the web sites of potential clients. “You can learn a lot about businesses by studying their (web) sites. It gives me an inside look at the thinking and business approach of the company owners.” Jim recommends regular study of client web sites, “especially news releases…they keep me current on what each dealership is doing.”
Know Your Product and Service Offerings
This may sound obvious, but there are reps who don’t read the manual or study the latest catalog or marketing materials. That’s like working with one hand tied behind your back!
If you don’t know your product line inside and out:
- you won’t be able to educate potential customers on the advantages of your goods and services.
- you won’t be able to answer clients’ questions.
- you won’t present a confident, knowledgeable image.
- you won’t establish client trust (key to successful closings).
- you will miss underdeveloped sales opportunities.
- you’ll never become a “Top 10″ producer.
Deliver the Goods
There are so many different aspects to a rep’s job. One key aspect is service. Yes, new business development is important, but servicing existing clients is how you grow your territory.
Surprisingly, sales isn’t about selling. It’s about educating, training and servicing businesses. If you think of your work strictly in terms of hitting your numbers, you’re not seeing the big picture. Sales will come when customers and clients recognize your value and the value of your products. That’s education, not sales.
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