Sales Professionalism – The Forgotten Element

The irony is this: the challenge with too many salespeople is that they decide at first to 'try' selling for awhile. They don't commit 100% to it as a career because they are afraid of being wholly responsible for the level of income they achieve.

I must tell you, though, that the highest paid professional salespeople I know have burned their bridges to other sources of income and made that total commitment to selling as a career. They must succeed! They are not willing to look back! They look only to the future and the exciting opportunities each day in sales brings them.

Selling is one of the few careers available to people today in which every contact made can teach us something new. Do you know how many jobs there are out there in which things are done exactly the same each and every day? How boring! Sure, there's the security of a certain income you get from those jobs, but that income is limited -- set by someone other than yourself.

Selling is one of the few careers that allows you to determine exactly how much you will earn And one of the major benefits is that through proper training, you can learn exactly what you must do to earn that level. It's not a guessing game! There's a system, which, when properly applied, will bring you exactly the results you desire.

It's unfortunate, but most of today's consumers have a poor image of a salesperson. I have spent the better part of my life trying to dispel the stereotype of a salesperson. Once your prospects meet you and realize the high level of professionalism you are dedicated to giving, they will forget that you are a "salesperson" and begin to see you as a trusted friend -- someone who is there to provide a worthwhile service when they need it most.

Never forget this: To earn a higher income, find a way to give greater service. Learn how to make each and every client feel they are the most important person in the world to you. That can be accomplished by making a commitment today to begin taking advantage of the training available through your company, the various seminars, audio programs, video training tapes, magazines and newsletters at your disposal.

It's only through a constant commitment to education that we can get on top and stay on top in the field of selling. After all, the true professional salesperson is the one who continues to learn after they "know it all".

How to Ask for Referrals

For all you sales pros out there - this might not even be worth a separate mention. But all too often, I find that people do not ask for referrals. I believe there are several ways one can ask for a referral and several opportunities when one can ask for referrals.

Ask for referrals often. I push the envelope on this, because I feel one can ask for referrals even before you have consummated a sale. I believe there are two things needed before you can ask for referrals, and as soon as you have them, you should ask for one. They are simply:

1. A rapport with your prospect or customer.
2. A reputation of Trust and Value.

It's what Matters:
If you lack either of the above mentioned requirements, they will be hesitant to make the referral - simply because you don't matter. Either you do not matter enough to them, to want to help you. OR you offer, service or solutions is not valuable enough to matter or make a difference to their friends.

It's about Power:
There is one more perspective to hold; and that is how you ask for the referral. Always ask it in a way that does not seem like you are asking for a favor or for help.

Ask for the referral powerfully e.g.

• Ask them if they think what you have to offer might be of value to some of their friends.
• Or if what you have might be of benefit to their colleagues in other companies.

In Conclusion:
Get comfortable asking seemingly tough questions, learn to always stay in control of your conversations, always build rapport fast and always be selling something of value. If you do all this; you will be able to ask for referrals quickly, often and effectively - this gets you back into the numbers game and helps create more opportunities for you to go sell something.

How valuable is Your Client Database?

Your business' database is one of your most valuable assets. Are you treating it like something of value, or are you allowing it to deteriorate and depreciate in value?

There are two ways a good, up to date database of contacts (certainly customers and prospects but also vendors, employees, and other key people) adds value to your business:

1. It helps you do business more efficiently in the here and now.
2. It makes your business more desirable, sellable and valuable when it comes time to cash out.

It helps you do business more efficiently in the here and now.

How? It allows you and your team to find information on contacts, like phone numbers, email addresses and web site addresses. It allows you to record conversations, quotes and transactions. And, it allows you to review all these after the fact.

It makes your business more desirable, sellable and valuable when it comes time to cash out.

This one is a no-brainer. If you are buying a business, do you want it to come with a Rolodex or even worse - a pile of musty, crumbled, jumbled and un-filed business cards? Or, would you rather have it come with a current, accurate and thorough (and regularly backed up) electronic database of key contacts?

Every time you get a new contact, ask:

• Could this be a potential customer?
• Could this be a potential source of referrals?
• Could this be a potential supplier?
• Could this be a potential key contact of any kind?

If the answer to any of these questions is "yes", by all means capture the contact into your database - including an email address.

Put someone in charge of maintaining and backing up your database, and make sure everyone knows how to access it and use it properly.

Treat your database like the valuable asset it is. You'll be glad you did.

Coach Me

Anybody who has ever worked in an inbound contact center knows the environment is high pressured and performance orientated. The performance targets are high, the calls never stop and rest breaks are far and few during each shift.

To operate at levels of such high expectations, many contact centers have turned to coaching as a tool; usually with the team leader being a coach to their agents.

Coaching unlike counseling is targeted at a specific area of performance with predefined objectives and target. It’s also very much about providing feedback. As the coach, team leaders need to appreciate that feedback good or bad must be honest. It should come from the heart and be of value to the agent involved. After all, coaching is about being people orientated, not task focused.

Furthermore, constructive feedback is an extremely powerful process and must be communicated delicately .It is important that the agent acknowledges and accepts the feedback before the coaching session proceeds further. As a coach, we must also be willing to receive feedback ourselves, if any is given.

The ultimate objective of any coaching session is for the purpose of development. Team leaders need to ensure continuity and that the coaching session is solution focused. At the end of each session, the agent must leave with the knowledge of their performance and what needs to be done to enhance their performance

Lastly, coaching sessions should never be perceived as negative. Always ensure that it is held periodically and not just when negative performance needs to be highlighted. Coaching is an integrated part of contact center operations. It cannot be seen in a bad light and the team leaders handling these sessions need to devote time and effort to the development of their people.