Selling Power Blog

Four Simple Ways to Get Amazing Results from Sales Training

Today’s post is by Norman Behar, managing director of Sales Readiness Group and co-author of The High-Impact Sales Manager: A No-Nonsense, Practical Guide to Improve Your Team’s Sales Performance.

 

As sales organizations plan their sales training initiatives for 2020, here are my thoughts on the biggest drivers for success.

1. A Clear Focus on Sales Training Objectives

Companies often select and implement training programs without a clear focus on the training objectives. Given the number of competing priorities within sales organizations, sales training often gets thrown into the mix as a “we should also include sales training.”

Generally, investing in training is a good thing – but the investment (in time, money, travel, etc.) is much more purposeful when tied to specific ways that will help the sales team better engage with customers.

I always ask two questions of clients embarking on sales training initiatives: 

1. “What would you like training participants to do better six months from now?” 
2. “What skills or behaviors need to change to support your training goals?”

The ROI of sales training is likely to be metrics driven (for example: new client acquisition, increased margins, more significant market share). But what drives these metrics is the underlying improvement in skills and behaviors. 

Bottom line: Focus on what you want the training to do, and make sure your training program aligns with your business objectives.

2. Well-Structured Onboarding for New Hires

Sales organizations have been growing rapidly in a very tight labor market. As a result, they have to focus on hiring the best available talent, which often means hiring salespeople with great raw potential but less experience.

Also, more advanced selling skills have become the norm as companies are transitioning from product sales (i.e., relationship driven) to solution sales (i.e., consultative and value driven). Given these challenges, implementing a well-structured onboarding plan that quickly gets new hires trained and productive is essential.

Key elements of the onboarding process include 

• A thorough understanding of solutions and the customer needs they address
• Knowledge of the competitive landscape and points of differentiation
• Win themes
• The critical selling skills required to engage with customers successfully

Bottom line: Develop a well-structured onboarding plan for new sales hires and stick to it.

3. Customized Sales Training with Blended Learning

While most organizations have historically included some form of blended learning, the technology-driven options available today are far more robust and compelling. 

From a pure learning perspective, sales training initiatives should strive to include the following:

• Pre-training assessments and exercises (online)
• Highly engaging workshops (live or via virtual classroom)
• Reinforcement sessions that include homework for skills application (live or via virtual classroom)
• Performance support (self-paced micro-learning videos)
• Skill application tools (online or embedded in CRM)

While these have typically been approached sequentially, today’s sales enablement technologies allow sales organizations to configure the training experience to the specific needs of the users.

As an example, if you want to onboard a new user – and group training isn’t offered right away – you can begin by asking them to go through the micro-learning videos and complete the online skill application exercises.

You can also train smaller groups through a series of interactive live online sessions and include homework between the sessions so participants can apply the skills and share their experiences.

Bottom line: Embrace technology to deliver a more robust training experience.

4. Stronger Sales Coaching by Managers

Sales coaching by sales managers is the central driver of sales management success. Because managers see their teams in action, they can target the development of specific skills for each salesperson. 

As an example, a newer member of the team may need help with prospecting and call planning, so it makes sense for the manager to coach on these areas to help them build a pipeline.

More experienced reps, however, may need help with more complex skills such as navigating accounts and advanced negotiation techniques to help develop and win more significant opportunities.

The key is to remember that sales coaching needs to be personalized and collaborative. To make this happen, managers need to understand the salesperson’s perspective and jointly develop plans that secure commitment and buy-in. Unfortunately, many veteran sales managers still resort to “telling.” While “telling” is expedient, it does little to enhance skills and empower salespeople.

Great coaching requires patience and practice so that managers can help reps discover areas for improvement, observe and provide feedback, and empower their teams to achieve even greater success as they adopt and apply those skills.

Bottom line: Train your sales managers to be great coaches – and instill a coaching culture in your sales organization.

For more insight from Norman Behar and the Sales Readiness Group, check out his white paper, “Developing Great Frontline Sales Managers.”

How to Master the Sales Discovery Process and Get Powerful Results

Today’s post is by Anita Nielsen, bestselling author of Beat the Bots: How Your Humanity Can Future-Proof Your Tech Sales Career. She is a sales enablement consultant and performance coach with over 20 years of experience in B2B sales and support and is also the president of LDK Advisory Services, LLC. As an advocate for salespeople, Anita is dedicated to coaching and equipping them for long-term success. Selling Power magazine named Anita on its list of Top Sales Enablement Consultants in 2018 and 2019.

 

Time and again I hear from sales leaders that most B2B sales professionals on their teams don’t know how to articulate a value proposition. 

I like to ask these leaders, “What does ‘value’ mean?” I can tell you, I have yet to get the same answer twice. 

Now, that’s not too surprising, because value is in the eye of the customer. In other words, the customer defines what value is. 

The Customer Defines Value 

If that’s the case, then how are you supposed to figure out what value means for each potential customer? You start solving that equation during the sales discovery process. 

The ideal way to determine precisely what value means to each buyer is to ask high-impact questions (HIQs) during discovery. This requires salespeople to be curious. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know. The only way to learn is to ask questions and listen well.   

The sales discovery process is the means by which you obtain the information required to create personalized value – and personalized value is the only true way to differentiate. Discovery helps you get to why the individual is buying – not just why the company needs to make the purchase. Understanding the reason your customer wants to make a purchase will then help you understand what’s valuable to him or her. 

Three Ways to Identify Value during Sales Discovery 

High-performing sales professionals elevate discovery to an art form. They focus on three important actions throughout sales discovery that position them to identify and create differentiating value:

1. Do thorough research.
2. Ask high-impact questions (HIQs).
3. Practice active listening. 

Let’s examine each action in more detail. 

Action #1: Thoroughly research your prospect. 

Effective discovery begins with thoughtful research. At bare minimum, leverage the usual suspects (Google, Discover.org, LinkedIn, and your prospect’s company Website). 

High performers know to also look at sites like Glassdoor, Reddit, Twitter, and various buyer forums. Research will show the customer that you’re prepared. It will also help you ask targeted, meaningful, and relevant questions, which will help you gain credibility. 

Action #2: Ask high-impact questions (HIQs). 

When you’re trying to uncover what matters to your customer, you have to be deliberate about the types of questions you ask. HIQs are a powerful type of question. Think of them as open-ended questions on steroids. 

HIQs help you probe deeper and uncover more information. The magic of these questions is they allow space for the customer’s emotions to emerge. Understanding emotion is crucial, because people typically buy based on emotion – then rationalize the purchase using logic. HIQs are questions that would make a terrific therapist or psychiatrist jealous. Remember, psychologists are trained to bring out human emotions. 

Here’s the great news: It’s fairly simple to create HIQs! Here are some phrases to help you frame your HIQs:  

• “Can you describe…?”
• “How do you think about the issue of…?”
• “Can you tell me more about…?” 

For any specific customer, use your research to fill in the blanks. For example, if your prospect is facing a competitive threat, you could ask, “Can you tell me more about how you plan to differentiate your offering from XYZ Company’s newly launched offering?” 

#3: Practice active listening. 

After you’ve asked these probing questions, listen. Active listening is crucial to building customer trust. 

As sales professionals, we can sometimes be guilty of not really listening to our customers because we are trying to figure out our response. People know when you are listening on a shallow level; it makes them feel like you don’t care. It’s important to be conscientious of this and remind yourself, in the moment, to return your attention to the customer. People love to talk about themselves. More than that: They love feeling heard. We humans have a tendency to equate how much we matter to someone with how well they listen to us. Take some time to learn active listening skills – they will positively change how your customers interact with you and how they perceive you. 

Personalize Your Customer Interactions to Deliver Value 

When you know what the customer feels is valuable, you are ready to personalize your interactions and messaging to deliver that value. Think about what they have shared with you and what matters to them on a personal or emotional level. What can you do to help them achieve what they hope to? Make that happen. Differentiation lives in the way you address the customer’s unique personal goals, needs, and wants. 

Sales discovery is the key to unlocking the information – emotional and rational – that will help you create something meaningful for your customers. Remember: You can’t create personalized value if you don’t do a thorough discovery and understand your customer’s heart and mind. Top performers know the secret sauce: The human-to-human connection helps you deliver personalized value, win the deal, and win customers for life. 

Want a complimentary sample sheet of HIQs designed to draw out your customers’ emotional and rational needs? Email me at anielsen@ldkadvisory.com with the subject line “discovery questions” and I’ll send you one. 

Eight-Step Plan for Ultimate Trade Show Sales Success

Today’s post is by Mark Stralka, CEO and founder of Mobile Locker. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

 

Have you been successfully generating sales at trade shows? Not sure?

You’re not alone! 

Most businesses that invest time and money in trade show marketing aren’t sure it’s paying off.

Our eight-step plan will help you optimize your efforts. If you follow it from beginning to end, you’ll increase your chances of success at trade shows. Plus, you’ll be able to calculate a concrete return on your investment in them and have the information you need to improve event sales over time.

Step 1: Define your reasons for participating in trade shows.

Decide whether you’re trying to:

• Find new customers
• Build business relationships
• Connect with current clients
• Raise your brand profile
• Demonstrate expertise
• Introduce new products or services

Maybe it’s a combination. 

This step is fundamental. You can’t succeed unless you know what you’re trying to achieve. 

Step 2: Identify your target audiences.

Once you understand what you want to accomplish at trade shows, decide who you want to connect with. Once you define your target audiences, you’ll be able to:

• Find the trade shows they attend
• Understand what motivates them
• Deliver messages and personal and virtual interactions they’ll respond to.

Step 3: Set measurable goals. 

Leverage information from steps 1 and 2 to come up with clear, defined business goals. Here are some examples.

• Number of new leads or customers
• Dollar value of sales tracked back to trade show interactions
• Number of meetings with current customers
• Percent increase in sales tracked to event efforts

Step 4: Find events that align with your goals.

It’s not enough for trade shows to have plenty of attendees in your target market. They should also offer meaningful ways to interact with them.

• Do you want to demonstrate industry expertise? Look for events with well-attended breakout sessions and other speaking opportunities.
• Are you trying to generate leads? Find trade shows that encourage personal interactions and opportunities to exchange contact information.
• Looking to spend quality time with prospects and current clients? Seek out events that allow for coffee, cocktail, and meal breaks.

Step 5: Develop assets that command attention.

Once you understand the people in your target audience, you can create trade show assets that speak to their needs, including:

• A booth that features messages and images that get them to stop and take notice
• Experiences that will help them live their lives or do their jobs better
• Break-outs that feature speakers and topics they won’t want to miss

Step 6: Decide how to capture contact information.

Many businesses leverage the badge scanners provided by trade shows to gather lead data. 

The issue: The information from scanners is limited and not available to sales reps right away.

A better alternative: Use Mobile Locker’s business card scanning app to snap pictures of attendee business cards. It will convert the information on them to data that’s usable right away. Plus, it scans the Internet for other information that can be used to qualify prospects on the spot. Learn how Mobile Locker’s trade show tool kit can help you.

Step 7: Build a follow-up plan.

If you delay following up with the people you meet at trade shows, your competitors will beat you to sales. You must have a follow-up plan ready to go as soon as events are over.

It should include:

• Priorities, including which leads are acted on first
• How leads will be distributed
• How quickly follow-up should happen
• What messages and materials must be developed to support follow-up efforts
• How tracking and results reporting will take place
• Who will manage the follow-up process

Make sure sales reps are fully trained on the follow-up program before the event begins and identify a contact who can answer questions. Mobile Locker’s app for sales makes it easy to train reps and distribute sales materials.

8.  Measure success. 

Compare your projected goals with your actual results to determine whether your trade show marketing and sales efforts were successful.

Don’t give up if you didn’t succeed at everything. By following this step-by-step plan, you have all the information you need to fine-tune future trade show sales efforts and do even better in the future.

Want to learn more tips on how to optimize the ROI of your next trade show event? Download Mobile Locker’s complimentary Trade Show Lead Booster™ guidebook!

How to Become Your Best Self in 2020

Following the herd is easy. But, as any successful sales leader knows, it takes commitment, perseverance, and discipline to blaze a trail that reflects your authentic self. 

Why Your Mindset Matters

For several years now, I’ve championed the power of investing in developing a better, stronger, more resilient mindset. 

Your mindset is like the operating system of a computer. It needs to be upgraded periodically in order to function at full capacity.

Neuroscience tells us that the prefrontal cortex is where your “inner CEO” is located. It is your inner CEO that’s in control of your mindset operating system.

Let’s say you studied the brain scan of an average salesperson or sales leader while they were interacting with customers. You’d see certain regions of the brain are not fully activated during those meetings and calls. Their minds often run in “automatic” mode. Automatic mode means limited awareness and lack of focus. 

How the Unconscious Mind Holds You Back

People with unexamined, undeveloped mindsets are very likely operating in an unconscious mode most of the time. They’re probably unaware that: 

• They experience 60,000 thoughts a day – and 80 percent of those thoughts are negative.
• Their negative self-commentary at work inhibits their capacity to handle difficult situations. 
• They don’t write down their goals and they never bother to explore their “why?”
• They simply don’t know that the bigger the “why,” the bigger the “try.”
• They don’t see the connection between their poor diet and lack of exercise and their low energy levels.

They could achieve much better results by working on and improving their mindset. However, many of us are so caught up in the daily routine – and tethered to our habits – that we forget we’re human beings, not human doings. We ignore our mental states. 

Meanwhile, sales leaders and salespeople with a positive mindset sell 38 percent more and live, on average, 7.5 years longer.

Tap into Your Peak Performance Mindset 

This is why I launched my new series of Peak Performance Mindset retreats. I wanted to provide sales leaders with an experience that would help them break through their inner barriers, stop ruminating about their negative past, and clear a path to achieve their dreams.

Average performers seek comfort. Top-performing leaders seek solutions.

It’s not easy to learn how to become more aware and increase your focus. That’s why every Peak Performance Mindset retreat begins with a focus on mindfulness. 

Mindfulness is a wonderful place to start, because even a small exercise can easily help you see how much less productive you become when you attempt to multitask. Leaders at our mindset retreat are always amazed by mindfulness expert Alexis Pokorny’s presentation, because she helps them see the habits they’ve developed that aren’t serving them.

If you’re curious to find out what a Peak Performance Mindset Retreat can do for you, contact me at gerhard@sellingpower.com. Based on my experience, most people use only a small fraction of their abilities in their jobs or their personal lives. We are all capable of achieving big breakthroughs when we learn how to harness the power of our mindset. 

Visit http://mindsetscience.com/retreat/ to find out more information about the next Peak Performance Mindset retreat in 2020, or contact me on LinkedIn. 

How to Recruit and Keep Great Sales Partnerships

Today’s post is by Daniel Graff-Radford, CEO of Allbound, Inc. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

 

Gone are the days of solely picking up the phone or shaking hands on a trade show floor to attract and cultivate a relationship with channel partners. The sales partnership ecosystem has changed and we’re now dealing with two key realities:

1. Everything is online 
2. Your partners’ expectations are justifiably high

We live in a world where so many things work as we expect them to – on demand, without friction, and with clear added value. Your sales partnership ecosystem wants this, too. Here are some ideas to help you recruit and keep great sales partnerships.

1. Define your ideal sales partner profile.

You’ve probably defined the buying process for your own company’s products and services. But what does the buying process look like when a sales partner is involved? Build your partner journey and partner profile to coincide with how your product is purchased, and not on how you want it to be sold.

Some questions you should be asking yourself include:  

• Are there companies that have close relationships with my buyers? 
• Would my buyers want to buy from them or be influenced by them? 
• Are there companies that have contracts in place with my buyers that they would prefer to leverage directly with me? 
• Who are the influencers that affect buying decisions?
• How do we bring them into the tent in a way the buyers would respect and the influencers would find mutually beneficial?

2. Align potential sales partnership experiences with the buyers’ decision making process.

To attain better outcomes with partner selling, you can leverage a variety of tools, including events, marketing materials, interactions, and more. Helping those partners learn what works with your products for other successful partners is only half the battle. Most successful partner programs actively help facilitate these interactions by making sure the sales partnership has the tools to align their sales process to the buying process. This will not only show your partner your commitment but will also give you needed visibility into their process.

3. Strategically engage with customers and partners.

Be interesting to your customers and partners by being interested in your customers and partners. Your customers and sales partners are hanging out online in places you want to be. You may be asking yourself how to create content that provides actionable insights pertaining directly to potential partners’ priorities. Connect with online influencers in the space you want to be. Be genuine and honest in your responses; try to “make a friend” and share insights that will be helpful to them and the community.

4. Tools are not to manage sales partnerships; tools are to enhance them.

If you want your sales partners to sell more of your products, faster, your partner portal should enhance their journey by 

• Making communication with you clear and open 
• Offering ways to learn independently about your products and efficiently seek answers when needed most
• Engage for marketing development funds and co-brand materials 

These tools, in turn, will also allow you to learn about your partners. The key I am trying to impart is this: Don’t stop at offering information. Engage with sales partners and ask them why they are succeeding (or not) using whatever tools you have built for them.

Each year, sales partners analyze and remove vendors and companies – and also remove their channel partners. Using the data about what has worked for one partner will help you engage with other partners you think can succeed and help inform your ideal partner profile to add more partners, as well.

Everyone gets better and smarter as they do their job. After you roll out your partner program by building it into your buyer journey, you will learn a lot. After watching the digital body language of your partners engaging with your training and marketing materials (combined with the sales results) you should be ready to move to another version. Stagnation early will lead to poor results. Your partners will appreciate you going back to them and learning from their learnings and engaging your mutual customers in the process. 

How to Uncover What Motivates Your Salespeople

Today's blog post is by Warren Kurzrock. 

 

 

This may shock you, but you can’t motivate your salespeople! The fact is, no one truly motivates anyone else. Motivation is an internal drive – and everyone motivates themselves. 

Yes, your salespeople are already motivated to sell, but why? Some are also motivated to improve and master their selling skills; others want to work independently; some want recognition; and many work hard for a potential “bonus.” 

The Six Sales Motivation Categories

Once you understand what motivates salespeople, you can more effectively manage their performance. You can think of motivation in terms of six main categories. 

1. Money
2. Opportunity
3. Teamwork
4. Independence
5. Visibility
6. Excellence 

Money

Money is the most obvious motivator. Money (or what money can buy) is important to many salespeople, but it isn’t necessarily the most important factor to everyone. In fact, many sales and incentive experts have indicated that money, per se, has currently declined as a motivator. 

Opportunity 

Many salespeople are driven by opportunity. What constitutes an opportunity varies from person to person. However, motivational opportunities usually fall into the categories of challenges – and the possibility of improving one’s situation on the job or in life in general. When you’ve recognized this motivation in members of your sales team, you should try to create an environment or activity that offers opportunities. 

Teamwork 

Many salespeople are motivated by the social aspects of being part of a team and contributing to the team’s success, as well as the challenge of selling. These people may get satisfaction from team success, problem solving, contributing to a team member’s performance, being part of the number one district in the organization, or even playing a major role at a sales meeting. 

Independence

Some salespeople prefer to be independent and are motivated when left to their own devices. This involves empowerment, independence, and freedom, enhancing feelings of power and control. This motivator should not be ignored or minimized because people belong to a team. Instead, use it to help independent salespeople be successful on their own. 

Visibility 

Recognition, approval, or a need to stand out from the crowd drives some salespeople. Whereas opportunity comes from internal recognition of achievements, visibility involves recognition from others. 

Excellence

Most people want to perform well – even if they aren’t currently meeting expectations. The difference between the “excellence” and “opportunity” motivators is that the excellence-motivated person wants to excel at what he does and is not necessarily seeking higher and more challenging goals and opportunities. Excellence means the person takes great pride in achieving or surpassing personal and professional expectations, becoming a “master.” 

How to Identify a Salesperson’s Intrinsic Motivations

One of the topics I discuss in my recently published book, Sales Management Success: Optimizing Performance to Build a Powerful Sales Team, is how to identify a salesperson’s intrinsic motivations. There is no magic formula, but there are methods for observing background, actions, and behavior as bases for reading motives. They should all be used in concert to support and reinforce what you’ve discovered. 

#1: Search for the real salesperson: Pay attention to the salesperson’s behavior, personality, ambitions, lifestyle, finances, interests, hobbies, and family. The more you know about the person, the more you will know about what drives him or her. 

#2: Monitor behavior changes: Any kind of change in observable behavior may indicate a change in dominant motive. A slacking-off in completing paperwork or making prospecting calls may indicate a motivating force is not being addressed. A salesperson who begins to develop outside interests or hobbies may be looking for new opportunities. Someone who joins a club or organization may be satisfying his teamwork motivation. 

#3: Ask the salesperson: Discuss motivations individually with each of your salespeople and ask them to define which one or two motives or goals are most important to them. Many occasions are available, including counseling, annual performance reviews, quota setting discussions, and even over a drink after work. You may be surprised at the responses you get to this direct approach! 

The bottom line for supporting and enabling the traditional drives is simply staying involved: 1) Try to understand each team member’s drives, if possible, 2) Frequently reinforce positive behavior to strengthen the salesperson’s skill and related motivation, and 3) Quickly recognize a gap in performance and try to improve performance or behavior. Use coaching and counseling (the latter for serious shortfalls) – particularly if you suspect motivation (or lack of it is) part of the cause. 

In summary, these motivation tactics will help you manage better and with more confidence in the motivational impact. 

The above is adapted from the new book, Sales Management Success: Optimizing Performance to Build a Powerful Sales Team, by Warren Kurzrock. The book contains tested strategies and abilities developed by Porter Henry & Co. over the past 75 years. Thousands of companies, from Fortune 500 to small independents, have invested heavily to train their sales managers via Porter Henry workshops and have gained greater sales management success. 

How Sales Compensation Plans Have Changed and What You Need to Do

Today’s post is by Nick Kane, managing partner at Janek Performance Group. He has trained more than 15,000 sales professionals worldwide and is passionate about helping sales professionals improve their selling careers – as well as their lives. He is co-author of Critical Selling: How Top Performers Accelerate the Sales Process and Close More Deals. 

 

After working with numerous companies over the years, we’ve seen it all – from high-performing comp plans to those built in ways that totally fail to support the sales process. Here are some of the sales compensation trends we’ve seen in recent years, and some best practices for building a high-performing compensation plan.

Trend #1: Comp Plans That Support Team-based Selling

In the past decade or so, many sales organizations have transitioned to a team-based sales approach. Consequently, many sales compensation plans are now moving from individual-performance based to team or even company-based plans tied to overall performance – while still accounting for an individual’s specific role within that more multifaceted environment.

Trend #2: Comp Plans That Embrace Greater Transparency

Transparency is another factor to consider when starting the sales compensation plan design process. Of course, transparency is not exactly a new best practice when it comes to comp plans. However, it’s worth noting that  today’s sales force wants even greater transparency in the sales compensation plan – including knowing 1) how compensation is calculated and 2) why the company selected a particular compensation model.

With that in mind, clarity is the single most important starting point in designing a sales compensation plan. Make sure everyone in the organization is on the same page and clear on things like sales environment, everyone’s role in the organization, and team and company goals.

Trend #3: Comp Plans That Account for Leading Indicators

Part of those goals involves incentivizing desired behaviors. This isn’t just about lagging indicators like revenue and client growth. Sales leaders need to integrate leading indicators (such as new markets, technical acumen, and customer satisfaction metrics) into their sales comp plans. 

Tips to Design an Excellent Sales Compensation Plan 

The physical (or digital) plan document itself needs to be clear, simple, and transparent. Include a calculator that allows salespeople to test different benchmarks and resulting compensation levels so they understand what they need to achieve in establishing their own personal goals. The easier you make the plan to comprehend and calculate, the more effective your sales reps will be.

The communication surrounding the plan is as important as the plan itself. Especially if you’re designing a new system, people are going to have a lot of questions and suggestions. That means getting them involved from the start – for example, consulting with team members in person or via survey, or both, to get a feel for what your sales organization as a whole values most in terms of compensation. No team will have the exact same set of values and rankings, so it’s vital to get an aggregate picture of what’s most valued and desired overall.

After you’ve conducted this preliminary research and drafted the plan, disseminate it to select members of the organization and ask for specific feedback. While you’ve done most of the work and have things largely set in stone, the responses might lead you to make minor tweaks before finalizing the document. Making these small adjustments will also make your workers feel heard and create stronger buy-in to the new plan.

A final note: Once you have the compensation plan set, don’t get locked into it. While you shouldn’t make radical changes each year, be open to them, and communicate to your team that the plan might well be slightly adjusted as the company’s situation changes. The best approach to take in this regard is to zero base the plan each year and then evaluate to see what minor tweaks might be needed.

What a Great Sales Compensation Plan Looks Like

In short, your sales compensation plan should drive your desired behaviors and be as simplified and clear to understand as possible. Communicating with your sales organization regularly and getting selected team members’ input will foster employee connectedness and buy-in, helping them become more productive and effective through their sense of being invested and involved in the compensation creation process.

For more helpful advice on how to advance your selling skills and sales management practices, visit Janek’s resource library and sign up for our free monthly newsletter.  

Five Steps to Maximize the ROI of Your Sales Training

Today’s post is by Anita Greenland, vice president of sales at The Brooks Group, where she brings 25+ years of customer service, sales, sales management, and sales training experience. In her role, Anita is responsible for leading and executing The Brooks Group’s sales growth strategy.

 

A sales training initiative is a worthwhile investment that can permanently shift your sales team’s performance. It’s critical, however, that you take the necessary steps to maximize the return on your investment of time and resources.

To produce permanent behavior change and get the most from your training dollars, be sure to incorporate the following five steps into your reinforcement program.

1. Strategically Develop Your Sales Training Reinforcement Structure

The Forgetting Curve shows us that new knowledge is typically forgotten within days or weeks of sales training – unless the material is consciously reviewed. Give your sales training the best chance to succeed by planning your reinforcement structure ahead of time.

Your reinforcement structure should include regular opportunities for salespeople to review key concepts during sessions with their coaches – either virtually or in person. There should also be opportunities for reps to practice the concept with a customer or prospect, with access to the coach to answer questions and assist with any challenges that arise.

2. Engage Expert Sales Coaches with Real Selling Experience

The person coaching your sales team should not only be highly skilled at coaching, but should also have real industry experience to draw from. Your salespeople must trust their coach and their advice, and they’ll quickly be able to tell if a trainer or coach has real selling experience or not.

Make sure your sales coaches meet the following requirements:

• Highly experienced in the sales process in which your sales team is trained
• Comfortable with your sales strategy and business objectives
• Trained in adult learning best practices
• Fluent with the sales enablement software and tools used in the reinforcement

3. Train and Equip Your Frontline Sales Managers

After your training and reinforcement programs have been delivered, your sales managers will be the primary source of direction and leadership for your sales reps. Unfortunately, many organizations fail to adequately set up their sales managers for success.

Sales management training is critical to give your sales managers the coaching skills they need to be a resource and guide for your salespeople. Give your managers a practical coaching system and a framework for keeping the new selling skills alive inside your team with the correct training. 

4. Establish a Consistent Sales Training Reinforcement Cadence

On average, it takes 66 days for a new skill to become a habit. Therefore, you must reinforce new skills consistently for 6-8 weeks – ideally right after training – at a cadence that is appropriate for the material and your sales team’s existing capabilities and knowledge.

Establishing a dedicated cadence prevents salespeople from reverting to old habits. By sticking to regular reinforcement check-ins and skill refreshers, you will help make skills learned in training the “new normal” for your sales team.

Tip: Hold sessions on the same day and time each week to improve attendance and accountability.

5. Measure and Track Sales Training Success

It’s important to measure and track success at various intervals along the way during your reinforcement program.

With the right sales enablement tools, you can give coaches and stakeholders from the organization insight into how each participant is progressing. This information reveals challenge areas that need targeted coaching and helps develop ongoing coaching plans.

Consider conducting ROI surveys after training to identify critical success markers, including:

• Changes in average sales amount
• Changes in length of sales cycle
• Performance to quota
• Additional sales that reps attribute to training
• Increase in sales volume as a result of training and reinforcement
• Specific behaviors, training, and reinforcement activities that yield the largest changes in results

Conclusion: Maximize ROI on Sales Training

When choosing a training partner, look for one that provides best-in-class reinforcement tools and systems to help you build on the momentum of the training and solidify new behaviors. Doing so will maximize your ROI and make both your short- and long-term goals easier to reach.

The IMPACT Sales Coaching System uses industry-leading reinforcement tools in an engaging and collaborative format to guide participants to apply new selling skills with real accounts. The system will help solidify your sales training and maximize your ROI.

How to Integrate Lifetime Learning into Your Schedule

Today’s post is by Troy Korsgaden, president of Korsgaden International in Visalia, CA. He is an international insurance carrier consultant, industry main-platform speaker, representative trainer, and agency consultant, as well as the author of six books. He can be reached at troy@korsgaden.com.

 

To be successful in the future, you must be willing to adapt quickly. The way companies are doing business is rapidly changing. It’s no longer “business as usual.” We not only need to navigate the tsunami of change for our own businesses; we also must lead our clients through the same tsunami.

This means staying informed and up to date on changes within the companies we do business with and those companies that directly affect your industry. If lifetime learning wasn’t one of your core values before, it needs to be now.

Current and potential customers are barraged with an overwhelming amount of information with just a click of their search buttons. Becoming an expert in your field will allow you to help them disseminate the information overload and gain their confidence as a trusted advisor.

Lifelong learning has never been more important than it is today. Shooting from the hip or “winging it” is no longer an option. You will be hard pressed to find any client who hasn’t done some preliminary research on our industry offerings. Your job is to remove the clutter and explain your value in a language they will understand. This will alleviate frustrations or concerns and enable your clients to make informed decisions for their families’ and/or businesses’ personalized needs.

Intentional and purposeful learning must become a permanent component of your business plan. It should become as habitual as unlocking the front door of your office and flipping on the computer. Customers are demanding more astute and informed advisors in all professional industries.

Our authority based on industry knowledge must convey the value of personalized service over the perceived faster and cheaper online options. Daily lifelong learning is necessary to keep us relevant as advisors so we can offer our customers the powerful combination of our own knowledge and that of our expertise partners.

Below are my five simple ways to integrate lifetime learning into any busy schedule.

1. Make an appointment with yourself. Block out one hour each day to devote to learning. This can be any time of the day – before, during, or after work. Keep the mindset that this appointment is set in stone. Do not allow yourself or your staff to schedule anything on top of it, reschedule it, or remove it. This appointment is just as important as meeting with a client.
2. Take advantage of company- and industry-sponsored webinars and video calls. There is no shortage of these in our industry, and they are great ways to get quick information on relevant subjects, as well as input from peers. One caveat: Not all information is good information. If you find that the subject matter doesn’t apply or appeal to you, simply disconnect and move on.
3. Multitask. I like to download audio books or YouTube videos and listen to them while I exercise. Take the time to load your device with impactful videos, audio files, or digital books. Next time you find yourself eating at your desk, waiting in line at the bank, or sitting in traffic, turn on one of the choices from your library. These quick injections of learning add up over the week and month.
4. Go outside your comfort zone. Although it is very important to stay informed and educated within the boundaries of your industry, it is equally important to expand those boundaries. Explore ideas from other industries. How can you manipulate and apply them to your own business? Read or listen to philosophy, satire, biographies, history, or anthropology. The human “struggle” has not changed over the past 2,000 years. You will find that, no matter how old (or new) the content is, some part of it will resonate with you.
5. Embrace digital minimalism. Be open to disconnecting. Part of lifelong learning is also learning about ourselves on a higher plane. Shut out the noise for a set time frame each day. Reflect and rebalance yourself. What could you have said or done differently during today’s sales meeting? How can you improve your communication skills or leadership skills? How can you apply current industry changes to your business? Find solace in the quiet and stillness of time with yourself.

Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed. There is no need to order the past 12 months of every insurance and financial services periodical published or go into debt filling up your Amazon cart.

Today is day one. Start small. Ease into it. Pick one or two subjects that interest you the most that you want to learn more about. Focus on that until you feel you know all there is to know.

There is a reason the term “building blocks of learning” exists. Think of learning as a giant brick wall that has not yet begun to be constructed. One brick does not a wall make. But, over time, those bricks start to add up – and the wall becomes tall and impenetrable.

A small change in your schedule, along with purposeful dedication, will have a huge impact on your business and on your relationships with your clients.

Is Your First Impression Advancing the Sale?

Today’s post is by Justin Zappulla, managing partner at Janek Performance Group.

 

As the old chestnut says, you have only one chance to make a first impression. And, in today’s time-crunched business world, your first opportunity might be the only one you have to get further in the sales process – so you need to know how to impress right from the jump. 

These are the things you need to keep in mind.

1. Research prospects and customers, and prepare well in advance of the meeting.
   
   Most of your time should be spent researching the client and the people you’ll meet. Yes, there will be a discovery process as part of an initial contact. But you want to be able to use discovery to really drill deep into a client’s needs, objectives, and situation – not just rehash the basics that are surface-level and easily available.
   
   Also, think about this: The more you come in knowing about a buyer, the more likely they are to be impressed, because you’ve demonstrated that you’ve done the hard work to get to know them as much as you can before the meeting.
   
   
2. Ascertain buyers’ communication style as quickly as you can and adapt to it.
   
   There are four fundamental communication styles – expressive, business-oriented, visionary, and cautious/skeptical. One of the keys to making a great first impression is to determine which one is predominant for the buyer and adjust accordingly.
   
   For example, an expressive communicator will enjoy small talk and chit-chat before getting down to the purpose of the meeting, whereas the business-oriented communicator will want to get straight to the point and the relevant information.
   
   The communication style speaks not only to the flow of the discussion, but the content and evidence. A visionary communicator will want to hear how your solution fits in the grand scheme and vision of the future, so imagery of what their life or work will be like after the purchase resonates powerfully with them. Conversely, the cautious/skeptical buyer will be much more likely to raise objections or challenges, and will need space to reflect on what you’re communicating to them.
   
   
3. Be authentic.
   
   Most people are able to detect when someone is being insincere or inauthentic. So it’s important to speak and act as you would in a normal situation. If you put on a pose or try to be someone you’re not, the buyer can pick up on that – and this can plant seeds of doubt as to your honesty and whether you’re hiding some critical information they need to know.
   
   
4. Rehearse the conversation beforehand.
   
   You know how comedians, public speakers, and professional athletes make their work look effortless and easy? It’s because they’ve practiced – sometimes with hundreds or thousands of repetitions beforehand – until it’s become second nature to them. While you likely won’t have the time to do that yourself for every single meeting (or even most of them), the takeaway is still the same: Run through your opening, your main points, your intended questions, and your next steps as frequently as you can.
   
   
5. Set a pre-meeting agenda and distribute it ahead of time.
   
   Even if it’s short, write an agenda and give it to the people you’re meeting in advance. Not only will it show that you’re on top of things, it will help the buyer know what to expect and allow them to perform their own preparations for the conversation (such as questions they want to ask, what they’re hoping to gain from your solution, etc).

A positive first impression sets the stage for building a fruitful, mutually beneficial relationship that progresses through the sales process and sales pipeline and continues even after the sale. Utilizing these strategies and tips will help you  achieve your objectives.

For more expert, actionable advice on how to advance your selling skills, visit Janek’s resource library and sign up for Janek’s free monthly newsletter.