Be Different or be dead

August 27, 2019

Why successful sales is about relationships not pushing products

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There are two options to consider when setting a sales philosophy for your organization. You can choose to generate revenue by selling stuff or you can choose to build intimate relationships with people and have them buy stuff.

Selling stuff equates to flogging products; the focus is on what is being produced rather than on the demand elements of the customer. Very few people like the flogging experience where a sales person tries to shove a product down your throat with little consideration for our needs and expectations.

At the end of a flogging experience we generally feel used, abused and violated vowing to never return.

Building deep relationships and have people buy stuff is quite a different thing and is based on the axiom that you need to “make a friend before you can do business”.
The sales dynamics focus on getting to know the prospect and their specific wants and desires. The relationship builder actually makes you compelled to buy!

The forces at play propel the prospective buyer along a course of action that requires a transaction; anything less conjures up the feeling of guilt given the time, effort and caring the builder has invested in you.

Relationship building firms understand and trust that cash flow is the result of deep customer relationships; an annuity stream is established over a longer period of time with an impressive net present value as compared to the short term financial benefits of the one sale wonder.

Start the move today to developing a relationship building sales team that sends sales performance sky high.

And introduce this element in the sales compensation plan. If you are purely a flogging organization today, add a percentage for the relationship element and begin the journey to remarkable sales. Begin with compensating your sales team 20% on relationship building and increase this amount over time.

How do you measure relationship building? Create a report card with 6 key relationship building behaviours and ask the customer to rate the salesperson on each.

Customer perception is reality and it will not be long before every salesperson is paying attention to what is required to be a successful relationship builder.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 8.27.19 at 11:50 am by Roy Osing
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August 12, 2019

Why the sales flogger is disgusting and creates pain for people

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Why the sales flogger is disgusting and creates pain for people.

Sales product pushers torture customers when they try to force the customer to buy what they’re flogging.

Here’s the profile of the sales pushing technique that inflicts pain on people and diminishes the credibility of the profession.

1. One way conversation — Throughout the engagement process little interest is shown by the salesperson in discovering the customer’s needs, wants and desires. Their primary focus is on driving the product down the customer’s throat with no attempt to identify solutions that might address burning customer problems.

There is way too much fast talk. It’s a sales monologue about the features and benefits of the product. It’s not a conversation with the customer. If the sales person takes a breath during their speech it’s a miracle. It’s full-out transmitting with no listening.

2. Products and prices — The features of the product are highlighted. What the product does takes precedence over the benefits and value it creates. It’s a gee-whiz expose on the cool things the technology can do whether it resonates with what the customer wants or not.
And it’s a pricing pitch with the emphasis being on what the product costs and how it’s cheaper than the competition.

The sales monologue is dominated by a complex technology narrative which typically leaves the customer in a daze with little or no understanding of what the salesperson is talking about.

The flogger is infatuated with their technical knowledge and they beat the customer over the head with it.

3. Twenty-Four hour attention span — The sales engagement has a here and now short term focus; what can they extract from the customer today, right now in the moment?

There is little interest in searching for and presenting any long term benefits; the sales pusher doesn’t really care if the customer returns to buy again.
What’s important for them is to consummate the sale and move on to another potential sale with their sights on making quota.

4. Unrelenting pressure — The pressure on the customer to buy is immense. And in the face of the sales barrage, all the sales target wants to do is to get it over with and escape the pain.
There are no easy flight defences for the customer who sits perspiring, looking to leave the intolerable scene. The flogger is relentless. The customer cannot escape.

All through the process there is implied criticism on the customer if they don’t buy. The unsaid conclusion from the salesperson lurks: ‘Don’t you understand the great deal you’re getting (you must be stupid if you don’t)?’ and the customer feels it.

Actually this picture of the sales push process is really not the salesperson’s fault. They behave this way because it’s what their leadership wants.

Salespeople are compensated by how much product they sell in the short term, with little emphasis on bonding with people.

It’s this fuzzy stuff that these leaders find difficult to quantify in terms of benefits to the organization and therefore they tend to exclude it from the evaluation of sales effectiveness. And they certainly avoid putting relationship building in the annual sales compensation plan.

Sales performed in this way does not paint a pretty picture. Customers hate it and it doesn’t maximize long term value for the organization.

And, ironically, it doesn’t allow the salesperson to realize the full potential of their compensation.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 8.12.19 at 04:00 am by Roy Osing
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June 3, 2019

6 important reasons why I really don’t like some types of salespeople

6 important reasons why I really don’t like some types of salespeople.

If you think about it, competencies in any craft are distributed in binomial fashion. At the far right are those precious few individuals who excel, while the crowd hugs the middle of the distribution curve and bulges around the vertical or y-axis.

Then there are those who linger at the far left of the curve. These are the people who are in a role but don’t display the skills or attitude necessary to satisfactorily practise their craft.

And you see it in every industry and in every discipline, be it a medical practitioner who lacks empathy and a caring bedside manner or a landscaper who fails to remove their grass cuttings and debris after they have completed their work.

But the profession that really annoys me when I am confronted by a left winger in sales; those individuals who profess to be salespeople but lack the human fundamentals to back their claim.

They leave a bad taste in my mouth because I have such respect for people who practise the art with perfection. And they, unfortunately, reinforce the stereotypical view of sleazy sales held by many.

These 6 things people to the far left practise that really p*** me off.

1. They grin me

The big grin that masks how they really feel. It’s false, phoney, plastic, superficial and painted on.
It’s the bait to lure you in; to grease the skids for them to push their wares at you.

These phoneys obviously went to grin school where the focus was on how to display a perfect grin while at the same time hiding their indifference.

I hate the grin because I have seen it at least a million times and know what’s coming. It’s disgusting and I can’t believe how they get away with it.

Lesson: if you see the grin, run.

2. They don’t listen

Lefties want to consume the airwaves with their words not yours. I honestly think these people have an insecurity issue because they don’t seem to be comfortable in a conversation unless they are transmitting rather than listening.

I hate this type of sales behaviour because they have zero ability to understand what your needs are when words are spewing from their mouths in abundance.

And I have no idea where they have learned that it’s acceptable; certainly not from any credible sales teaching source I know.

Lesson: shout back and leave.

3. They don’t care

The extreme left represent the epitome of narcissism; their energy is all about them and no one else.
With such an inward focus how can they care about anyone else? They can’t.

Getting their own needs met consumes them; they have nothing left to give to others — even if it occurred to them that such an act was demonstrative of appropriate sales behaviour.

Lesson: Stop them in this mode. Put your hand up with your palm facing them and say “Stop! It’s about me!”

4. They intrude in my space

It’s kinda like an incoming mortar attack. You try to protect yourself and you just want to be left alone, but here them come with their intent to beat you up with their agenda.
It’s a barrage of words and (what they think) are clever one-liners to get a conversation started.

They don’t trust that you will stop and engage them in a conversation, so they try to impose themselves to start one.
This slippery slope tactic from left learners never works and is always unpleasant for me. I hate it.

They show no respect for me; they really don’t care about what’s on my mind at the time. All they want to do is intervene on my reality at the time and push their narrative.

As I’m motoring past a sales rep on the beach path, he launches his words in an attempt to grab me: “Hey how long have you owned at the Marriott? Want to look at a better option at the Hyatt?

Lesson: Don’t stop; don’t answer; keep your feet moving.

5. They malign their competitors

Salespeople on the left constantly berate their competitors.
The only way they know to communicate their value proposition is to discredit the opposition. And it shows they really don’t understand the competitive strategy of their organization.

Rather than advocate an element of value they offer — service level, product features, warrantee — they talk about what is wrong with what their competitors offer.

This approach is so egregiously inappropriate, it proves that the salesperson doesn’t know their left from their right.
I hate it.

Lesson: ask what they offer and why is is better than what their competitors offer.

6. They make me feel stupid

“What’s the matter (with you)? Don’t you want to save money?” I’ve actually had numerous lefties blurt this at me when I have pushed back on what they were trying to sell me.

This is their version of trying to find a cost effective solution that more than meets your needs.
But it puts you down; like you are incapable of appreciating a deal.
Rubbish. I hate it.

Lesson: Suggest they learn some manners and walk.

There you have it. 6 traits of salespeople who occupy the extreme left of the normal distribution curve.
They don’t deserve to be in the profession.

So why do we hire people like this?

I suspect it’s because besides being the antithesis of what respectable sales is, they’re clever like a laser raptor.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 6.3.19 at 04:06 am by Roy Osing
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April 29, 2019

7 easy ways a salesperson can breakaway when the boss wants compliance

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7 easy ways sales can breakaway when the boss wants compliance.

The reality is that sometimes a salesperson is confronted with a culture that encourages sameness — copying best in class sales organizations, following academic pedagogy, complying with consultant expertise and conforming to internal company practices.

They feel stifled; stepping out from accepted norms in terms of how the sales job is performed is simply not an option if one is to avoid being labeled as a loner — not a team player — and if employment continuity is the end game.

So what options does a salesperson have if they want to be creative and be different but the culture says conform to established sales scripture?

Recognize that the world is not black or white; either fit in or step out are not the only considerations when faced with this dilemma.

This is the approach that I used in an organization that reeked of adhering to strict standards of performance.

No deviation here

First, define the areas of the job where conformance is expected and no deviation is tolerated.
If, for example, copying best practices is mandated for a specific sales function like funnel management in order to have everyone doing it consistently then accept it and perform the function in amazing fashion.

Freedom here

Second, look for other aspects of the sales role where compliance rules haven’t been defined. Innovate and step out in these areas.
There is ample opportunity to be different in areas beyond sales process generally where defining compliance standards is more difficult.

These simple actions worked for me to perform my role differently than others and shed the shackles of compliance.

1. Build a BE DiFFERENT brand

Build your personal brand strategy on the principle of standing out from the crowd. You need a strategy to guide your actions outside of the conformity zone.

2. Team with marketing

Lead the teamwork process with marketing to get more support for the sales team. A simple act that will benefit the entire sales organization; be known as the person who championed the cause.

3. Build strong client relationships

Be the sales champion for relationship building with clients to complement a product sales focus. Long term success requires intimate customer relationships and loyalty; create your own rules for doing this and teach your sales colleagues.

4. Be contrarian

Outside of the compliance zone, do the opposite of what you observe others doing. Eliminate “boiler plate” thinking and create your own approach. 

5. Be the best ‘secret’ gatherer

Gather customer secrets; those deep innermost desires they have but will tell only their most trusted partner. Secrets pave the way to great sales at premium prices.

6. Start a report card

Introduce a sales internal report card; rate others in how well they support the sales organization. This is an excellent way to enhance the support receives from other functions in the organization.

7. Be the customer champion

Step up to be the customer’s champion in side your organization. Be that salesperson who does whatever it takes to get an issue resolved; shield the customer from the pain of having to deal with your bureaucracy, rules and policies.

You can be different in an environment that mandates compliance and sameness?

And you can be an effective agent in changing the sales culture of your organization from a copycat to a vibrant, innovative and creative one.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 4.29.19 at 04:23 am by Roy Osing
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