Transcript Sales Department or Sales Force?

Sales Department or Sales Force?
May The Department Be With You?
From The Accidental Salesperson
By Chris Lytle
The Force vs. The Dark Side
• Yoda tells Luke that the dark side is not
stronger: “Quicker, easier, more
seductive.”
• Think about how much easier it is to be
a level 1 account executive vs. a level 4
Sales and Marketing Professional.
Your Goal
• The most important thing to do is
propose your solution to the prospect
face-to-face and ask for the order.
• The second most important thing you
can do is get into position to do the
most important thing.
• Don’t phone/fax/email when you can go
in person.
Getting in the Door
• Prospects are protective of their time.
• They expect just another time-wasting,
product-focused presentation.
• They want a faxed/mailed promotional
kit (proposal) rather than a meeting.
• That’s broadcast advertisement,
not selling!
Magic Phrase
• “(Gasp!) We don’t have an off-the-shelf
promotional kit (proposal) that we send
out. We customize everything. What
would you like in yours?”
• Remember: “The way that I work is…”
Customized Selling
• “I would rather give you the one piece
of paper that gives you information of
value, rather than wasting your time
wading through a package.”
• The prospect will like getting custom
service. It will be more targeted/useful.
• Need to ask questions, preferably in
person, so you can customize.
Get a commitment to communicate.
• I am sending this information
(proposal) and I want assurance that
prospect will take my phone call.
• I want you to tell me if you are a
prospect and whether there is a next
step or not.
• This lets the prospect know that you
are a busy professional too, and don’t
want her/him to waste your time either.
• This is Business!
If you get that commitment…
• Explain exactly what you intend to do
– I am going to FedEx a package with a cover
letter, a spec sheet, and a one-page list of
our clients.
– Make sure they don’t think it’s junk. Have
them on the lookout for your letter.
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You want to gain their complete trust.
That takes time (years).
Don’t waste their time. Do what you say.
Make a level 2 (or higher) impression.
Leverage is…
• …getting better results from the same
effort or expenditure.
• If you are going to all the time, effort,
and expense to get in front of a
prospect, then make the most of it.
Top 3 Reasons People Buy
• Business expertise and image.
• Dedication to the customer.
• Account sensitivity and guidance.
• NOT PRICE!!!!
Why People Buy
• “It’s the quality of the salesperson-his
or her knowledge and his or her ability
to bring added value to the sales-that
converts prospects into buyers.”
Learning that you can do it.
• Yoda: “You must unlearn what you
have learned.”
• Luke: “I don’t believe it.”
• Yoda: “That is why you fail.”
"Do or do not, there is no try."
Yoda
(little green sage from the Star Wars series)
Sales Manager
• A great sales manager gets her/his
people to think bigger thoughts, and
dare to do greater things.
"Ya gotta believe."
Tug McGraw (1944-2004)
Major League Baseball pitcher
Remember: Leadership
"Our chief want is someone
who will inspire us to be
what we know we could be."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
American writer and activist
Look Everywhere for Teachers
• Your best teachers may not look like
teachers.
– May look like Yoda.
– Probably won’t look like a trainer.
• Learn from anyone who offers a lesson.
– Sometimes active, sometimes passive.
• Always be learning. Be alert for
lessons.
• Might come from customers,
competitors, children, anyone.
Your beliefs are important.
• You have to believe in:
– Your product;
– Your company;
– Yourself;
– Your customer.
• Confidence and honest belief shows
through to your customers.
Jerry Garcia