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How Can I Get More Sales?
By Peter DeHaan, Ph.D.
May, 2003
Almost every day, someone asks me, “How can I get
more sales?” In fact, for my
clients and prospects, increasing sales is usually a primary concern.
Rarely does anyone tell me that their company is making all the sales
they want. I wish they would ask me
easier questions, like “How can I improve quality,” “How can I increase
revenue,” or “How can I reduce turnover?”
All of these I have successfully dealt with, but the sales issue is a bit
trickier. It seems that people are
looking for a quick fix, a simple strategy.
It’s as if they are expecting me to say, “Invest X dollars in Y
process to produce Z sales.”
But alas, there is no magic secret.
If there were – and I knew it – I would start a sales and marketing
business. My clients would merely
tell me their sales goals for the month and I would fill their order.
But it is not that simple. Consider
the following list:
These tactics have a proven record of producing sales
in the teleservices industry. Unfortunately,
these same methods have been repeatedly demonstrated to be total failures.
Campaigns that have consistently generated high sales numbers for one
organization have proven to be colossal flops in others.
Therefore, it is not the strategy that is important, but what surrounds
that strategy. Here then, is the
ultimate – yet elusive – formula for sales success:
Personnel
+ attitude + execution + management = sales success
Personnel: This is the critical element in the formula.
Without the right people in place, nothing else matters.
This starts with finding the right person for the job.
Over the years, I have hired many sales people.
Some worked out, but many didn’t. (My
main problem was that I was reluctant to pay enough to attract the best people.)
What is true for all candidates is even more valid
for sales applicants: you see them at their very best during the interview.
In fact, even mediocre salespeople know that they must give their best
sales performance during the interview. If
they can’t convincingly sell themselves to you, how can they possibly sell
your service to someone else? To
cut through all of this, I have a few key questions I like to ask sales
candidates:
How much did you make at your last job?
If they made six figures, but can only expect half that at
your firm, they are unlikely to work out. They
will be unhappy, develop a negative attitude, and leave as soon as a better
paying job comes along. Conversely,
if they barely cracked the poverty level at their last job, they may be out of
their league to produce at the level you expect.
Ideally, their prior compensation should be 5 to 25% less
then what you expect them to make with you.
How much would you like to make at this job? The response to this is most telling. Why? Because if
it is unreasonably high, they won’t be satisfied working for you.
On the other hand, if it is lower then what you are prepared to pay, then
they will start coasting once they hit their target compensation.
Again, you are looking for a salary expectation that is consistent with
what you can deliver, but is still motivating to them.
Would you like to work straight commission? I don’t advocate that
anyone
be paid straight commission, however this question is designed to throw them off
track and see how they respond. To
make this work, you can’t ask the question directly, but need to back into it.
If they are at all good with sales, they will have already regaled you
with their accomplishments, assured you that they will be your best sales person
ever, and promised they will produce at a level beyond your wildest
expectations. And, if they have
moxie, they may even say you’d be foolish not to hire them or suggest your
company will fail without them. (Yes, I have been told this – many times.)
Given all of this, they assert that you must pay them top dollar.
At this point, you are in a position to say, “I
don’t normally offer this, but based on your track record and past
performance, I think you’re worthy of special consideration. I suggest that we consider a compensation plan where you will
be highly rewarded for your results and given an open-ended opportunity to
exceed your compensation goals.” Then
pause, lean forward, and confidentially whisper, “How would you like to work
for straight commission?”
First, watch if they can quickly and smoothly react
to an unexpected turn of events. Next,
you want to see how they retreat from their prior boasting.
Often a more realistic picture emerges.
Lastly, you will quickly get a true idea of what they expect for base pay
and how much they are willing to put on the line in the form of commissions,
incentives, or bonuses.
In the event that they are shocked or hurt by this
question, simply apologize and indicate that, based on what they were saying,
you thought this idea might appeal to them.
Attitude: Having
the right sales staff, however, is just the beginning. They also need to have the right attitude.
How many times have you seen salespeople talk themselves into a bad
month? The thinking goes like this,
“Last August was bad. I wonder if
August is always bad? I better
brace myself for a bad month.” It
becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and they have a bad month.
Or, how many times has a sales person said something
like, “I don’t set any appointments for Monday because everyone is always
too busy.” Then they add Fridays
to the list because prospects are focused on wrapping up their week.
The first thing in the morning doesn’t work, nor the end of the day.
Before and after lunch is bad, too.
I once had a salesman use this logic and he actually concluded that he
could only successfully sell on Tuesday and Thursday in the mid-afternoon.
It should surprise no one that he sold nothing and his time with the
company was a record in brevity.
Another
self-defeating attitude is negativity. Consider,
for example, the salesperson who says, “Direct mail?
That won’t work!” And of course, with that attitude, it won’t.
Or how about, “That didn’t work last time and it’s not going to
work now!” Lastly, are they willing to try new things?
If they are open to new ideas and plans, then they have a much greater
chance of success than if they are closed-minded.
Strangely,
all too
many salespeople would rather continue to do what has failed in the past than to
try something new.
Execution: Closely linked to attitude is the proper execution.
In fact, without the right attitude, successful execution is impossible.
I have seen ideal marketing plans flop because of poor or haphazard
execution. Conversely, I have seen
the most ill-conceived and contrived strategies succeed famously because they
were diligently, steadfastly, and consistently implemented.
Quite simply, there needs to be a plan.
The plan needs to be meticulously followed.
And those involved need to be held accountable for their work.
This brings up the fourth element:
Management: The
glue that holds all this together is management.
Good management starts with hiring the right salespeople, giving them
excellent training, providing them with appropriate compensation, and motivating
them effectively. This must be
followed by a sound marketing plan and a supportive environment in which to
implement it. Lastly, sales
management means investing time, on an ongoing basis, to encourage, observe,
teach, and adjust what they do. Put
more succinctly, the right management keeps them on task and holds them
accountable.
There is nary a salesperson who can be truly
successful without attention and oversight.
They need to be lifted up when they are down and celebrated when they
make a sale, held responsible for their schedule and made liable for their
results. This takes considerable
time and effort. As such, proper
sales management is not just one more hat to wear, but a full-time job.
Successfully managing salespeople is hard work.
It takes time, perseverance, determination, and dedication.
But then don’t all things that are worthwhile?
To read other articles written by Peter DeHaan,
go to From
The Publisher or check out his blog at
http://blog.peterdehaan.com. In addition to publishing Connections Magazine
and AnswerStat magazine (for hospital and medical related call centers), Peter
also publishes several related websites, including
MyArticleArchive.com.
He may
be reached at 866-668-6695, dehaan@connectionsmagazine.com
or www.PeterDeHaan.com.
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