Archive for the ‘How Your Sales Managers Can Motivate Their Reps’ Category

Three Proven Methods To Turn Around Your Sales Underachievers

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

sales people holding a clockYou got ‘em. We all have ‘em.

They’re the reps who no matter how hard they try, they just can’t make quota.

Something’s got to be done – and fast. These guys are killing your company’s sales performance. When dealing with underperforming sales people, you can’t delay.

When it comes to sales underachievers, your sales managers need to stop fighting the war and focus on the battle.

In this sales training we give you three ways to take the first steps to turning around your sales underachievers:

1. Focus on rewarding the “smaller” things. Highlight the small steps that might lead to a sale. If the sales manager waits until the actual sale is in the door before they start acknowledging any positive efforts, then this is a missed opportunity.

For example, the sales manager could praise the sales person for showing good probing techniques, for preparing a commendable opening statement, maintaining a solid rapport with other office staff, making good use of sales data, etc.

2. Praise specifically. With an underperforming sales rep, praise all the basic stuff at first. A simple “Good job” is okay…but the more specific, the better.

The sales manager should tell them: “I really loved the say you started that last sales call – you asked very specific, non-threatening probing questions and they just opened right up and told you what their issues are – excellent job”.

3. “Approximately right” is alright. The sales rep may not have reached the real goal yet, but by praising them all along the way to “exactly right” by praising them for doing things “approximately right”, this works wonders in enhancing confidence and instilling optimism in a sales rep who being an underacheiver, may be lacking both.

If the sales manager withholds praise for only when they do things exactly right, then the opportunity is lost. The point is to simply get the underperforming salesperson moving in the direction of success. And the sales manager can do this by

Getting underperforming salespeople on the track to success sometimes is just that simple – when small techniques like this are used consistently, the results will start to come.

Focus on the small everyday battles and your sales managers will start to win the war.

To learn even more about sales training, get our free ebook.

Tell me what you think by leaving a comment below.

Here’s A Sneaky Way To Motivate A Sales Rep…

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

ask-in-the-skyDo your sales managers struggle with motivating their sales teams?

It’s easier to do than you might think. Sometimes motivating a sales rep is even easier than motivating a five-year

This sneaky little tip is one that I copped off a behavioral modification book I was reading to learn how to discipline my two kids a bit better. So of course, after I used it on them – I tried it on my sales reps…and even though I shouldn’t have been surprised…it worked like a charm.

This sales training tip is called: “Give ‘em a LOFTY reputation to live up to…(even if they’ve done nothing to deserve it)”.

Terrible title…but effective technique.

Anyway, here’s how it works: Say a sales rep is trying to desperately to figure out some kind of relatively complex issue. So the extremely helpful sales manager really want to help them figure it out. They may know the answer and see them struggling…wanting desperately to tell them exactly what to do.

The real “pro” sales managers don’t do it though.

Instead of actually doing the work for them and telling them what to do, the excellent sales managers says this instead: “You know, (name) you’re the expert here, I KNOW you can figure this out on your own”…she then walks away.

Yes, walks away.

Let the rep figure it out. That’ right, let them figure it out. Your sales managers will be shocked at what will happen without them being there.

Now, of course, they’ll need to follow up with the salesperson the next day or within a period of time that they feel is appropriate to make sure it was done…

The point is this: the sales manager is training them to use THEIR brain…not THE SALES MANAGER’S brain.

Here’s why this is a highly effective motivational technique: when people are empowered to control their own destiny, they are far more motivated to control that destiny.

Because a sales manager cannot be around his reps every second of every day, micro managing their salespeople…or worse yet, baby-sitting them, the sales rep has got to learn to do it on their own!

When a sales manager does this, it empowers the salesperson…and motivates them BIG TIME.

The great thing is by using this technique the sales managers both motivates…AND lets themselves off the hook…less work for the sales manager!

To learn even more about sales manager training, get our free ebook.

Post a reply to this post and tell me what do you think? Get in the discussion below!

Lay Down The Law…Motivate Your Sales Team

Friday, March 26th, 2010

11The Law of Reciprocity states, “If you do something nice for someone, human nature dictates that the recipient will feel compelled to do something nice for you in return.”

The philosopher Confucius simplified it when he said, “Do unto others what you want others to do unto you.” This second definition is very important.

Selling is a two-way relationship. The same applies to managing a sales team. If the team wants to be able to grow beyond what it started out with, it needs to surrender under the guidance of its sales manager. If the sales manager wants to earn the respect of the team, he needs to work hard and earn his sales people’s trust one brick at a time.

I know this much is true: that the Law of Reciprocity is essential to a career in sales. (more…)

Don’t Read this Post…Unless You Want To Learn How To Motivate

Friday, March 26th, 2010

approving sales peopleOne time I was out on the field with one of my sales reps and we needed to stop by his house so I could file a periodic inventory of his product samples and supplies.

In the house, he led me to a modest home office. The plaques and various awards on display immediately got my attention, neatly lined up on the shelves attached to the wall on one side of the room. I recognized one of the cards on display—an award I gave to him three months ago to acknowledge his great sales performance. My sales rep turned to me and said, “It’s one of the most meaningful tokens of appreciation I’ve received in my entire life.” He told me he values it more than anything on those shelves. (more…)

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Easy-To-Use Sales Manager Training Secrets INSTANTLY Gives Your Sales Managers Amazing Motivational Skills…

Secret Sales Manager Training Weapon Hoarded By Sales Trainers Skyrockets Your Sales Managers Motivational Powers in Just Days and Produces Instantly Improved Sales Results!

Until now, only a handful of sales trainers and sales managers have been allowed to get access to these sales training secrets that practically guarantee “rock star” sales results from your sales managers. Now, with the limited time release of this “top secret” sales manager training program, you can rocket your struggling sales managers to meg-skilled “pros” almost immediately!

Best of all, for a very limited time…you can get all five sales training programs

for Just $1…

You and your sales managers can get all this for just one measly little buck…

arrow “How To Motivate Your Sales Team” Retail $29 INCLUDED
arrow “Motivate by More of What’s There” (part 1 & 2) Retail $29 INCLUDED
arrow “Feel Good = Sell More” Retail $29 INCLUDED
arrow “How To Praise To Produce” Retail $29 INCLUDED
arrow “Motivate By The Incentive Plan” Retail $29 INCLUDED

Total Value $145
ALL Five Sales Trainings (INSTANT ACCESS!) Just $1(YOU SAVE! 99.3% $144)

From The Desk Of
Tim Egan

Tuesday, 12:36 P.M.

Dear Sales Trainer,

If you’ve ever wanted to “crack the code” on how to get instantly improved sales results from your sales force… and do it fast, to start producing big-time sales performance immediately… then this will be the most exciting thing you’ve ever read.

Here’s the story: Most “average” companies focus their sales training efforts on training their sales people to sell more effectively.

But the nasty little truth is that:

The easiest and quickest way to squeeze more sales out of your sales organization is NOT to train your salespeople…but instead train your front-line sales managers!

Think about it...can you get more “bang for your sales training buck” training 300 sales reps or training just a handful of sales managers who most influence those sales reps?

The sad part is that nearly all sales managers think they know all they need to know about being a great sales manager…”I don’t need any of that training crap from corporate” they probably tell you.

Well, you know and I know… the real “superstar” sales managers continually perfect their craft…so they stay on top year after year. Sure, your sales mangers may THINK that they have all the answers….but both you and I know that if they did…then their sales would be a hell of a lot better!!!!

Here’s the sales manager training secrets that all the “superstar” sales training departments don’t want anyone else to know: When your sales managers finally learn the REAL secrets of blending “sneaky human psychology” and “ultra-powerful” pro-level motivational skills…

They Can Win Back-to-Back-to-Back Top Sales Manager Awards

Managing a Group of “B-League” Sales Wusses!

Best of all…

It’s EASY To Do…

Once Your Sales Managers Know The “Insider” Sales Manager Training Secrets!

Here’s what we’ve got for you: You’ve probably never heard of Ralph Burns… but top sales managers and sales trainers sure have. He’s been the most sought-after “secret weapon” in the sales manager training world for over 5 years now. Sales organizations from all over the world secretly hire him for personalized sales training and sales management consulting.

And they come despite the fact that Ralph has NEVER advertised his sales manager training services. It’s all word-of-mouth. One sales training and development manager whispering to another.

Why do the best sales trainers seek Ralph out? It’s simple. He’s the ONLY trainer who has taken real sales management experience, and merged it with cutting edge human psychology… to create the first hyper-effective sales manager training that’s PROVEN to catapult your sales managers to the top of the sales rankings.

Here’s what it means:

  • Ralph was a consistently award-winning salesman for 10 long years, winning 8 Top 10 national sales awards in the 80’s and 90’s in some of the most diverse and challenging industries – from health club memberships to cable television advertising – mucking and grinding it out as a sales rep who possessed limited natural selling skills, but just flat-out outworked the competition – while snatching up all the top sales awards.
  • In the mid 90’s, Ralph was promoted to his first sales manager role, and went on to 7 Top-10 sales manager rankings at the national level in the next 9 years.
  • Ralph almost left the sales manager training world for good at age 37 to get an advanced degree in psychology at Boston University…but was convinced to come back as a sales trainer when the demands for his secrets became too overwhelming. For over 5 years, he’s been “The Source” for helping sales training departments turn their sales managers into towering sales leaders and motivators.

And yet… he’s still a mystery man to most sales training departments. The reason: The sales training pros who have hired Ralph simply do not want to share his secrets with anyone else.

So They Really, Really, Really Want These Secrets To Stay Secret!

Well, Ralph said “to heck with that”. He now believes it’s time to share his sales manager training secrets with the rest of the sales training world.

And don’t be intimidated by the fact that these are highly advanced training techniques for your sales managers. The best part is, Ralph talks to them as PEERS…making them less resistant to your training advances…so you can train them far easier.

And even better…your sales managers can learn these secret sales manager training skills and techniques immediately…

  • No matter how dismal their current sales team’s sales performance is…
  • No matter what their current skill-level is (in fact, it’s almost better if your sales managers are a bunch of raw rookie beginners, because they won’t have to UN-learn any of their bad habits)…
  • And no matter what kind of sales reps they’re now leading…
  • No matter what sort of courses or sales manager training they’ve already had…

It’s astonishingly easy… the secrets are simple to “get”… and, best of all…

You Can Get Them All For $1…For An Extremely Limited Time!

Here’s the deal: We got Ralph to finally reveal the sales manager training secrets he’s been passing on to the sales trainers in the know and a locked him up in our offices to capture every word of how he gets these insane results from his sales reps that only his close contacts and students have had the chance to get — capturing nearly every single detail of Ralph’s “professional lessons” on becoming a “master-motivator” of sales people. He explains it, and then your managers get to apply the lessons immediately. It’s the ONLY way to learn fast.

Then we went back to our editors, and “condensed” those hundreds of pages of manuscripts into 5 killer audios that’s already sending shock waves through the sales manager training world. What Ralph reveals in this book will instantly make your sales managers master motivators of their salespeople…with any sales force they lead.

This means your sales managers will suddenly have a “hyper-motivated” sales team instantly… have towering sales leadership they never believed possible… while all the competition’s sales managers are micro-managing and “babysitting” their reps, your managers will be making you and your company a ton of money, while crushing the competition!

NOW Your Sales Managers And Their Sales Reps Will Be Beating Out The More Experienced, And “Better Trained” Veteran Sales Teams From The Competition…The Same Ones Who Have Been Kicking Your Butt The Last Few Years…

Here’s a taste of what your sales managers are about to learn:

  • What your sales managers need to look for in the “launch pad” behind the motivations of every one of their sales reps — so they can motivate quicker, and find their perfect symmetry in their motivational messages with the underlying motivations of their reps and do it way ahead of every other sales manager because they are completely clueless about this!
  • How your sales managers can “read” their reps…like mind readers! (Stop them from being oblivious about what really gets their reps up in the morning – they’ll be SHOCKED by the info they get!)
  • How your sales managers can use 10 stupidly simple questions to ask their sales teams that can double or triple their sales team’s effectiveness TODAY while instantly making them towering sales leaders while stuffing positively crazy sales bonuses in both of your pockets! (You get a bonus off them too right??)
  • Money motivation secrets for maximum motivation for any type of sales rep! (Plus — the ONE simple motivational tactic your sales managers must use first out in the field! Most veteran sales managers don’t even know this secret!)
  • How your sales managers can use simple “sneaky” psychological motivational tactics that keep their sales reps performing at peak levels… and finally become the MOTIVATIONAL MASTERS of their sales teams! (Easy, once they see how overlooked “praise” techniques and unconventional motivational angles take the stress out of struggling to get their reps on the right track.)
  • Instantly eliminate “babysitting” and “micromanaging” from your sales managers overactive power-hunger chromosome! (The most common mistake sales managers make… which murders their chances of any level of sales success! Easy fix.)
  • Sales motivation for maximum effectiveness! (Hint: get your sales managers to leverage what their reps already have (talents) and then teach them mission-critical expertise (skills). Then reinforce the combination of these two every day — scientifically proven by a mammoth international study done by one of the most respected research groups in the world). Crucial stuff for serious sales managers, explained in such simple, down-to-earth terms they will understand instantly. (And be able to use it tomorrow!)
  • In any situation, teach your sales managers to instantly pick the best way to motivate their reps with just a glance! Most “average” sales managers guess, and pay dearly. Sales Manager Pro’s know how to always hit the best motivational mark… and now your sales managers will, too!
  • When their sales manager instincts are dead wrong! (Your sales managers cannot motivate by money in all situations, for example. It “seems” wrong, but the first time your sales managers rail through and win their first CEO Circles, they’ll understand this and other critical pro sales manager tactics.)
  • Wicked “Perpetual Motivation Model” motivational secrets that will save your sales managers tons of time while multiplying their influence over their reps ten-fold! – (pg. 42)
  • Incredibly easy-to-teach motivation techniques that help the top sales managers “make it all look easy”. (Because, once your sales managers know the secrets… it really IS easy!)

And a ton more..way too much to explain here.

You know that training salespeople and sales managers is one of the most demanding job in the world…because your audience doesn’t want to hear your message!

It’s a sad truth and believe me, we know…we train salespeople and sales managers too…they really do know it all (so they think)…or DO they?

Well… here, finally are the:

Pro-Level Sales Manager Training Secrets That Will Instantly Help Your Sales Managers Harness Their Motivational Power Because Its Taught In The Language that They Easily Identify With And Respond To…Namely, A Sales Manager Just Like Them!!!

…while they use these new skills and tactics to blow your competition out of the water! World-class sales managers and sales manager training personnel have paid Ralph big fees to get their hands on his personal sales training. And his top-level paid membership site for top sales managers is not cheap!

We normally sell these audios for $145 for the total package. However, you can get these audios.… for $1 for an extremely limited time.

Here’s an even closer look at the awesome sales training your sales managers are about to receive:

Training Descriptions:

7Training #1: How Motivate Your Sales Team To Peak Performance – “Peeling Back The Onion”

Approx 32 minutes AUDIO (downloadable) and VIDEO Training

Value: $29

Fact: The best sales manager knows that each salesperson is truly different with different motivations and triggers.

Fact: If your sales managers treat each of their reps the same – then top sales performance is impossible to achieve.

Fact: If your sales manager can “Peel Back the Onion” and find out what really motivates their salespeople, they’ve taken the first steps towards huge sales increases.

In this video and audio, we share our best motivational technique in uncovering all three!

Motivate-By-DVDsTraining #2: Motivate By “More of What’s Already There”! (2 parts)

Approx 1.2 hours AUDIO (downloadable) Training

Value: $29

Our Most Popular Sales Training Program of ALL Time!

The easiest way to get a salesperson to really sell is to both leverage what they already have (talents) and then teach them mission-critical expertise (skills). The top sales managers then reinforce the combination of these two every day.

In this program we show how a top-performing sales manager pushes their sales reps to be even BETTER at the things they’re good at, while minimizing the things they’re not so good at…this SUPER-motivates their salespeople. And when your managers start injecting this technique into their discussions and coaching sessions, that’s when you’ll see your sales force’s sales really soar.

Feel-Good-Sell-More-DVDTraining #3: “Feel Good = Sell More”

Approx 30 minutes AUDIO (downloadable) Training

Value: $29

Imagine your sales managers having the power to motivate their sales team in just a few minutes using just a couple of key phrases. That’s what this training is all about. Inside they’ll learn how to create a “perpetual motivation model” by building an environment of appreciation…the kind of praise that makes their sales team feel so good they can’t help but produce even more than even THEY may have thought possible.

Also in this sales training, your sales managers will find that there are more important rewards than money alone – and they’ll learn how to levarage those secrets to make themselves and your sales force more in bonus dollars.

How-To-Praise-To-Produce-DVDTraining #4: How To “Praise To Produce”

Approx 40 minutes AUDIO (downloadable) Training

Value: $29

Believe it or not…the number one motivator of salespeople is NOT MONEY!

In this sales training your managers will learn exactly what this secret motivator is and how to use it to motivate their sales reps. They’ll then learn to fully harness this motivator by praising for specific acts of excellence. In this training we teach them the secrets behind a technique we have perfected over the last ten years called “Masterful Praisings”.

They’ll also get a sneaky little tip that we’ve refined that uses a key psychological trigger passed down from some of the biggest names in human behavior…now they can use the same technique to SUPERCHARGE their sales teams to stellar sales performance.

Motivate-By-The-Incentive-Plan-DVDTraining #5: Motivate By The Incentive Plan

Approx 50 minutes AUDIO (downloadable) Training

Value: $29

OK, we all know that money is a HUGE motivator of salespeople.

So what can your sales managers do about it? It’s in the plan! Your company’s bonus plan/commission plan is the NUMBER ONE source of motivation for leveraging the “power of money” as a motivator. But in order to do this, your managers need to MASTER your company’s commission plan in every way and nuance.

In this sales training, we teach your sales managers a number of simple techniques and secret tricks they can use to leverage your company’s commission plan for squeezing the maximum amount of sales dollars out of their customers, so they in turn do the same for themselves.

And now you can get all of this for just $1…

Again, sold separately these training lessons retail for $29 each, but I think you’d agree that each one of them is easily worth thousands of dollars in new sales when placed in the hands of your company’s sales managers from a savvy sales trainer like you…

Here’s the Catch You May Have Been Looking For

Here’s the deal: If you were to invest in these programs individually, you would pay $29 for each of them. I’m not exaggerating when we say this is a real world value of $145!

But that begs the question..

“If these 5 sales training programs normally sell for $29 a piece, why would we give them to you for just $1?”

The truth is, it’s a BRIBE!

No, I’m not kidding.

You see, while I’m willing to give you our best-selling sales training programs for just $1, we’re not gonna hand them over just “willy-nilly”…

For starters, some of our best customers have already paid almost $150 for this exact same information, so we need to keep this offer truly limited.

Also, we’ve invested over 20 years of time in research, testing and experience, and the idea of handing over so much valuable information for a measly dollar makes our stomach turn.

So what’s the bribe…

Why Am I Willing To Part With My 5 Best Sales Training Programs For Only $1?

When you get instant access to:

  1. How To Motivate Your Sales Team (Value $29)
  2. Motivate by More of What’s There (part 1 & 2) (Value $29)
  3. Feel Good = Sell More (Value $29)
  4. How To Praise To Produce (Value $29) , and…
  5. Motivate By The Incentive Plan (Value $29)

…all for just $1, all I ask is that you take a free, 30-day trial to the “Sales Management Mastery Academy”.

“Sales Management Mastery Academy” is our private members-only area where we reveal EXACTLY what your sales managers need to know to be super-successful…while making you and your company more money.

You see, unlike a lot of sales trainers that TEACH (but don’t DO), we have motivated and led REAL sales teams in REAL markets and industries for over 15 years. And as a “Sales Management Mastery Academy” member, you’ll get hours of additional sales training for your sales managers on how to unleash the best from their sales teams every day using time-tested sales management techniques, tips and tricks that will blast your sales force’s sales to unheard of levels of achievement.

Here’s just a taste of what you receive each month as a member of the Sales Management Mastery Academy:

  • The monthly “Sales Management Mastery Academy Learning Course”: Downloadable audios, videos, transcripts and action guides which outline specific strategies and tactics that will have maximum impact on your sales managers daily results. Just look at SOME of the titles included in this collection:
    • “How To Motivate Through Trust-building – ‘The Trust Account’”
    • “How to Lead Your Team To Sales Stardom”
    • “How to Hire A Sales Superstar”
    • “How to Turn Around Your Sales Underperformers in 30 Days”
    • “Inspiring Your Sales Team Through Killer Presentations”
    • “Teaching ‘Em To Sell More…Even Today!”

Plus 5 more titles that are just as good…

These fresh, continuously updated videos, audios, transcripts and learning maximizers are pure gold, and will help you to provide ongoing exciting “real world” training to your sales managers…

You’ll also gain access to:

  • “Success Book Summaries” where we summarize monthly the most popular books on motivation and leadership and get to exactly how to use this info to what’s working in your sales managers business…
  • “Ready to Use” Motivational Newsletters templates pre-loaded with great motivational messages your sales managers can send to their sales people daily, weekly or monthly to keep thier reps super-motivated to sell even more…
  • “Ready to Use” PowerPoint Presentations your sales managers can download and use in their sales meetings TODAY – if they had no idea what they were going to present (give ‘em a break they ARE really busy!) – they’ll have a killer presentation in no time flat
  • “Ready to Use” Sales Manager and Sales Rep “Territory Business Plans” and “District Plans of Action” they can download, customize to their individual district and use immediately…we also have sales rep territory plan templates they can pass off to their reps in a template form to give the proper structure and format needed to produce a solid plan…
  • Dozens of Other “Ready to Use” Forms, Templates, Checklists, Resources, Lists and Examples of All Kinds your sales managers can use to help them SAVE HUGE AMOUNTS OF TIME, produce more sales and make you and THEM more money
  • And much, much more…

And you get all this for 30 days absolutely free!

After your free 30-day trial, your membership will automatically be renewed at the Charter Membership Rate of only $77 $27…and you can cancel at any time.

You can download all of the information and use it to train your sales managers…or you can contact us at 617.512.3379 or ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com and we can arrange a group discounts for unlimited access for your entire sales management team.

Just think…

You don’t have to come up with any sales training on your own…it’s all been done FOR YOU!

Of course, if you decide to cancel before your 30-day trial, you’ll never be billed and all our trainings are yours to keep forever!

All you really “risk” is the $1 (and to be honest if you’re truly don’t think the five training programs above are worth a $1, I’ll refund that as well).

So what are you waiting for…

Claim Your $1 Access Now!

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I Understand that I pay just $1.00 today for access to How To Motivate My Sales Team, Motivate By More of What’s There (parts 1 & 2), Feel Good = Sell More, How to Praise to Produce and Motivate By The Incentive Plan PLUS a free 30 day trial to Sales Management Mastery Academy. I further understand that I will be billed $27.00 per month for continuing access to SMMA if I do not cancel within the 30 day trial period.

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** This offer is available to new Sales Management Mastery Academy members only. Current members already have access to these programs in the members area.

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Best of success,

Ralph Burns

P.S. I said it earlier and I’m gonna say it again…

It’s not in our best interest to give away access to our premium sales training site for FREE, nor give away our best selling sales training courses for just $1, so it won’t last long.

CLICK HERE to for instant access for just $1…

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Achievement…The Bedrock of All Sales Management Motivation

Monday, March 15th, 2010

First things first….

As an aspiring top sales manager, get your sales group to buy into the fact that achievement is the only permanent value of work and achievement only comes from relentless effort and commitment.

Say this in a group setting at first (at your first sales meeting to establish your credibility as a leader if you need to.

After this is done, talk with them one-on-one. I’ve always found that holding frank one-on-one conversations with every member of the sales team is essential to success. In no uncertain terms, tell each salesperson what you expect of him, reiterate their one minute goals. And reinforce to them that you both want the same things, right? When you discuss this with them, align their goals with your goals.

Whatever you do however, be extremely clear on your expectations. They should know what minimum performance is – and if they don’t – then shame on you and shame on them! Shame on you for not repeating it over and over again and shame on them for not knowing it.

Once this communication is established, appeal to their passion for achievement and desire to make money. However, be very clear that if they don’t produce what is needed you will find someone who will. Don’t make it a threat; just tell them as you would state any other fact, like the sky is blue.

That’s just the way it is. Tell them that you are here to “achieve at the highest level”. Tell them “I’m not her to finish 30th in the country, I am here to finish first – and neither should you”. Leaders can do everything right but if they don’t set an expectation of excellence – they can never expect to be successful.

To learn even more tips and techniques about how to be a top sales manager, we’ll be posting nearly every day, so stay tuned for more gret tips on how you too can become a top sales manager.

To learn more about sales management, get our free video on the sidebar of this post or by clicking here.

Post a comment and tell me on how you encourage your people in reaching the highest level of achievement.

Motivation For Your Sales Reps 101

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

sales team meetingI’m amazed at how some sales managers could go on with their jobs without knowing what motivates their sales reps.

Your sales reps are the lifeblood of the sales team, and the sales team is what keeps your career afloat. If you don’t know what motivates them, how do you expect to put them in the right direction? How can you be a good sales manager to them?

I once asked a colleague friend who was having problems with one of her sales reps.

What motivates him?” I asked her. She paused for a minute. Then she said, “Uhmm, money, I think.

The words “I think” cinched it with me. You don’t guess what motivates your sales reps. It’s either you know it or you don’t. It came as no surprise that my colleague friend was having problems.

To find out what’s happening in your sales reps’ lives, to know what motivates them, you need get out of your own little world that is your cubicle, walk up to their desk, and simply ask him or her. The trick is to establish a personal connection.

Then find out what motivates them.

It should be noted that a sales manager without this kind of immensely valuable information about his or her sales reps is an inefficient one – a seagull type of sales manager, something we had discussed previous posts. Simply put, finding out exactly what motivates them provide precious insights about your sales reps’ motivations, their likes and dislikes. Refer to it whenever you need to motivate them, even if it’s just praise for a job well done.

When your sales reps do a good job, it means YOU are doing a great job. That’s how motivating your sales reps and putting them in the right path means helping yourself achieve your own goals.

What else do you ask your sales reps to find out what motivates them? Share them by leaving a comment below.

The Value of Adding Value To Your Business

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

sales personSales is about putting a product in the customer’s hands. But before anything else, it is about establishing a relationship. There are two things that can happen when a sale rep fails to establish this kind of relationship with the client: first, the customer doesn’t buy the product, or two, they’d buy one time and never hear from them again.

In this lesson, we’ll discuss the importance of adding value to your business and how to do it like a seasoned pro.

A valuable perspective

As a sales person, I’m sure you’re aware that unless you create value for your customers, you won’t get anywhere in this business. There’s a lot of competition on the market. Add to it that customers aren’t really interested in new products; customers want solutions to their problems. This is where the concept of adding value comes in. 

A good sales rep presents his or her product in a way that it is the solution the customer is looking for. That’s what I mean by adding value. There are a lot of similar products out there with a bunch of exclusive features. But if you add value to your product, you’re separating it from the rest of the competition. The customer begins to see your product under a different light.

The good news is that adding value isn’t some rare talent that comes around once every other generation. It’s simply a set of skills—three sets of skills, in fact—that anyone can learn by the time we’re done with this lesson.

They are…

1. Asking questions

Asking a question helps maintain the flow of conversation. Asking a good question shows you’ve been listening intently to the other person. It helps build trust, and is one of the most important tools of a sales rep. The ability to ask a good question is to a sales rep as vocabulary is to a writer.

How to get better at this? Here are some tips:

Plan ahead. You must be extremely talented if you could very good questions without preparing them beforehand. I suggest you narrow down the focus of the sales call to two or three areas, and then prepare some questions and write them down in your notepad before the actual event.

Explore the client’s issues. I mentioned earlier that customers are only looking for solutions to their problems. As a sales rep, if you understand the customer to the point that you could identify their problems before they even begin to talk about it, then you are in the unique position to be able to ask effective questions, the kind that tells them you’re aware of their needs and knows the solution to their problems.

The general rule is, know your customer so you can prepare questions that would create an impact and push your business relationship forward.

2. Listening

Listening goes hand-in-hand with asking questions. You can’t formulate good questions if you don’t listen to your client’s problems and needs. Once again the ability to listen isn’t a talent. It’s a skill, and you can learn it. It’s called good listening skill for a reason.

How to get better at this? Here are some tips:

Listen, really listen. If you want to learn to play the guitar, practice the guitar. If you want to be able to listen well, practice listening. It’s that simple. Sherlock Holmes once said, “There’s a big difference between seeing and noticing.” Same goes for listening. Hearing something the other person said doesn’t mean anything. It’s when you listen to him or her and take in the message to heart, that’s when you start to become a true salesman.

Focus on the message. Some people tend to zone in and out of conversation when the other person is speaking. Sales reps are people, too. Some of them have this tendency. But if you want to become successful in this line of work, you need to get rid of this habit and replace it with something else—the habit of taking down notes while the customer is talking about his or her problems.

By doing this, you make room for yourself to analyze the problem and present a solution later on, which is no more and no less the act of adding value to your product. This is exactly the kind of sales approach I’m trying to advocate.

3. Establishing trust

The last part is establishing trust and credibility in the relationship. It takes time to put these things to work, and you need to master the two skills I mentioned earlier—listening and asking good questions—before you even get a shot at this one. But once achieved, great success should follow. Soon.

How to get better at this? Here are some tips:

Back up what you say. When you say you’re going to do something, do it. If you can’t do it, or won’t do it, then don’t promise it. Period. There’s no way you’re going to be able to gain a customer’s trust if you can’t back up your sweet words.

Be on time. Imagine your client as a first date. When you tell her that you’re going to pick her up at seven o’ clock, make sure you show up on her doorstep at seven o’ clock. Same goes for setting to meet up with a client. Set the time and date when you plan a call, and stick to it. Nothing turns off a client more than a sales rep who doesn’t show respect for another person’s time.

If you don’t want to end up becoming a commodity, stop selling products like they’re single-serving commodities. Use it one time, then dispose. Add value to your products to make them unique and distinct from the rest of the competition. That’s the way to go about your job as a sales representative, that’s the only way to go about this business.

When you add value to your product, you add value to your business.

Post a comment and tell me what values do you instill in your sales business.

How to Motivate Your Sales Team in 3 Easy Steps Using “The Masterful Praising”

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

approving sales manager

So you really want to learn how to motivate your sales reps?
Here’s the “secret sauce” that 99% of average sales managers NEVER use and if they do, they screw it up
So here the right way to so it – use the “Masterful Praising”. Here’s how you do it. Right after they do something “praise-worthy” take this three step approach: 

  1. Look them in the eye or if on the phone stop and emphasize your words clearly and distinctly, telling them exactly what they did correctly in specific terms.
  2. Pause for effect. Praise intermittently, not always on every little thing. Keep it a bit of a mystery as to when you will praise.In doing this the salesperson will never know exactly when the praise will come, so they always will be wondering when the next praise will come. This is then the motivator. Salespeople will work twice as hard once they get a few praisings under their belt.
  3. Be specific. Be specific in your praise – don’t just say “nice job” or “good work”. In fact if you do it that way, then don’t even bother!Instead, say “Hey Tim that was great work being so persistent to finally secure the appointment for us to propose to the Simpson account. I know it took a lot of effort on your part. I appreciate it”.People will continuously repeat activities that they reinforced by.Reinforce the ones you want repeated, they will be clamoring for you to deliver them praise.It’s the human nature. Use the laws of human nature to get your salespeople to be doing more of the things you want them to do.

There is an important corollary to this which is especially effective for use in getting new or struggling salespeople to do the right things, even if they don’t get them exactly right.

If a salesperson shows progress on a task but cannot fully complete it due to lack of knowledge or skill, the average sales manager withholds praise and approval until they get it exactly correct.

The truly great sales manager praises every correct step along the way and praises even more when it is done to completion. If you truly want to get your salespeople to perform without you, then here is the key!

The most important idea here is that especially when someone is just starting; catch them in the act of doing something correct. At first approximately correct, and gradually move them to exactly correct.