Many businesses struggle to make their sales targets and budgets because they simply have the wrong sales person in the role. In other words, they have recruited poorly or promoted incorrectly. This square peg in the round hole can have a huge impact on achieving the sales you need to survive. It generally happens like this.

The sales role becomes available. Those from within the company are generally the first who are asked to apply (this is the first mistake- as you are not recruiting from the best pool of candidates available). In many of these situations, someone who is great at their existing job, has the performance halo effect- in other words, because they have done well in the past- it is assumed they will do well in the new role. This is the second mistake. Often these candidates are promoted and pushed by their existing managers so as they can expand their careers.  Assuming they will perform in a very different job structure is fraught with danger. Assuming the attributes that created the success in their previous role, will drive success in their new role is clearly wrong.

If these candidates are coming from outside of the existing business, the recruiting process can also be very flawed. Some of the biggest issues I have seen with this are things like:

1. Relying on a past resume (no resume ever tells the whole truth).

2. Assuming profiling and psych testing will help determine sales aptitude (it doesn’t)

3. Recruiters get paid by getting bums on seats, so they often push candidates onto the business.

4. Many recruiters have not been in sales or sales management roles, so would struggle to understand what it really takes to get success.

5. Many of the attributes and skills required and even promoted by the candidates are not tested prior to the successful appointment. This is a fundamental error. Don’t assume – test and determine.

Don’t create future sales problems by recruiting poorly. Get expert outside help to ensure the candidate you select is fit for purpose in the sales role and will achieve the sales results you require. After all, sales drive income and profit and it is critical to the success of any business today.

Stay tuned or sign up for our next blogs that will help you learn more about this or reach out to me, the Virtual Sales Manager, so I can help you further with your Sales Recruiting.

You know the drill. You are attending your weekly sales meeting discussing how you or your team went this in achieving your pre-determined sales targets. You will normally hear or even worse use the following excuses.

1. Business was super quiet this week, we just have the customer flows we normally have.

2. Our competitors are smashing us on price, they have a red hot offering we cant match.

3. If our customer support areas were better and they didnt keep dropping the ball then we could have converted more sales.

4. It’s super tough in todays economic climate to get enough business.

5. Customers are just not buying this week.

6. I have heaps in my sales pipeline and they should all come through soon.

7. I spent all my time working on a massive deal that we were certain to land but the customer wont commit.

8. And my all time favourite, I am so busy and have so much business, I just cant dedicate enough time!

Sound familiar? In today’s COVID world of lockdowns, shutdowns and closures many of these reasons may be truly valid. BUT- many of these reasons are also used when times are normal and business is flowing. The question is- have you really in all honesty put in enough dedicated time, focus and effort to achieve the sales budgets you committed too, when you signed up for the job?

If times are quiet and sales are low, you must go hunting for the opportunities not falling for the excuses. If you want to double your sales, you need to double the amount of time you spend selling and get smarter about how you do it.

The sales people who always produce are faced with exactly the same issues  but find a way to continue to produce and exceed their targets. If you would like my simple guide ‘How to Get More Customers’ just reach out to me and I am happy to send you a copy.

Getting sales requires effort, time and energy.

Stay tuned or sign up for our next blogs that will help you learn more about this or reach out to me, the Virtual Sales Manager, so I can help you further. 

‘I recently was doing some work for a very large and successful banking group in Australia and they said ‘Dave we need to take any reference to the words, selling, sales, prospecting and targeting out of your ahem, sales program. WTF?

This is why selling sucks today. To sell a product or a service to someone is bad. We cant be seen to be unduly influencing someone to purchase our product or service. Its frowned upon as being unethical, pushy or someone dishonest. Let me just say, that is a load of rubbish. You cannot push a person to buy your product or service. It doesn’t work that way today. It’s not like something out of the movie The Wolf of Wall Street (despite them teaching sales tactics now).

If you read my last post- Seller Beware, then you should understand that in the 21st Century, the buyer is in control, has the power and has more choices than ever before. They don’t need to give you their business, you need to earn it. Selling is no longer about influencing it is about understanding the why- they why someone should give you their hard earned money & time to buy your product or service.

There is nothing wrong with selling if it is done with ethics, morality and customer intent (meaning your only focus is helping the customer do better, not your boss, your business or your bottom line. It goes without saying that selling requires the following key ingredients:

1. Trust- which is earned, not given. You must earn the right to be believed.

2. Credibility- proof that you can help them solve their biggest problems.

3. Authenticity- you are real, true to your word and honest in your dealings with your customers.

4. Intent- the focus is not selling a product or service but assisting the customer make the best decision.

5. Empathy- you can see it from the customers perspective and not just yours. Walk a mile in their shoes.

6. Value Exchange- the value you give is equal to the investment they are required to make.

7. Focus- is on building a customer relationship, not securing a transaction now.

Selling suffers from an image problem. It is not about pushing a product or service onto a client or customer. It is all about helping them get the right outcomes for themselves. The old school shiny suit, polished shoes, slick salesperson image is out. Real, honest people who only focus on how to help, not how to sell, will ensure selling doesn’t suck but is a valuable process between the buyer and the seller. Let’s face it, without sales, your business won’t survive and that’s the bottom line.

Stay tuned or sign up for our next blogs that will help you learn more about this or reach out to me, the Virtual Sales Manager, so I can help you further.

The rules of selling in the 21st Century have changed. Back in the last century (wow that seems like it was ages ok), the adage buyer beware was the main catch cry. But gradually with the introduction of the internet, its popularity and the increase of online shopping, the dynamics shifted, from buyer beware to seller beware. In other words, the customer now has the power.

This is because the options & choices available to the customer have multiplied dramatically. I can be sitting in my home in Australia and buy something from a seller in the US or the UK. Customers have also access to a avalanche of information and we have seen the proliferation of comparative websites that again take the power away from the seller and give it to the buyer.

To survive in selling today, you must move away from the product/feature/benefit approach to one of emotion/reason/difference approach. It is imperative you understand what the biggest problem your product or service can solve and why this is better than any of your competitors. If you haven’t figured this out, then your buyer will always be in control. In so many cases, business owners and sales people make these tow fundamental sales mistakes.

Firstly, they have not identified who their MOST ideal customer is. In other words who are the customers that you really want to serve (it cant be everyone).

Secondly, they have NOT take the time, energy or effort to absolutely understand who and what their competitors are. They haven’t completed a Sales SWOT analysis, nor do they know why someone may purchase their product or service over theirs and vice a versa. In many cases, people tell me things like ‘we are great at customer service’ but haven’t figured out where they are great at, why they are great at, how is this different to the competitors. In other words they are drinking the corporate cordial which may be clearly be incorrect. Look, its great to have strong belief in what you do BUT you must understand that customers don’t share this belief because THEY HAVE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE!

It may surprise you that 70% of all purchasing decisions are made PRIOR to the purchaser actually directly engaging with the company, business or sales person. The power of the internet and its ability to provide instant information, access and comparisons shifts the power dynamics from seller to buyer. If you can’t be found, you can’t be considered- it is that simple. You need expert help in going from ‘invisible in your market’ to visible. The next challenge is to go from visible to attractive, then considered, then chosen.

Stay tuned or sign up for our next blogs that will help you learn more about this or reach out to me, the Virtual Sales Manager, so I can help you further.

Have you ever heard the song- the HoneyBadger don’t care? You might we wondering what this has to do with improving your sales, getting more customers and selling in the 21st Century. Let me explain.

The HoneyBadger is reknown as one of the world’s most courageous animals. It doesn’t operate from fear and has the inbuilt desire to continue, no matter what. In other words, it has an incredible belief in itself and abilities and will often take on other bigger and more dangerous animals. It is a battle of survival.

Many people today in selling actually fear the sales process and really don’t have that infalliable belief that what they offer is the best and it can make a difference. That’s why we often see sales people prepared to cut the price and discount to match or beat their competitors.

To be truly successful in sales you must have this infalliable belief system and should truly believe that what you offer is better than anyone else. Be like the HoneyBadger and go after what you truly believe and become unstoppable in the process.