TODAY'S MESSAGE
7 Tips for World Class Sales
by Lynn Giuliani
1. Create a customer driven culture. When the customer comes first and the approach to selling is driven through service the relationship will follow. Many people have a huge aversion to the word sales. If delivered effectively, sales and service are interchangeable. The proactive customer driven focus for your customer should in fact create sales. As one happy customer shares their experience with another your business grows, in the truest sense – one happy customer at a time.
2. Recruit and select the right sales talent. As mentioned in the book Good to Great it is paramount to have the right people on the bus! “Get on or off the bus” this book stresses. One of your core strategies for company growth should be finding talent and keeping them.
3. Training! Developing the skill sets to properly serve the customer and sell the products is like ante into a poker game. Training and employee development is one of highest measurements in attracting and retaining good people. With our job market so competitive, training is one of the factors where someone would choose one company versus another. Training needs to be ongoing… it never stops. It is simply an integral part of growth.
4. Knowing who to call on and why. Market segmentation gives you the right research, energy and dollars for the greatest return. A shotgun approach may very well land a few big accounts however focusing on your cost of sales based on return in market segmentation will get you where you want to be faster. Focus on market segmentation and build your bottom line.
5. Defining yourself process. What should the sales process look like? Do you have defined steps, expectations, procedures and approaches? This of course is a direct result of your training where employees have the opportunity to practice and develop these skills. How would your customers define your sales process? They are the ultimate judges.
6. Supportive technology. Today’s world is driven by technology. Stay up with the times, spend the dollars and provide the resources for your team to stay in the competitive arena. All business functions should work effectively with sales.
7. Clear direction from senior management. Top management must be completely committed to creating a culture that focuses entirely on the customer. That means constant communication, involvement and setting crystal clear expectations.
Companies that think like the customer and view the company through the customer’s eyes are those that lead the way. We need to continually see and understand what the customer sees. What’s important to the customer should be what’s important to the business. How do we determine this… we ask! Customer service, mailings and individual exchanges with the customer to determine their experience and want from your company will move you from mediocrity to excellence.
Using the 7 tips above how can we improve our business from the customer’s point of view?
Here's to your success!
Lynn Giuliani
www.progressionsinc.net
Call Lynn at 360 319-6776 or email her at lynn@progressionsinc.net
She will gladly help you with your sales success through individual sales coaching, classroom training or custom designed programs.
* Featured Book of the Month*
*Featured Book *
Endless Referrals - Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales
by Bob Burg
Praise for the Book
The definitivve guide to turning casual contacts into solid sales opportunities
In this fully revised edition, Bob Burg builds on his proven relationship-building principles to bring even more clients to your door and helps you attract only those who are interested in what you sell. He shows how to maximize your daily contacts, utilize your tools both online and off, leverage your relationships, and generate ongoing sales opportunities.
"If you're serious about your sales career, whether you are selling a product, service, or yourself, master the contents of this book and you will practically guarantee your future success."
--Tom Hopkins, author of How to Master the Art of Selling
"Bob Burg has long been the authority on connecting with clients and building win-win relationships. Endless Referrals should be required reading for sales professionals and entrepreneurs everywhere."
-- Gary Keller, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Keller Williams Realty Intl. and author of The Millionaire Real Estate Investor
"I've found that acquiring business is the toughest challenge for professional services providers. Thankfully, Bob Burg provides pragmatic and effective techniques to smash that challenge to bits, whether using mail, phone, email, or a polite tap on the shoulder."
--Alan Weiss, Ph.D., author Million Dollar Consulting
"Bob Burg opens the floodgates to Fort Knox with this book. I like the simple, easy to understand, practical way he outlines the exact way to find endless referrals. A treasure."
--Dottie Walters, author of Speak & Grow Rich
"A no-nonsense approach to building your business through relationships."
--Jane Applegate, syndicated Los Angeles Times columnist
Get it on Amazon.com
TODAY'S ACTION PLAN
To succeed in sales hire the right people. Support them with training and make certain senior management leads the way!
