Sales Department or Sales Force?
May The Department Be With You?
From The Accidental SalespersonBy 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.
• 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