Other than your sales team, who else is talking to your customers and how often? Is it your customer service team, engineers, technicians, drivers, or accounting team? If you are looking to expand your sales and loyalty with your customers, you don’t have to expand your sales team. You already have the team in your organization and they are already talking to your customers daily or weekly.
How can they help you build a stronger customer experience with your customers and even grow the business? We are not asking you to turn your people into salespeople.
Many of the sales leaders we work with like the consultative conversation their sales reps are having with their customers and they want to extend this to the other teams in their organization. These teams don’t want to be salespeople and are afraid of the word “sales”. Yet, they do want to “help” the customer.
Here are five ways they can help your customers:
Simply ask a few more questions about the customer’s project or order they are placing.
Ask the customer if they need anything else for their project/order.
Be curious about the customer and their business.
Provide advice to the customer.
Be empathetic, listen and acknowledge when there is a problem and ask how they can help resolve the situation quickly.
Knowing how to do this well is essential to customer loyalty and sales growth.
Now think about you, as the sales professional, and the level of service you offer. Do you approach each interaction to build a relationship? Do you ask them questions beyond filling their initial request? Are you knowledgeable enough to answer their questions?
In training teams over the years, we have noticed an overlap in these areas of concern that negatively impact your customers’ experiences:
Talking too much rather than listening to the customer.
Not gearing conversations to uncover additional opportunities to help the customer.
Using trigger phrases that may escalate or irritate already upset customers.
Not recognizing and working with the various personality styles of colleagues and customers to better meet the customer’s needs.
Not finding solutions to prioritize the customer’s requests above all else.
More often than not, these missteps and oversights are happening, not because an employee does not want to provide superior service. On the contrary, we have found they simply lack the know-how to do so effectively.
What if these teams had a new tool, let’s say antennas, that helped them tune into their customers’ needs?
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]If you are looking to expand your sales and loyalty with your customers - you don’t have to expand your sales team. Share on X
Customer Conversations program
We see first-hand the benefits to students of the Customer Conversations program because the training and coaching they receive gives them the tools to get better customer results, that will grow your organization’s sales.
Over two days of training, followed by group coaching, participants learn how to use their “antennas”. This helps their customers feel that doing business with them is a premier experience.
Module 4: Premier Communication through telephone, email & text
In this course, participants have the opportunity to practice, apply and discuss what they learn. At the end of the course, they will have both written and oral assessments to test their degree of learning. Upon completion, they receive a Customer Conversations Certification.
This course is particularly geared to those teams and departments who deal directly with customers in your organization: inside sales teams, service teams or customer care and administration.
Listen to Angela Leach, one of our trainers at Teneo and creator of the Customer Conversations program, as she shares the top five takeaways reported by participants of this program.
Here’s a thought provoking question – how can the rest of your organization “help” your customers by having better conversations with them?
If you’re interested in learning more about this program, let’s have a conversation!
Lisa is driven by the mantra – Be Strategic. Be Pro-active. Be Brave. – and has been successfully training and coaching sales leaders and their teams to do the same for over 15 years. As the President of Teneo Results since 2003, she has trained thousands of sales professionals at more than 250 companies across North America. She transitions salespeople away from the standard “product & price” approach to having purposeful business conversations with their customers that drive results.
Different buyers, different styles and a different set of expectations each time.
How can you successfully navigate a challenge like that to earn more of your buyer’s business?
Recently, I had the opportunity to go on a ride-along with a few sellers from different industries to meet their buyers.
While the similarities between these sellers were few, their ultimate goal was the same: focus on the buyer’s business to help them make more money, make their job easier and make them look good.
You need to go further than filling their request for products for the current buy.
It requires a Purposeful Business Conversation.
We often see sellers shy away from initiating these conversations. We encourage our clients to ask the buyers about their businesses, such as where they are headed and future growth opportunities.
However, successfully engaging the buyer in this type of conversation can be easier said than done.
On my ride-along, I encountered three distinct buyer types that I am sharing with you so you can more easily initiate that all-important purposeful business conversation to reach your goal.
The first buyer type we encountered knew what he wanted. He was not shy about specifying his preferences and expectations, nor did he hesitate to tell us what it would take for a sales professional to move from good to great to gain more of his business.
The second group of buyers we met took a more relaxed approach to their meeting and they were eager to share what was happening in their business.
The third type of buyer tried to fit in a sales call wherever they could in their busy day.
These charts provide a detailed view of the different buyer types I met during my ride-along:
Buyer 1:
Meeting Stages
Timing
Buyer Environment
Strongly stated his expectations in:
Set for 1 hour
Made notes on paper during
the meeting to scan into
his system for future
reference and next steps
Meeting preparation by the seller
Hard stop at 58 minutes when
his receptionist called to
say his next meeting had
arrived
He felt the use of laptops
during meetings showed a lack
of engagement and distraction
Required printed agenda,
provided in advance
Ended with a recap of next
steps and scheduled next
meeting
Face to face
Detailed proposal preferences
–
–
Buyer 2:
Meeting Stages
Timing
Buyer Environment
Two buyers and two sellers
Set for 90 minutes
Their facility was completely paperless
Buyers were excited to discuss the future of their business
Started off meeting the buyers and advised they had more time
No business cards exchanged
Shared a PowerPoint presentation on their future growth
Meeting went over by 70 minutes
Made notes on laptops
Buyer 3:
Meeting Stages
Timing
Buyer Environment
Transactional
5-10 minutes to meet with the seller, typically
Retail/Counter Sales
Service-focused meetings
Meetings were fit in when they had time in their day
Retail/Counter Sales
Volume vs. Price to increase margins
As a result of preparing an analysis in advance, the rep secured a longer meeting and with a senior decision maker who had the authority to make the necessary decisions. Rep secured a long-term program contract
Spent more time with Service Manager & GM
During the meeting with the two buyers (Buyer Type 2), the sellers intentionally asked about their business. These buyers were excited to share where their company was headed and it created more clarity around the meeting – not to mention another million dollars in business opportunities for these sellers.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Focus on your buyer’s business to help them make more money, make their job easier and make them look good. Share on X
Similarly, the seller from the third ride-along shared how he was proactive in preparing a numbers analysis to demonstrate to the buyer how much money he could save if he purchased more product. This resulted in him earning a bigger sale.
However, in the first case (Buyer Type 1), the rep did not provide enough information and it was not laid out in the format the buyer wanted. The buyer informed the rep that in order for him to make a decision, the rep needed to return with the information the buyer asked for and in the format he requested.
Voila! Just like that, taking the initiative and engaging in purposeful business conversations can make money for you and your buyer.
How do you make the most out of conversations with your potential buyers? Let me know in the comments.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Lisa is driven by the mantra – Be Strategic. Be Pro-active. Be Brave. – and has been successfully training and coaching sales leaders and their teams to do the same for over 15 years. As the President of Teneo Results since 2003, she has trained thousands of sales professionals at more than 250 companies across North America. She transitions salespeople away from the standard “product & price” approach to having purposeful business conversations with their customers that drive results.
It’s important to be crystal clear on who this is for you so you know whom to target.
Typically, a persona refers to the social role one wears, but it’s derived from Latin meaning a theatrical mask. Interesting definition considering our name, Teneo, is also derived from Latin meaning to know, to understand, to master!
In sales, we sometimes feel our buyers and clients are wearing masks. We have to get to know the person behind the mask to gain the rapport and trust needed to do business with them.
This takes time and effort. You don’t want to waste time chasing anyone and everyone hoping they’ll buy what you’re selling.
That’s why it’s essential you have a strong grasp on your ideal client persona. However, it can be challenging to get clear on who this is for you. To help you create your own ideal client persona, we will share ours with you.
Let’s call him Dave. Here’s what we know about him:
• Dave is Vice President of Sales.
• He has a sales team of 15-100+ salespeople in the manufacturing, building materials and agriculture industries who sell business to business.
• The majority of sales representatives on these teams are males between the ages of 35-60.
• Dave was first promoted to Sales Manager then to Vice President of Sales.
• He has a proven track record in sales and is driven to succeed.
With a bit more digging, here’s what we discover about Dave’s goals and the challenges he faces:
• He believes in his team, but feels they are capable of more.
• He wants them to become a high performing team who outperforms and gains market share from their competitors.
• Dave wants the team to be more strategic, consultative and professional.
• He wants to double sales in the next five years with higher margins.
• Dave is getting pressure from the CEO and the CFO.
• Sometimes, he feels like he’s carrying a medicine ball uphill and he really wants his team to step it up.
Now we need to know who Dave is on a personal level. Learning what Dave values in his life can give us clues as to what motivates his purchasing decisions and how best to communicate with him.
• Dave is a baby boomer between 52-58 years of age.
• He is married with two kids.
• He enjoys coaching his kids’ sports teams when he’s not working.
• He travels a lot across the country and is always on the move.
• He is a Driver personality style.
• He likes sports, craft beer, and a great dinner when he’s on the road.
Does Dave sound like a client you have or maybe even your boss?
If so, send him – or her – our way! We’d love to meet to have a meaningful business conversation over a beer.
Determining your ideal client persona helps you become hyper-aware of your ideal client and how to attract more of them on a regular basis.
Now that you’ve uncovered who you want to attract, it’s just as important to determine who you do not want to attract.
Do you have any needy, challenging, demanding or low revenue-generating clients? This is a great opportunity to have a conversation with your manager or team to decide how you can best manage these accounts. You may even want to consider passing them onto customer service, an inside sales person, or even a new representative who is looking to gain more sales experience in your organization.
Would you like more information on how to create your ideal client persona?
Teneo’s Training Centre has a new micro learning format perfect for busy people on the move.
It’s bite-sized training that you can access from your mobile device on advanced sales topics to help sales professionals amplify their selling skills.
How would you describe your ideal client’s persona? Let us know in the comments.
Lisa is driven by the mantra – Be Strategic. Be Pro-active. Be Brave. – and has been successfully training and coaching sales leaders and their teams to do the same for over 15 years. As the President of Teneo Results since 2003, she has trained thousands of sales professionals at more than 250 companies across North America. She transitions salespeople away from the standard “product & price” approach to having purposeful business conversations with their customers that drive results.
They say nothing happens until a sale is made – and it looks like the Canadian government knows that this is exactly what is needed for the continued growth of its businesses and the economy.
In 2014, the Canadian government launched the Canada Job Grant (CJG) program which provides funding to employers who are willing to invest in their people.
The CJG program earmarks $194 million annually to the training and education of employees in the workforce.
You may be skeptical as to why the government would offer such advantageous assistance. Here’s what the Canadian government has to say:
“Ontario’s workforce is our most valuable asset. As new technologies, globalization and shifting demographics rapidly change Ontario’s economy, they alter the mix of available jobs and the skills people need to succeed in them. By building up education and training, we can maintain Ontario’s competitive advantage, helping businesses and workers adapt to change and achieve their goals.”
Here’s an overview of the CJG program and how to put it to work for you to give you that competitive edge:
•Employers can get up to $10,000 in government support per person for training costs.
•The training has to be delivered by an eligible, third-party trainer (in-house training provided by your own company or trainers is ineligible).
•Acceptable third-party trainers are community or career colleges, trade union centres or private trainers (such as the training Teneo offers).
•Employers with 100 or more employees need to contribute 1/2 of the training costs. Employers with less than 100 employees need to contribute 1/6 of the training costs.
•You can apply for training now with the training to be completed within one year of government approval.
• Any teams are eligible, with a preference for Tier 1 level. Tier 1 is defined as any training which will result in a new or better job and is the first approved application for that employer in the last 6 months.
• The training costs covered by the CJG program include tuition or training providers’ fees, mandatory student fees, required materials such as textbooks and software, and examination fees.
• Training should be directed at improving business function in the areas of customer service, project management, strategic planning, general management, leadership and sales, and marketing.
• Training can take place in a variety of settings including a classroom, at the workplace, or online.
At Teneo, we have worked with dozens of clients to help them apply and successfully be approved for funding in their respective Canadian provinces.
Sales teams, customer service teams, inside sales teams, and sales leadership teams are all great examples of who would be eligible for this funding with a Tier 1 application.
Often, our clients wonder if the benefits received are actually worth the time and effort it takes to complete the paperwork.
We’ve seen the results and benefits. It’s worth the paperwork.
Over the past 4 years, we have dedicated Shannon Vandebyl of our Teneo team to be our COJG (Canada-Ontario Job Grant) expert who is the key liaison between our clients and the many COJG agencies.
We have invested the time in learning the criteria, both federally and provincially (the federal government changes it every few months). Since every province has a slightly different criteria, Shannon has a great understanding of what each requires. She is able to help our clients work through their application and paperwork to make it easier to navigate the red tape.
In 2017, the CJG program depleted its funds by September.The good news is that, as of April 1st, 2018, it’s a new fiscal year for the government which means funding is now available again.However, only on a first come, first serve basis –- we don’t want you to miss this excellent opportunity!
Does this sound like a program you want to put to work for you?
Or, you can skip the waiting, voice recorded messages, and confusing network of options and speak to a real person by giving us a call.
Let’s have a conversation about how we can help you invest in your sales and customer service teams while letting the government fund your training programs.
Hurry, before the funding is depleted![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Lisa is driven by the mantra – Be Strategic. Be Pro-active. Be Brave. – and has been successfully training and coaching sales leaders and their teams to do the same for over 15 years. As the President of Teneo Results since 2003, she has trained thousands of sales professionals at more than 250 companies across North America. She transitions salespeople away from the standard “product & price” approach to having purposeful business conversations with their customers that drive results.
We are big advocates of implementing ways to work smarter rather than harder in all aspects of business.
One area you will want to apply this technique is when you are deciding which prospects to add to your weekly prospecting list.
If your current strategy involves calling a random list of prospects, chances are you are not seeing the results you want, or it’s the reason you procrastinate prospecting.
You know you need to make those calls and when you finally make time to do so – you stare at your phone or computer and ask yourself, “Who should I reach out to?” I have found that when I create my Hot Prospecting List in advance, it gives me a more compelling reason to make those calls. Doing this simple analysis will help you create your Master Ideal Hot List, then break it down and make at least 10 calls/emails each day as part of your 75 Day Prospecting Pipeline Challenge. Breaking it down into smaller prospecting activities will make it much easier to fill your pipeline by the end of this quarter.
Knowing who to add to your list is the key to getting the results you want and it can be achieved simply with a little research on your part.
You need a solid sales strategy that focuses your efforts on the right clients using your previous sales data to turn your cold call list into a hot prospect list.
What do you need to do to create your own hot prospect list?
Let’s trade in your hit-or-miss method for a more effective approach!
1. Gather historical sales reports
Access your sales reporting or accounting system to review your sales by client for the past two years. New to sales? If so, reach out to your Sales Manager, accounting department or your colleagues for guidance on how to get that important information.
2. Analyze your sales
Closely evaluate each area below so you have a clear picture of each client:
• Determine the increase/decrease for each client over the past two years. Can you account for any change in a client’s sales pattern?
• Total the sales by month for the past two years. Record which months are the highest and lowest and account for the disparity. Is there anything you can do to increase sales in the months where you noticed they were lower?
• What is your average sales dollar per order?
• What is your average account worth by sales dollar?
• Identify your top 20% of accounts and how much business they represent. For example, if you have thirty accounts, do the top six accounts represent 80% of your business?
• Establish the ideal annual sales dollar amount you would like to do with each client.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Your sales data is a goldmine of information. Most people don’t maximize it to its fullest extent to further their sales goals. Share on X
3. Your current sales goal
Have a look at your current year’s sales goal. Your organization may refer to this as a sales objective, sales target, sales quota or budget.
As yourself: How did you calculate your sales goal? What is your strategy to achieve it?
4. Analyzing the sales goal
List your accounts or your monthly sales goal to achieve your annual goal. Is your sales goal different than management’s? If so, why?
5. Ideal target profile
There are numerous considerations to take into account when determining your target market.
Here are some areas on which you should focus when establishing yours: industry, demographic and psychographic characteristics, product positioning and attitudes. Completing the sales analysis that we have outlined in the first four steps will help you better answer this question.
6. Ranking your clients and prospects
After a thorough examination of the information you gathered in the first five steps, list all your current and prospect accounts that you would like to generate more business.
Taking this list, place each into one of the three categories listed below:
A – Excellent opportunity to close business with them in the next 12 months and the account is worth $________________
B – Very good opportunity to close business with them in the next 12 months and the account is worth $________________
C – Possible opportunity to close business with them in the next 12 months and the account is worth $________________
You can further categorize this list by prioritizing the top 30, 50 and 100 clients or prospects with whom you can connect within the next 6-12 months.
This is your hot prospect list.
Your sales data is a goldmine of information and most people don’t maximize it to its fullest extent to further their sales goals.
Why not eliminate the haphazard approach to cold calling altogether that only proves to make it a frustrating exercise?
Using this strategy reduces the guesswork in prospect calling. It provides you with a warmer productive list that is effective and strategic resulting in increased sales for you.
How do you ensure you are reaching the right clients for your sales? Let me know in the comments.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Lisa is driven by the mantra – Be Strategic. Be Pro-active. Be Brave. – and has been successfully training and coaching sales leaders and their teams to do the same for over 15 years. As the President of Teneo Results since 2003, she has trained thousands of sales professionals at more than 250 companies across North America. She transitions salespeople away from the standard “product & price” approach to having purposeful business conversations with their customers that drive results.
We kicked off the year with our highest secured sales along with having a record first-quarter sales.
Well on our way to hitting our stretch goal, we were stoked to be having another record sales year.
Then it happened. One of our largest key clients restructured their senior management team. I arranged to meet with the new Vice President and, after a tough meeting, I managed to salvage the account.
Not too long after that, I received word that, due to further cuts within that company, the training would be pulled. I had no option but to accept their decision.
I had a choice to make. I could sit slumped in my chair feeling sorry for myself or I could step up to the plate as a sales leader and strategize how I could make up the loss.
A quick calculation told me the loss of revenue was over 30% of our current sales for this year. Ouch!
Then I did a quick analysis of the past two years to determine how much revenue we had secured at the exact times in those years.
I discovered that we could still hit our sales goal with a lot of focused prospecting and secured sales from existing clients.
Over the next hour, I brainstormed my strategy and almost filled a page with my ideas.
Let me share with you the nine steps you can take when you are faced with losing a big client:
•Rally the team – When you share the news with your team, be optimistic and communicate your plan to overcome the loss. The message to relay is one of all team members staying the course and, regardless of the client loss, remaining undeterred from hitting your sales goals. Request their input, buy-in and commitment to your sales and prospecting strategy moving forward.
•Review the plan – Have a look at the next 90 days as well as the remainder of the calendar year to determine ideal prospecting times moving forward. In our case, we had 8-10 weeks before summer holidays to prospect and secure the lost revenue. We decided to commit to 50 calls per week for the next several weeks. What commitment could your team make to its prospecting efforts to generate increased business? Creating daily and weekly scoreboards to highlight sales activities is a great way to inspire your team to climb back to the top.
•Create a Client Hot List – Brainstorm with your team to come up with 50 existing clients with whom you could easily secure business. The likelihood of generating business with existing clients is always greater. Reach out to these people immediately so you can secure a few quick wins to boost the confidence of your team and create momentum.
•Develop a Suspects & Prospects Hot List – Similar to the Client Hot List, this is a list of potential companies who could become clients.
•Beef up the marketing message – This is a great time to reconsider and strengthen your marketing and sales integration strategy to generate more leads. We quickly reached out to our marketing and social media agency to create a more robust lead generation campaign.
•Evaluate referral partners – Review those people or organizations with whom you have an affiliation: partners, vendors, associations and sponsors. Connect with these affiliations to determine how you can further collaborate to one another’s mutual benefit to grow your businesses.
•Invest in technology – There are many new sales intelligence tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator that you can use to secure new leads. Designate a team member to pilot some of these tools to determine which one is the best fit for you.
•Brainstorm new ideas – Are there new products or services you could launch or a special promotion you can run to generate business? It might even prove to be an opportunity to gain new clients.
•Involve all team members – Ask all members of not only your sales team but your support staff, customer service team and all other departments how they can step up to the plate to commit to your prospecting strategy and help grow your business. You may be surprised at their commitment to getting results. It will also help to feel as if you’re not pushing that medicine ball uphill all by yourself.
This loss was a valuable reminder that we must always be leading our sales team to consistently prospect throughout the year to ensure that the pipeline is always full.
If you do find yourself in this position, the most important thing you can remember is to stay optimistic and not let stress or fear get in the way of achieving your sales goals.
Share with us in the comments below, the strategies you implemented from this list, or one of your own, that you used to recover when you were in this position.
Lisa is driven by the mantra – Be Strategic. Be Pro-active. Be Brave. – and has been successfully training and coaching sales leaders and their teams to do the same for over 15 years. As the President of Teneo Results since 2003, she has trained thousands of sales professionals at more than 250 companies across North America. She transitions salespeople away from the standard “product & price” approach to having purposeful business conversations with their customers that drive results.
