You need to boost sales.
Seems logical really – but there are sales trainers out there promoting leadership skills and management styles rather than working out how to boost sales. That’s all fair and well, but what good is a great manager if there are no NEW sales coming in?
You need fresh eyes on your sales process.
You are too close to the business to be objective enough to spot deficiencies in your sales process. A good sales trainer will immediately see where you need help and design the best way to get you there.
You need to invest in your sales team.
It’s a fact, you go forward or restart – there is NO standing still in sales. Without regular training, how do sales teams keep abreast of current buying trends. Not much ‘selling’ is going on these days. Most businesses sales folk are just emailing thousands of names on a list ‘hoping’ to generate a lead. A good sales trainer will turn your team into a hungry hunter Shark as opposed to a follow the trend Minnow.
There are ONLY six steps (in my humble opinion) to converting an ideal prospect.
ADVERTISING
ONLY attract ‘ideal’ prospects
Call me old fashioned, but I don’t want ‘just anyone’ ringing me about prices.
I have found that people who start conversations with, “We’re collecting quotes, how much is….?”
Very rarely have the money for my stuff.
You need people who say, “I want it”, THEN ask the cost.
You ONLY want people who WANT AND NEED your products BEFORE they ask the cost. This needs to be handled in your marketing and advertising. Design ads to reduce tyre kickers.
APPOINMENT SETTING
Reduce wasted time
You do NOT need to pitch everyone who responds to your marketing. The tyre kickers will still contact you so ‘Rule em in or rule em out’ ASAP. By asking pertinent questions you will soon find out if the respondee is a good prospect or a tyre kicker.
PRICE CONDITIONING
From the outset you need to be price conditioning your prospects in order to justify your price and raise expectations. This will also allow skint people to bow out gracefully – no point pitching them.
OBJECTION HANDLING
Now in my world, I do not want to get to the end of my presentation and handle objections. Best way to handle an objection, YOU identify it and remove it. Best time to remove it – immediately. Identify your main abjections and deal with them in the presentation. In other words, build your entire presentation around removing objections.
PRESENTING
Several things need to happen in the presentation, but the three main things are:-
Never just ‘present’ your products. You must present in such a powerful manner – there is no doubt you are the best option for your prospect.
CONSOLIDATING
This is the most overlooked step in the entire sales process. Most sales people get he order signed off and run out of the appointment whoppin’ and hollerin’ spending their commission. Just a few minutes more will prevent any chances of the order cancelling at a later date.
So how do you spot a good sales trainer?
There seem to be plenty of them out there if you Google them. But how do you know they can get the job done for you? Here's just four things to look for - maybe the four most important factors to look for.
A good sales trainer will still be actively engaged in selling a product.
If NOT – how can they advise on the current economic sales landscape. I know people (prospects) are having to justify their spend today, more than ever before. How do I know that? Because I am still out there selling every week. Don’t be scared to ask what they have sold or are still actively selling.
A good sales trainer will tailor their course / workshop to YOUR needs.
Believe it or not, not every sales course is going to fit every business. I have learnt that every business is different, so a good trainer must make the material and the delivery match the business.
A good sales trainer will be supremely confident.
Nothing should phase a sales trainer. It shouldn’t matter the industry, the sector or the product. A sales trainer will know what makes sales work in any situation and be able to demonstrate their ability to put your mind at ease.
MOST importantly - No risk.
Exactly that – there should be ZERO risk working with a good sales trainer. They will get the job done, or you don’t pay them. Well, that’s my philosophy.
