When I first started in sales, part of the job required learning everything we could about the product or service we were selling. Prospects utilized sales people as a source of information about new technologies and how they could be used to help them solve their problems. Our objective back then was to become a ‘walking talking brochure.’
In today’s B2B world though, it’s just not enough to know everything about what you have to offer. Phrases like “Our product has been rated highest in quality, and our service is the most responsive” may be true, but they lost their relevance as soon as everybody started using them.
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I had the pleasure of spending two days with 100 Top Producers from a very unique company this week. I delivered one day of Sales Management training, and one day of Advanced Sales training.
The organization is Creative Financial Staffing, www.cfstaffing.com/about_cfs/overview/, an accounting and financial placement firm. Annually CFS brings their top producers together for 3 days of learning and sharing of ideas. I was fascinated by how deadly serious they are about maintaining and advancing their competitive advantage. They are a financially rock solid company, and for the majority of their 20 years, have experienced significant growth. Here is a short list of the observable characteristics that make them unique: Summer is here and for many sales people that means it’s time to “kick-back”. Does everyone really go on vacation at the same time? You know that’s simply not true. “Yes, many people do take vacation in July and August, but they also take vacation in January and February and selling doesn’t stop then!
This nobody’s around attitude reminds me of the sales representative who was trying to pick the best day of the week to prospect. “Monday folks are just getting back from the weekend, Tuesdays not good because things get into full swing and everyone’s in meetings all day, Wednesday is bad because its hump day, Thursday’s awful because folks are pushing to get everything done so they can cut out early on Friday. And Friday, nobody’s around! If you perceive there is nobody around, you are setting yourself up for a negative self-fulfilling outcome and your production will drop. Think like a business owner this summer and leverage your talent and make a name for yourself. |
AuthorSales management expert Duane Cashin has lead award-winning sales organizations and trained sales teams for companies of all sizes. He’s earned membership in Presidents Club and Circle of Excellence, successfully built and sold his own multi-million-dollar business, and enjoys sharing his passion for sales. Categories
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May 2019
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