Bee-haviors of Successful Sales Professionals

What do you think about sales people who always appear to be doing great regardless of how things are going? When things don’t go their way, they seem to have the ability to just shake it off and move forward. When things do go their way, they almost always act as if they expected it to turn out that way all along.

If you look at the way those people handle their sales careers, you might notice that they handle their accounts with that same kind of attitude and consistency too. They dress their best for every meeting and exude the confidence that goes along with it. They take their client’s calls, and take action to resolve issues, treating each situation they encounter as an opportunity rather than a problem.

They put their time and energy into their accounts just like other sales professionals do, they just do it with enthusiasm rather than complaints. The funny part is that they seem to look forward to handling whatever comes their way—both the good and the bad.

Back when you were starting your sales career, one of your goals was to make a good impression with every account. Chances are good that you went the extra mile when you could too. Granted, the accounts you’re handling now are probably bigger. You might even describe your current list of accounts as “comfortable.” But don’t let complacency and a poor attitude become an excuse for letting things slide with any of your key accounts.

As a sales professional, your livelihood will be heavily influenced by the quality of both your attitude and your process, and that means following the same protocols with each of your key accounts.

Making the commitment to being a great sales person is what sets the stage for long-term growth in sales revenue, and it’s a great disservice to your clients to assume that they can’t tell the difference between the sales rep who’s committed to doing what’s best for the them and the rep who’s just putting in enough face time to keep the account alive. They can. So, if you want your revenues to keep growing (because maintaining without growth isn’t an option these days) put aside some time to revisit your sales process, and your attitude.

What are you doing that works? What are you doing that hasn’t been working lately? How consistent are you with your sales process and protocols? Are there times when your assumptions (rather than your research) directly interfere with your process and/or attitude to your detriment?

I could go through the long list of things there are to look at, but you should be able to look at your process, and your attitude, and figure it out. If you’re having trouble deciphering or remembering what your personal sales process is, or you’re realizing that you’ve gotten off track and aren’t sure of how to get back on, or you’re struggling to reclaim your positive attitude, it’s time to schedule a consultation with me so we can figure it out, because:

There’s never a better time than the present to reignite the fire in your gut!

Alan Luoma: I am a Sales Coach with extensive experience in industrial sales, sales management, new

product development, sales and product training. I work with a great national sustainable packaging company and their exceptional distributors to increase sales. My success has been and is in utilizing the Pareto 80/20 principal in business and life. I have become an expert in seeking out and eliminating behaviors that prevent business people from being successful. I am a member of The National Speakers Association and New England Speakers Association. You can view my profile on LinkedIn, or contact me at Luoma@snet.net 

MISSING THE BOAT

It is my belief that I am an effective coach, mentor, instructor, because so much of what I teach about customer service and Emotional Intelligence did not come naturally to me. I have had to learn some concepts the hard way, questioning them and grappling with them until they made sense to me.  This has helped me to understand and empathize with clients who have difficulty grasping a point. It keeps me from ever trivializing someone’s lack of understanding. Many managers, professors, customers, mentors, and coworkers have had a part in my training. I’d like to tell you about one coworker, Edythe.

Years ago, when I was strict and inflexible about company policy, Edythe mentored me through her example. She guided me to better behavior, despite my churlish, insufferable attitude. She was senior to me in our workplace and in life, and miles ahead of me in the social graces. We worked in close proximity for a couple of years, until I moved on to other work. As I matured, I continued to appreciate and internalize the concepts Edythe had modeled. And as I recognized her wisdom, I thought of someday sending her a note of thanks.

Many years after we had worked together I was having lunch with a friend in a Simsbury restaurant. There was Edythe, sitting with a woman who was wearing scrubs. I recognized her immediately. When the other woman left the table for a moment, I went over and introduced myself.  I reminded Edythe where we had worked, and expressed my gratitude for the huge impact she had on my professional growth over the years.  

Edythe gave me an uncomprehending smile and looked around nervously for the other woman. It became clear to me that in her current condition she was unable to understand who I was, or why I had approached her. She seemed agitated, so I apologized for bothering her and returned to my table, having forever missed the opportunity to thank her.  That was probably her final lesson for me, which I share with you in Edythe’s honor.

 

Jeannie Newman of JZN Associates

Workshops and Seminars in all facets of Emotional Intelligence Development
Email: Jeannie@JZNAssociates.com

Connect on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/jeannienewman/

 

How to Get More Clients With a Podcast

If you're a coach, author or expert you've probably heard the term "know, like and trust." This is the concept that people have to get to know, like and trust you before they will buy from you. What I want to share with you is some ideas to build YOUR know, like and trust factor with a podcast, and how that can help your business.

How many listeners do you need to your podcast for it to be successful? When I ask my clients this question, they often say 5,000 or 10,000. But what if just one person listened to your podcast? Would it still be worthwhile?

I would argue that it is. If you think of a podcast as a way to build a deeper connection with your audience and as a way to serve, then even if one person gets lots of value out of your podcast it can be worthwhile.

Take the following scenario: You are talking to someone who is thinking about working with you, but they have a lot of competing things going on in their life. They are not certain if you are the person that they need to work with, and they have so many challenges going on that they don't know where to start.

Here's what I suggest: Ask that client what their biggest challenge is, and what they would they would like to know more about. Then do a podcast addressing that challenge and possible solutions. If it's a solo podcast it can be you talking about it, and if you are doing an interview based podcast you can bring in an expert who can speak more in depth about the topic.

After you finish the podcast, you can follow up with an e-mail telling the person that you just finished a podcast addressing their very challenge and ask them for their feedback. You are not asking or trying to convince that person to do anything, you are simply providing a solution to their problem via a podcast.

If that one person becomes a loyal client and tells other people about you, was it worthwhile to do that podcast episode? (Of course I think the answer is YES!) The nice thing about podcasting is that there will be more than one listener and your client's challenge will be one that other people have, and you'll be able to serve and connect with those people to.

My challenge for you is to ask your potential clients about their biggest challenges and think about how you can create a podcast that helps them solve their problems. Do this over time and you will be their go to person for your specific topic!

About Doug:

Doug Foresta is a coach who helps coaches, speakers and authors expand their reach and build their platform with a podcast. He has helped hundreds of people from all over the world start their own successful podcasts. For more information visit www.standoutwithdoug.com or call 413-883-5518 for a free 30 minute Expand Your Reach session.