Using a Sales Process

Sales is like anything else. If you really want to be good at it, you have to practice it. But, like in any sport, practice makes permanent. You need to practice the right things, or you will not succeed as well as you want to.

In order to perform at your highest level, you must first learn the basics, and then from there climb to greater heights. How does this happen? It can only happen if you get the proper training. There are many sales training programs in the market. To pick the best one for you, and what fits your ability and market, can be difficult. However, the real key for any training program is to pick one that also gives you follow on coaching.

Like all great athletes, and even mediocre athletes, they all receive coaching throughout their careers. Unfortunately, most sales training ends up being the flavour of the week, and about 98% of the time, there is no follow up.

A trainer comes in, many times a non-sales person, and gives you a two day session, espousing all of the latest methods that he or she just learned. You take the program for the two days, and may even learn a few things. But, because there is no follow up, you end up using the information for a few weeks or maybe a couple of months, but you gradually slip back into your old ways.

Here are some interesting results found by CSO Insights, a US consulting and survey firm. They recently released some very interesting survey results on sales effectiveness.

CSO Insights interviewed 1,040 corporations about working with their major accounts. One of their results showed that if a company utilized a trusted account management methodology, the company’s results either noticeably or significantly improved 84.5% of the time. And yet only 33.3% of organizations utilized any form of a structured methodology. Of those that used any methodology, only 12.6% felt their methodology was optimized. They also stated that the best way to optimize any program was through an on-going coaching program.

CSO Insights had this conversation with a sales rep from one their interview companies.

Sales rep: “Yeah, that program is great. Really powerful. In fact, the only time it doesn’t work is when I don’t use it”.

CSO Insights: “That’s quite an endorsement. How often would you say you use the principles you learned in the program?”

Sales rep: “Uh, maybe half the time.”

Now please think about that for a moment. If it works every time the rep uses it, why wouldn’t the rep use it all the time? Does he/she simply not need a win every time? Very unlikely.

So you can see that by utilizing a sales program that works, you will increase your sales dramatically, if you use it all of the time. There is only one way to ensure this. You must get follow on coaching from any program you attend.

Obviously, the program and the coaching must be a program you find helpful and agree with its content. You must be able to get along with the coach, and agree that he or she can help you deliver results by ingraining the methodology into your everyday sales activities.

Generally, I do not believe your sales manger (VP) is the best person to give you this training. I like to think of the sales manager more like the captain of your team than the coach. He or she probably doesn’t have the time to coach you anyway. So, the best coach you can get is a trainer who has been in sales for a very long time, and can show you the right way, because he has been there before.

Irrespective of who coaches you, you can see that by adhering to a rigid sales process, a process that works, you will improve your sales closing rate substantially. Always be on the lookout for better ways to bring in sales, and ways that will help you build long-term and lasting relationships with your customers.

But always - look to understand before being understood.

Ian Dainty has been involved in selling and marketing for over 30 years. Ian started his business career with IBM. He has owned, grown and successfully sold two technology related businesses. Ian has trained thousands of sales, marketing and management people on strategies for opening new account, selling to small and medium sized businesses, as well as managing large Fortune 500 companies. Ian has written a book entitled 'A Blueprint for Success in Hi-Tech Sales'. Visit Ian's web site at http://www.hitechsalescoach.com/ and join his newsletter to obtain a free copy. Or you can purchase the book on its own. You can also contact Ian at ian@hitechsalescoach.com Good Selling.

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