by Scott Howard | Aug 19, 2014 | ScLoHo Sales Tips
Earlier this month I was part of a training exercise for our company that was designed by our sales consultancy. 2 days filled with role playing and other exercises to stretch us to better serve our clients.
The 27 of us were divided into 3 competing teams. Over the two days I had a love/hate relationship with our trainer.
When it was all over, I wasn’t sure what I learned. I mean after being in the marketing and advertising since I was 26, let’s say 2 decades due to time away pursuing other career interests, there isn’t much I haven’t learned, heard, or taught.
Most of this training is a refresher. A reminder. Perhaps a new structure of organization of the same basic principles, but rarely something brand new. But the following week, I realized the benefit I got from those couple of days and started putting those lessons back into daily practice.
So what is the Most Important Question that you and I need to ask?
It could be asking them about money and budgets. It could be about who makes the decisions. These were a couple that we discovered during the exercise.
But the most important question is one that you should ask every time. You should ask it after you have asked many of the other must ask questions:
What else should I know that we haven’t talked about yet?
You can adapt this to any selling Q & A, with one condition. Make sure you keep it open ended. You don’t want a yes or no answer. You want to discover what is really important and this question can open that door.
by Scott Howard | May 20, 2014 | The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
If you are not familiar with the 80/20 rule, it goes like this:
80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers.
or
80% of your business comes from 20% of your sales staff.
Go ahead and examine those figures in your business and see if it holds true.
Let’s say you have 10 sales people and 2 of them are doing all the heavy lifting, 2 are paying their own way, but the other 6 are not.
How long are you going to keep those bottom 6?
Do they truly have the potential to pay their own way and become one of your top dogs?
Are you hanging on to them because you feel you need the “feet on the street” even though they aren’t cutting it?
And why aren’t they cutting it?
Is it a lack of training? A lack of ____________ that can be fixed?
Or is it time to trim the fat and become leaner?
Before you get rid of those that are struggling due to your lack of ____________, make sure you do an honest evaluation.
Then if you need to cut them loose, do it.
It will may help you in the long run.
A company I used to work for did this a few years ago. We went from 25 to 6 on our sales staff.
The result was we reversed the 80/20 rule and then we slowly added 1 new salesperson at a time.
However over time, we noticed that the 80/20 rule had weaseled itself back into play. Again we had our top performers and then the rest.
Do you have the courage to make the hard choices?
by Scott Howard | Feb 23, 2013 | The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
From my archives, exactly 3 years ago today:
Every once in awhile, I come across a business owner and the conversation begins with this:
Me, “So, who are your customers?”
Them, “Everyone.”
To which I mutter under my breath, “Uh, Oh”.
Please, Please, Please understand that you can’t get everyone to your store, shop, or website.
And don’t fool yourself into thinking that you need to reach everyone with your marketing efforts either.
A couple of the biggest companies, Walmart & McDonalds do not do business with everyone.
When Walmart comes to a new town, the natives used to tremble in their boots, thinking they would soon be out of business because Walmart would beat them up on price.
Yes, you can get a giant jar of pickles for a couple of bucks, but not everyone cares about price over value.
And just as there are some people who never set foot in a Walmart, there are some people who have never tasted a McDonalds french fry.
Focus on what you do best.
Focus on what you can offer that others can’t or won’t.
It’s not the lowest price.
And the lowest price won’t please everybody anyway.
by Scott Howard | May 20, 2012 | The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
This is from my 2006 archives.
Still true 6 years later:
Let’s face it, there are lots of jokes about salespeople, most not very nice. Car salespeople are at the bottom of a survey done a couple years ago.
Here’s Gallup’s list, starting with the professions rated “very high” or “high” on honesty and ethical standards:
1. Nurses (79 percent)
2. Druggists, pharmacists (72 percent)
3. Military officers (72 percent)
4. Medical doctors (67 percent)
5. Police officers (60 percent)
6. Clergy (56 percent)
7. Judges (53 percent)
8. Day care providers (49 percent)
9. Bankers (36 percent)
10. Auto mechanics (26 percent)
11. Local officeholders (26 percent)
12. Nursing home operators (24 percent)
13. State officeholders (24 percent)
14. TV reporters (23 percent)
15. Newspaper reporters (21 percent)
16. Business executives (20 percent)
17. Lawyers (18 percent)
18. Congressmen (10 percent)
19. Advertising practitioners (10 percent)
20. Car salesmen (9 percent)
Yet, people buy cars every day. Even if they don’t want to be “sold”, they do want to “buy”.
Oh, and yes I noticed that my profession ranks at number 19. I’m trying to change that, 1 at a time.
Drop me a line or comment,
by Scott Howard | Mar 8, 2012 | The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
Most Stupid Offers are created by marketing and business folks who are looking at things backwards.
Mr/Ms Business owner:
If you run a sale to get rid of stuff you want to sell, for whatever reason you have, you are likely to create a Stupid Offer.
Turn it around.
Run a sale on stuff that your customers want to buy, that’s a Smart Offer.
Today in my email was a Stupid Offer from Radio Shack.
The subject line was Free Flashlight with Radio Purchase.
Two things I am not in the market to buy, but they want to either sell or get rid of.
If you’re really good at marketing, you promote your best selling items and don’t even have to create a special offer, stupid or smart.
You create a desire for people to pay a premium to buy stuff from you.
Think Apple and you’re moving in the right direction.
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