We are going to be spending time this year having a conversation about great ( and not so great ) sales cultures. I recently asked a group of colleagues and associates from my Linked-In Network and members of the ToddCohen.com sales community “When you think of sales culture, what is the first thing that comes to your mind”? The responses have been very enlightening and I want to share some of them with you now!
We have all been bombarded lately with articles in the press, on the news and over the internet concerning the decline in available talent. Most of these stories convey a similar message; “employers must learn to compete for talent in an ever shrinking pool”. Hiring Managers are beginning to feel the pinch as vacancies remain unfilled for longer periods. All too frequently that “perfect candidate” is snatched up by a competitor, leaving you frustrated and wondering why this happened yet again.
I started my career in sales, so I agree with Todd Cohen when he says that “Everyone is in Sales.” There’s not a day goes by when I don’t use my sales skills: listen to the customer, know your value proposition, meet your customer’s needs, ask for the sale. That last was the most important — if you don’t ask, you (usually) don’t get.
Do you know what your value proposition is? Do you understand what impact a well-crafted and crisply delivered value proposition can have on your pipeline? If you are not sure, let me help you understand first what a value proposition is and then how to best use the value proposition for what you are selling!
A question that I have discussed for years is whether sales people are born or made. In other words, is there such a thing as a natural born sales person? This is a term that has been bandied about for years and I think that a case can be made for both sides of the argument. I have also written in my recent whitepaper, “The Sales Success Triad”, that to be a great sales person, one needs an innate desire to sell. Is this innate desire created or natural?
Referrals are one of the most powerful lead generators in the world. We all know that referrals cost you very little and usually (if a good client has referred them) the new client is of relative good quality. Ask any business owner where the vast majority of new clients come from and they say “Word of Mouth” or “Referrals.” The $64,000 question is “what systems do you have in place to make sure the referral happens?”
When does “No” mean “No”? Is No always the end of the road for your sales campaign? When you hear “no” should you just pack up and move to the next client or prospect? In a word, the answer is…”No.”
Are you taking every opportunity to educate your clients and prospects? On the other hand, are you just selling to them? There is a significant difference between the two and it is what separates good sales professionals from the great ones. Great sales professionals not only educate but they love to do it. It raises your game and the collective reputation of the sales community when we educate as part of our core mission.
There has been widespread talk about an upcoming economic slowdown. According to informed and knowledgeable people I have been talking with, as well as reading a great deal on this, this is connected to the “credit crunch” and other global economic situations that have been in the news for months. The systemic effect of such a slowdown could cause a negative effect on clients willing to close the deal and spend money and on corporate hiring plans.
