In the context of selling, to me “Engagement” means to connect with customers.  To establish a relationship with the customer and agree to various next steps toward mutually agreeable goals.

There is plenty of wisdom and advice out there about the three main segments in the life of an engagement with a customer:  Targeting and making contact to get engaged; deepening the engagement, establishing trust, agreeing to mutual goals, etc.; maintaining the engagement or nurturing the relationship after the “sale”.

Much technology has been introduced in recent years to make the “getting engaged” stage more efficient.  “Attraction marketing”, web search optimization, etc.  Today a smart organization can structure things such that the sales person’s first one to one contact with a prospect comes only when the prospect is ready to get engaged and after they’ve proven themselves “worthy”, in the sense that they’re “qualified”.

Of course, a smart sales organization can also employ social networks to get connected with hard to reach prospects and to perform pre-call research on prospects.  Again, the idea is that when you first get on the phone with the prospect, you know very much about them at a business and personal level.  Ultra-busy executives expect sales people to have already figured out what their company needs from them and why before there’s ever a meeting.  When I was still wet behind the ears and plying my trade in the energy business, I’d spend weeks and weeks talking to engineers, geologists and mid level managers to get the entire picture before meeting with the VP.  Now making all those connections and putting the big picture together takes far less time.

And then we can leverage email marketing, newsletters, online events, etc. to maintain engagement with customers after the sale.

But in my humble opinion, while all this technology can certainly save time and increase “connections”, it will just lead to more “pseudo-relationships” if the sales person does not then take advantage of the opportunity to REALLY engage with the customer.  In other words, we’re using our web based crm software, LinkedIn connections, website offers and conversion forms and other technology to filter through many possible prospects and find the few that are a good match for our companies.  That’s keeping us separated from one to one contact with customers (phone, in person) until we’re confident our investment of one to one time will be profitable.

So, when that phone appointment or in person meeting comes around, we have to work even harder to truly connect with the prospect.  Just having done your research ahead of time isn’t enough either.  After all, that’s expected.  You won’t be seen as unique or special just because you know what you’re talking about.

The word engagement is more commonly used to refer to a commitment marry.  Well, short of a love relationship, we do desire a very close relationship with our customers don’t we?  Don’t worry, this isn’t going to get weird…

I’m just pointing out that the most loyal customers are those that respect you and your company and have a high level of trust in you.  These are things that no amount of technology can create by themselves.

I’m a big fan of the Og Mandino classic, “The Greatest Salesman in the World“.  If you haven’t read it, you’ll be glad you did.  It’s more of a story than a self help book and it’s very brief.  Two qualities I admire in a book!  The theme of The Greatest Salesman in the World is that the person who puts the needs of others before his own will in turn see his needs and dreams fulfilled beyond his wildest dreams.

And that is how I believe you get engaged with customers and stay that way.  You show up ready to help them.  Of course, you should be ready to help through your company’s products and services but, you should be equally, and perhaps a bit more-so, willing to help in non-business related ways.

First, you have to listen and learn what they need.  This is where your research and preparation can help.  Not everyone is willing to open up and share their most painful and pressing needs on the first meeting.  Smart questions based on your research can earn respect and your willingness to listen and show empathy will earn trust.

Then its about closing the deal on respect.  If your conversation has illuminated some what that you can help, then offer it and be sure to over deliver.  This is where it really can be best to find non-business needs of the prospect.  Are they chairing a fund raiser?  You could offer money but, even better to volunteer to help out with the preparations or the event itself.  Is their kid starting to investigate colleges?  Offer to contact your alma mater and arrange a personal tour.

This may sound calculating and certainly could become so.  The real idea is to open your mind and your heart to hearing what each person really wants and needs.  The right way to be there for them will appear.  You’ll know if you’re doing it right.  Just like you know in your first couple of dates if this could be “the one”.  You’ll know that the feeling of genuineness between you is real and that it is invaluable and everlasting.

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In the marketplace, most salespersons have heard the plethora of sales metaphors. For example many years ago, I heard someone make this statement about my father:  “Hoagy could sell ice to an Eskimo.” Being under the age of 6, my concrete brain could not figure out this conceptual sales metaphor about why an Eskimo would [...]

Do you find yourself giving 40% discounts in the second week of March, in July? if the answer is yes, then it is time to succumb to the current economic state and surrender. If not, what are you doing to keep sales alive?

If it is too late and you are forced to drop price to adjust for a faulty sales process and sales plan, then it is time to retool. To succeed this year and the next, things are going to have to change. The problems many face financially will tempt us to enlist in price gouging as a means to maintaining sales, but it is the worst procedure in any process. The budgeting process most executives will instruct their employees to undertake this year will not involve getting finding products on the cheap. The buying process that wise executives will enlist their subordinates in during this year will not change. They will look for solutions to problems and ways to improve the bottom line.

This  is the time to look at how you present your value. If the company you are working for does not have a strong story board for you to follow, if they focus on features, functions, and price, then it is time to take matters into your own hands. Call some of those customers you sold to last year and get  some referencable quotes. Write some great copy that talks about results. If you are not a great writer, talk to the wordsmiths in your company and have them help.

The simple fact is that for the rest of 2009, more than ever in the history in sales, the most compelling story wins. You will have to back it up with facts and customer experiences, but if you cannot start the telling and get people drawn in, you will be part of the bad news.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Sales Process Model

During the late 90s and early 00s I made my living improving sales processes. I lived and breathed process maps, metrics, re-engineering workshops and implementation plans.

So what I’m going to say may sound a little sacreligious – but over the years I’ve come to believe that sales processes just aren’t that important.

Now don’t get me wrong, they’re not unimportant. Qualification helps you focus your resources and time on your highest priorities. Good forecasting keeps your investors happy and helps you know when you need to take action to remedy problems. Review processes give managers a forum to coach and improve the skillss of their team. And for new salespeople, a solid process can help guide them throught the basics of making a sale before the key stages become embedded in their brains.

But at best, achieving excellence in sales processes will make you efficient. It will make sure you don’t waste time & resources, that you don’t bog down your sales team in admin, and that you get useful information to track progress and to manage the team.

But what will really drive up your sales? It’s the actions your salespeople take when directly interacting with your customers. It’s their skills, their technique, and most importantly, their mindset during those interactions. Give me a genuine and skillful salesperson over an excellent sales process anyday.

So for almost any company, given a choice of where to invest management time or resources for improvement: invest them in improving the capabilities of your team rather than in sales processes.

Popularity: 9% [?]

“How do you make an orange?”

When I ask business owners and groups of sales professionals that question, I get a lot of different responses (as well as the occasional mystified look):

“I buy them at the store.”

“I pick them off a tree.”

“I start with a seed.”

“So what you’re telling me,” I reply, “is that you have no idea how to make an orange.”  After a few nervous glances around the room, everyone usually admits that, in fact, they do not.  I’m sure you feel the same, but don’t worry: neither does anyone else.  Even an orange farmer will tell you that all he can do is plant the seed and water the tree, then step back and let nature take its course.  That’s a bit of an oversimplification, obviously, but you get the point.  Unless you have access to a genetics lab and several million dollars, making oranges is impossible; all you can do is initiate and support the process that enables oranges to grow.

The same is true of sales: a sale (a new contract, client or other piece of business) is the result, the fruit, of a process.  And, as with oranges, you can’t make the sale happen; all you can do is initiate and manage the process.  That may be a little different from what you’re used to hearing from your sales manager.  After all, the majority of sales managers and executives are concerned with only one thing: trying to make the sale happen. They talk about “closing the sale”, “getting the yes” and “making the deal”.  Those are all different ways of implying that you can somehow learn the magical art of making oranges.

I’d like to challenge you stop trying to make oranges.  You can’t do it, but don’t feel bad: neither can your manager.  I want you to shift your focus, instead, to the science of planting seeds and watering trees and let the oranges, the sales, come as a result of a well-managed process.  What is the process?

First, you have to plant seeds.  If you want to harvest a good crop, you have to be careful about how you do this.  You need the right kind of soil, and you have to give attention to planting in a location that will get the right amount of sunlight.  The same is true with selling.  You want to be careful about how you plant your seeds through your prospecting efforts.  Make sure that you are prospecting in the right places and in front of the right people.  Just casting your seeds far and wide is wasteful; focus your efforts on your target market and watch your results soar.  Take your cue from the orange farmer: the planting phase is well-thought out and highly organized.  Your efforts to plant seeds should be, as well.

Second, you must water the tree!  This is really where you have the most control over the outcome of your harvest.  Again, you have to understand what the right amount of water is for the kind of crop you want to see grow: too little water is not good, but neither is too much.  You want to find the “just right” level of watering and stick with it.  The same is true of your prospects: too little follow up isn’t good, but neither is too much.  You have to find the “just right” combination of amount and content of follow up and stick with it.  Take your cue from your prospects on this one; if you have a properly developed sense of awareness, you should be able to sense when a prospect is feeling either neglected or smothered.

This phase of the process is where you begin to develop a relationship with your prospects.  You do this by asking the right questions, questions that not only help you identify the needs of your prospect but that begin to build rapport between the two of you.  This rapport building is essential to the success of your process; without it, the likelihood of your gaining a customer is significantly diminished.  This is also where you will be presenting solutions that meet the needs of the prospect and doing so in a way that makes sense to their particular way of processing information and making decisions.  Properly executed, these two steps, coupled with carefully planned prospecting will almost always lead to a bumper crop of sales.

All of which brings us, logically, to the next step in the process: your harvest, the legendary “closing of the deal”.  First of all, I prefer to think of this as conversion, not closing.  “Closing” carries a note of finality that is inappropriate to most selling situations; what you are actually doing is converting a prospect into a client, and hopefully one that will buy from you (and refer other business to you) for years to come.

After all the work you’ve put into the process, this should actually be the easiest step, much like picking a ripe orange from a healthy tree.  You simply ask the prospect, “Does this make sense to you?”  If you’ve followed the process correctly, the answer will almost always be “Yes.”  At this point, all that remains to be done is the paperwork…after which you can enjoy a well-deserved taste of all those oranges!

Happy selling!

By Jerry Kennedy

Inside Out Business Solutions

Check out my Motivation 101 blog!

I also have a fantastic Motivational Audio Program.

Popularity: 13% [?]

We are surrounded by processes everyday. When you get up out of bed you are going through the process of waking up, the everyday process of breathing is a set of organic processes, when you turn the ignition key of a car you are starting a very complicated process of mechanics a by-product of which is energy and motion. Whether a mechanical or organic process the same things are present, the process is reliant on a series of events and actions to happen each of which is reliant upon the previous event successfully completing.

In the business sense, the sales process is a series of events that a company has to go through in order to successfully sell that product. The sales process isn’t, or shouldn’t, be the sole concern of the sales department, nor should it be up to individual sales people to fathom or discover. In essence, the sales process should be the focus of every department in any company where sales drives the business (and let us face it, which business isn’t?). The overall sales process as an entity separate to other functions within the business is like trying to understand how the lungs work without knowing how blood circulation works. An understanding of any part of a process on it’s own is of limited benefit. The same can be said for sales, how can you know the process of selling a product without understanding the market audience or how the product is made or serviced.

But hang on a minute, I’m a salesman, it isn’t my job to do the marketing or to implement the product I’m selling or to profile the ideal client. That is someone else’s job. Well, as a process statement this is entirely the wrong attitude. When you drive your car, you expect every mechanical part to work in harmony with its corresponding parts; if one part doesn’t work it usually affects the effectiveness of the overall machine. The sales process is similar, to gauge effectiveness one needs to see the overall picture from concept to finish, which means mapping out from the very initial product design process, manufacturing process, marketing process, selling process, delivery and implementation process and service process. Depending on the complexities of the company, product offerings, customers etc. there can be a myriad of different processes within processes. This is where the importance of mapping comes into its own. Many companies, I’m constantly surprised to find out, don’t or haven’t mapped their process, rather leaving the company to sell through an evolutionary process of learning.

Diagnostically mapping out a sales process is the same as learning how an engine works. Unless you know what part of your process isn’t working how do you know what to fix? I for one don’t know how my car works, so I don’t have the power to fix it if goes wrong. The same is true for sales.

If a salesman can’t sell a product, then they may be blamed for not having the right skills. If the sales process is mapped and historical information is gathered monitoring sales process effectiveness, then you can find out a lot more…perhaps that it isn’t the salesman’s fault for not selling the product but that the wrong product is being sold to the wrong audience.

Popularity: 9% [?]

In Sales, process is everything. By nature I am not a process-oriented guy, I am more of the fly by the seat of my pants gut-reaction type. However, not everyone works well like this (including me). I learned early in my sales career that processes, as much as I hate to admit it, are vital. They work as a road map to help us get to where we need to go. Having a process gives us the ability to look for areas of improvement and fix them. Sounds obvious, right? Not always.

The first key is to remember that in sales your process is dynamic and not scripted. For example, let’s look at golfing. You will swing the same way every time and get better and better at that swing. However, as you golf you will encounter different variables along the way. You wouldn’t use a putter for a long drive would you? No, and you wouldn’t grab your nine iron and whack away either, you would carefully select the correct club and then just like you practiced execute the perfect swing. You need to be willing to redefine the process as you move along. You need to learn to continuously develop your process along the way.

The first step to developing your process is to sit down and break your big process into steps and then break those steps into smaller steps.

A telemarketing process for technology education it would look something like this:

Rapport: To lay ground work for harder questions later.

Admissibility: Is this person illegible to go to school with us? (Why waste time?)

Motivation: Why does this person need this product?

Payment: How are they planning on paying for school? (Ignore this and people who are not sure are likely to no-show) Payment is NOT price.

Start Date: Build a sense of urgency and suggest next possible start date.

Set appointment That’s what we are calling for right?

Referral: Who would they like to have in class with them?

The process of doing this is the same in any industry, and could just as easily be done face to face with slight modification…  90% of the sales training with my team is how to navigate this system.

The advantage as a manager to this is it makes it much easier to coach because I can easily see where the issues are in your efforts, and we can train and role play around specific parts of the call instead of saying “I need to work on my telemarketing skills”. Moreover, they make it easy to track and measure metrics and identify trends and opportunities for improvement. If you are just out “winging it”, it is very hard to identify potential issues because no two calls are ever the same.

So even though I am not a process guy by nature, I still recognize that processes are vital to any sales organization. They help us to stay focused and on track, and they help us improve.

To implement:

Do you have a set process you take clients through or do you just go with the flow?

What are the steps involved in moving someone from prospect to client in your organization?

Can any of those steps be broken down into smaller steps?

Are there metrics you can watch to make sure your process is efficient?

If you have a process when was the last time you reviewed it? Is it getting stale?

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Have you ever tried to implement a new sales process with prospective customers in your sales career? If you have ever sold for a living, you have. You have to start somewhere, right?

Whether you were just a new salesperson or were just trained on a new way of selling, we all take a first step in new way of selling in our sales careers. Any sales trainer worth his salt, however, will tell you that it takes time before your new way of selling will become effective. It is quite normal for your sales productivity to actually dip as you begin implementing your new sales process. At some point, you will be tempted to go back to your old way of selling.

If we know in our heart that we are working with a new sales process which is better, why is it that our sales take a short-term hit? The answer is quite simple. Even though your new system is superior, you end up presenting it as a “Mr. Roboto”. When we come across as robotic, awkward, or unnatural, we present an image in which we are seen as incompetent. Some people deal with change better with others, but all of us will face a struggle on some level when learning something new.

Should you give up? If your sales dip, it is natural to move away from a new sales process and return to your old ways. In most cases, this is what most salespeople will actually do. I would also remind you, however, that most salespeople are not ultra-successful.

As an infant or young toddler, there was a point when crawling was more productive than walking. There was a time when you could write faster than you could type on a computer. There was a time when the fear of rejection kept you from approaching someone of the opposite sex. You overcame all of these obstacles, along with many others. You did so because you knew there was something better on the other side.

You have to look at selling in the same manner. This profession can be tough as hell – make no mistake about it. But if you continue to learn, be patient, and not give up, you will find greener pastures on the other side. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time when you are implementing a new sales process. Your paycheck will thank you for it someday.

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A lot of sales people and organizations talk about a sales process, but many really don’t get it, and as a result end up doing more harm than good through the motion of implementing one.

A good sales process is a series of logical steps, executed in sequential order that help the buyer and seller go from point A – current state to point B – desired state.  Each step of the process needs to have specific attributes, specific actions tied to specific objective, with clear measures and rules for advancement to the next stage.  I guess you can say it is a discipline, and I guess you can say that discipline is the key reason why implementation is difficult.

Study after survey shows that the number one concern for sales and corporate leaders is the lack of a clearly defined sales process, or adherence to it by their sales teams.  My experience has taught me that the lack of adherence is to some degree a lack of understanding of the function and benefit of having and executing a sales process, but more frequently the lack of discipline needed and involved in consistently executing it and well.  Putting in terms many in sales can relate to, it is one thing to be able to swing a golf club, it is entirely different to do it well consistently, from how you address the ball to the follow through.

There are a number of reasons for this, I’ll touch on a couple.  One thing is that it takes time not only to develop the right process for your type of sale or product, but to then translate it in a way that can be transferred clearly to others.  Again, the key phrase “clearly defined sales process”, which is different than something that loosely fits the definition or just looks like a sales process.  I was once interviewing a VP of Sales at a prominent information provider, and I asked him if they had a clearly defined process that their teams can follow and execute?  He responded “Sure, we use Salesforce.com!”  Don’t get me wrong, I think Salesforce.com is a great tools, but it is not a process, it took me several meetings to get this VP to see the difference and the complementary nature of the two, I showed him several different sales processes our clients have integrated into SF.com, but the tool is not the process.  In fact one the common set back for sales organizations is when they roll out an application, CRM, in the hope of dealing with the problems a lack of process had brought on, only to discover that their issues due to a lack of process have now been automated but not eliminated.

Without a process things like forecasting, resource allocation and other critical things are always out of alignment.  A sales process allows an objective approach to a an area usually over run and mired down in subjectivity.  The A types always forecast from the gut and ego, and everything “gonna close boss, I got it under control” to the conservative rep who looks at the same scenario and forecasts it at 10% till the contract is signed.  Having clearly defined steps, attributes, actions and rule for moving from one stage to the next, with predetermined probabilities, removes this tribal dance and allows you to focus on the one important thing, what do you have to do to move or close this thing and when will that happen; no stories no lies.

Once you can do that you can evolve to where probabilities can be eliminated, and forecasts are based on the state of things as they are not a finger in the air.  I have worked with one organization in the States, that had such a tight t discipline that they had no weightings in their forecasts, everything was based on actions completed and time frames.  Sort of like Zen and the Art of Forecasting.

The lack of discipline comes from two factors.  First is a lack of accountability, not just from the front line, but management.  After all, good sales people are like the “last cowboys” the “real entrepreneurs”, managing them is like “herding cats”.  Some managers are reluctant to enforce a process for fear of offending their stars or pressuring some of their weaker reps, “who are nice guys, you know”.  Bullshit.  Would Phil Jackson tolerate that from Bryant or anyone else that wasn’t following the plan?  The opposite is true, when you have a clearly defined non-negotiable sales process, all the reps do better, and if a super star doesn’t want to line up trade him, because all it takes is one to buck the process and the other will follow.

The second reason is that most organizations tend to promote from within, “hey Johnny, you’re a great salesmen, let’s ruin your life and make you a manager” (See Sales Management: Reward or Punishment?).  With that they ensure another generation of people who have not been trained to adhere to or manage a process.  I would argue that successful managers manage the process not individuals, no process, and the whole thing falls apart.

To the defence of the sales organizations out there, they often do not get much help or support from other parts of their company.  They are allow if not encouraged to just go out there and drive revenue.  Other departments in the same company would not be allowed to function without a process, there would certainly be some intervention, or a large engagement by a consulting firm to ensure everything was document, and just right.  Not so for sales, big consultancies, comment, but they rarely deal with or help in the development or implementation of a process, but they do for procurement or logistics or other groups in the company.

That’s my rant, according to my process, I must wrap up now, but in closing I will say that most sales people and managers are intelligent and want to succeed, and once they are shown a proper process, and its positive impact on their income vis-à-vis the effort involved, they do make an effort to get on board.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Many of the corporate clients I work with have a sales process in place with their sales representatives, but the process doesn’t necessarily get them to where they want to go. In many cases, these processes have been in place for years, and either haven’t been managed well enough, or tweaked sufficiently, to maximize results. In some cases, the existing sales process is ill-conceived and should be scrapped.

Virtually every corporate client I’ve ever worked for has known where they want to go…but their challenge is getting there.

Some of the individuals I work with as a sales coach often haven’t effectively segmentized their sales interactions into manageable pieces, or steps. Some view a sales interaction as a casual conversation between two people, similar to the type of conversation you might have with a new friend in a pub. Some view the sales interaction as an opportunity to present their own thirty minute infomercial. But selling is more than casual conversation and infomercial-like presentations.

Processes: Part of Everyday Life

Successfully building a home requires a reliable process. So does going on vacation, making dinner, and having a baby.

An individual I once met had acted as contractor when he built home. He did much of the work himself. In a daze of tiredness and less-than-clear thinking, he attached drywall to the framing of his home. Suddenly, he realized that the home hadn’t completed the wiring phase of construction. This is incredible, but true. This guy used a process, but he didn’t use the right process to get the end result he was looking for. He had to remove the drywall so the wiring could be completed and the inspector could do his inspection.

In cooking, making a roux with butter and flour and then gradually adding liquid (chicken stock, cream, or whatever) will yield a smooth and silky liquid which can be used as the base for a soup or sauce. But if you were to add the liquid to the butter first, and then add the flour, you’ll end up with a goopy, lumpy mess that wouldn’t be fit for human consumption. Order matters, and the correct steps matter if you want the result to be a delicious dish.

I have an eight-year-old daughter who I love very much. But she only came to be because my wife and I followed a time-tested and proven process for having a baby. This is amazing, since, despite otherwise stellar academic records in college and graduate school, both my wife and I received a grade of “D” in Human Sexuality class in college (two different schools at two different times – clearly, we were meant for each other).

Thank God we figured out the correct process to get the job done.

Selling also requires a correct process to get the job done.

The Secret to a Successful Sales Process

So what makes a sales process a successful sales process? It creates sales momentum.

Each step in your selling process must create sales momentum which will in turn propel your prospect into the next step of the process. Without the presence of this momentum, sales will suffer, prospects will lose interest or get distracted, and maximum sales performance will never be the order of the day.

A Process that Didn’t Work

I invited a company to my home a number of years ago to give me an estimate on a custom in-home product. The sales call lasted two hours, and the first forty-five minutes of the sales call was a presentation of their product with the underlying message of “we’re the best…we know what we’re doing…we have a product you’ll love.”

The problem was this: this process didn’t propel me into the next step of the process, which was designing this custom product to fit my needs. When you’re caught up in nuts and bolts instead of needs and desires, you may be propelling your prospect into the “If it’s so good, perhaps I can’t afford it” mindset. This is the antithesis of sales momentum.

First, the salesperson didn’t show any interest in me, my home, or my needs. He only showed an interest in his product. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to create sales momentum without interest in your prospect.

Secondly, their order was wrong. They thought I wanted to learn about their product. I didn’t. [I would argue that, although many prospects think that’s what they want, they really don’t. They want their needs met.]

Does Your Process Work for You?

Analyze your selling process to see if your prospects are comfortably catapulted into the next step of your process. If they are, you’ve probably got a viable sales process in place. But if the prospect too often backs out, your process might need some re-engineering.

Popularity: 8% [?]