It's a smart numbers game out there
Here is a memo sent by iXL Vice President of Sales Bill Whitley to his sales team. It speaks for itself:
As your VP of sales, I am excited about the opportunity to focus 100% of my time selling. I believe we have everything we need to "kick butt" in our region a broad range of high-quality services, strategic Internet marketing, access to capital, strong management, awesome presentation tools, and happy clients you name it we got it. And if there is anything else that you think we need to be successful that we don't have, I would like to know about it immediately. Best of all, representing all this opportunity is one of the finest sales teams I have ever been associated with. Each of you was handpicked because of your background, drive and proven track record.
As your sales manager, I think it is important to let you know what I believe in and expect from every member of the team. First you need to know that we will make our numbers this year, no matter how hard we have to work to do it. If it takes working 18 hours a day, so be it. If anyone is not committed to doing whatever it takes to make the numbers, now would be a good time to start looking for another job. With that said, here are some general laws of selling that I have found to work for me:
It's a not a numbers game. It's a smart numbers game. My experience is that for every five qualified proposals you submit, one will close, three will delay and one will choose another option. The moral of the story is, if you want to close one deal a month you better have five active proposals.
Enthusiasm is contagious. Give it to someone. Customers want to go with a winner. Your excitement about your company and the services is more powerful than anything you say to the customer. If you're not already excited about what you do, find something to get excited about. Then radiate your excitement when you're around customers and prospects.
People buy from people they like. Nothing is more powerful than building rapport with a client. When I walk in to meet a prospect for the first time, I often say to myself, "I am going to make them like me." Do whatever works for you, but make sure they like you.
Do brainwork, not hard work. If you're going to chase accounts, make them big ones. Don't waste time on small customers that can't afford to buy what you sell.
Study ancient history learn how to use leverage. Egyptians had to move five-ton rocks without trucks or cranes. They used leverage. I want you to leverage your brain and contact power. I guarantee that someone here or someone in your network knows someone or something at the prospect's company you are trying to sell or get into. Ask around, use the Web, call the prospect's sales department.
Think about closing the sale all the time. If you don't know you are going to get the business, you are not going to get the business. Customers like to buy from people who believe in their product and are willing to ask for the order.
People sense when you have their best interests at heart. Make yourself a valuable member of your client's team by consistently putting your client's interest first and recommending valuable solutions.
Use the contact management database. It's your best friend and it never forgets what you committed to do or when you're supposed to do it.
Practice your pitch. Watch other coworkers pitch. Rip off the parts that work best for you and then customize it to make it yours.
If you want to be successful, study success. Buy the books, listen to the tapes invest in yourself. It's the best investment you will ever make.
Listen aggressively and always take notes. Don't just sit there and nod your head, write it down. A prospect should only have to tell me about their business, their concerns and their goals once.
If you find out the real reason that your prospect wants to buy, you can make the sale. This is "lucky" because the smarter you become about the prospect and his real reason to buy, the luckier you'll get at making more sales, and vice versa. Charles Revson said, "in the factory we make makeup, but in the department stores, we sell hope." It's called the unique selling proposition (USP). Know yours before you say a word.
Bill Whitley is an example to follow. Bill Whitley's not just a great sales manager, he's a great salesman.
Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached at salesman@gitomer.com (mailto:salesman@gitomer.com)
