Tip: What the Debates Have Taught Us!

The recent Presidential debate has taught us one thing regardless of where you fit in the political spectrum. I heard that the final poll from CNN (not necessarily a conservative outlet) had Romney as the clear winner 72% over Obama 20%. Like I said, you have had to be blind, literally and figuratively, to not agree with this poll.

 

I say blind for a reason. This debate taught us that body language and being prepared are very key in any type of presentation.

The President was clearly not prepared for this debate, and one could turn the sound off the television to see who was winning. The picture above was the most damaging picture of all. It looked like the President was losing, regardless of what was being said. Just trying to get through this ‘thing’ so he could do something else.

Now, to put this into a sales perspective, how many times have you looked like the guy on the right? Have you sat through meetings with bad body language, only trying to endure the pain and get out of there?

In my book, PROFITS, I spend an entire section on being prepared. It’s our responsibility to take the lead in our debates with our customers, and not show up just to get to the next meeting.

This was a quick post, but something very clear and evident. If you think you’re having lapses of ‘Obamaism’s’, you may want to give us a call at Pinnacle Sales so we can get you prepared to debate like a pro!

 

What are you looking for in a sales meeting?

What do you do after a sales meeting?

I am just coming back from a sales conference in Europe, and I find myself wondering what is really different each time I come back from a sales meeting? Sometimes I change my way of working, sometimes I don’t. What I do realize from both sides of the spectrum, as a manager it is hard to develop a good meeting, and expectations from your team are always higher than what is delivered.

 

My question in this week’s blog, is what do you believe makes a successful sales meeting? As professionals we all have certain positive aspects and certain parts of our DNA that need work on. It’s not the same with each and every one of us, which is sure. So, if you are a sales manager, how do you take all of this into consideration when you have a sales meeting? As a sales person, what are you expecting from management during these meetings and conferences?

 

My list is simple, as a sales person, I want the following:

–         Any news & information that I can use to help create a better image to my customers back in the territory

• For example, in one of my previous positions, we used to invite the operations managers from the various factories do a 30-minute presentation on what they have done to improve, and why we should be selling parts they will manufacture for us

–         Product knowledge improvements

–         Sales technique training

• From role playing to negotiations, a session should be included

–         Case studies of both big wins & big losses

• Discuss as a group what can or could have been done to avoid or repeat!

 

As a sales manager, my list is similar, but additional things

–         Create excitement

–         Get beyond the business, and try to learn more about the individual

–         Time to assess each team member

• From product knowledge to sales skills, something should be assessed at each meeting

–         Scheduled 1:1 time (if sales team is small)

–         Discuss what the company is going to do to help the sales person perform better, and why this is still the best company they should be working for and representing

–         Determine if there are similar roadblocks to sales that can be removed

–         Monitor progress on budgeting and forecasting (meeting the numbers)

 

As you can see, the lists are different, however properly defined activities can help meet the needs of a sales manager as well as the sales person. If you need help in developing a sales meeting, and a long-term plan to improve your team, give us a call at Pinnacle Sales!

 

 

Pinnacle Sales, LLC

418 Main Street, Suite 6

Belleville, MI  48111

mkole@pinnaclesales-llc.com

(734) 516-0221

 

Pinnacle Sales is an agency that offers support to clients in any part of the sales & marketing process. From planning to implementation,

business development to training.

Pinnacle Sales offer Service Above the Rest.

 

You know what you said, but do they?

The importance of clear communication!

                In a recent golf outing, I was playing some of the best golf I’ve played for quite some time. I was playing with 3 younger guys, that were actually impressed on how well I was hitting the ball in the middle of every green and putting lights out. They had played with me before, so they knew this was very out of the ordinary for me.

            I was so confident in my game, that after the first 9 holes, I made a bet with the other 3. I told them that I would play them heads up on my own, and they could use the best score of any one of the 3 of them on every hole. They knew I was playing well, but the figured this was an easy bet.

            They agreed to the friendly bet, and we proceeded to the 10^th hole. On the way, I said “guys, I only ask for one condition”, here it is they thought to themselves, “on every hole, I am allowed to improve my lie”.

            “How much do you want to move your ball” asked one of the youngsters?

            “I promised not to move my ball more than 12 inches in any direction”, I responded.

            So, we tee off, and go thru the first hole. My good fortune on the course was definitely changing. I put one in the woods, and was short of the green in two, chipped long and 2 putted to finish up. The threesome I was playing against earned a nice par, and I wrote down a 4 for them, and stated, “give me a 4 on that one too”. They looked at me suspiciously, but they figured it was just a gentleman’s bet, so they wrote down a 4 for me.

            On the way to the 11^th hole, I said … “wait a minute give me 3 on that last hole, not a 4”. This, they didn’t go for at all.

            “Wait a minute” one of the guys said, “there is no way that you got a 3 on that hole”.

            “No, you’re right” I responded “but if you remember, the bet was I could improve my lie on every hole. I obviously lied about the 4, so I choose now to improve that lie, and make it a 3”.

            Make sure you know what you’re getting into. Clear communication is very important, and just because you think everyone is completely in agreement, a simple homonym can cost you a simple bet on the golf course, or an entire clause of a contract.

            I would love to take credit for this story, but it’s one of the many Zig Zigler stories that he is so famous for.

            If you are having a tough time communicating or getting caught up with semantics, give us a call at Pinnacle Sales! We can help you from preparing to presenting your thoughts in a clear manner.

Pinnacle Sales, LLC

418 Main Street, Suite 6

Belleville, MI  48111

(734) 516-0221

www.pinnaclesales-llc.com

mkole@pinnaclesales-llc.com

Communication – Don’t Overkill!



Don’t say in blah, blah, blah … what you can say in blah!

A good friend of mine gave me this line when we were reviewing an upcoming presentation we were going to make. We had an hour to give the presentation, so I laid out almost an hour of presentation materials, data, slides, and all the bells and whistles. Talk about overkill!

He reviewed the first draft, and stated it … “Mike you have WAY TOO MUCH in this presentation, how many times do you want to tell him the same thing? Don’t say in blah, blah, what you can say in blah!”

He proceeded to edit the presentation and took out nearly 2/3^rd’s of it, and we went to the appointment with a solid 20-minute slide show.

I recently had a home improvement sales person at the house, and he was very good. We got beyond the ‘selling’ process, and while he was writing up the contract we were just chatting. He noticed a copy of my book on the coffee table, and started paging through it. Of course, he took the opportunity for some free coaching and advice and asked what I thought of his presentation. I gave him 8 out of 10, and he argued that because I bought the product, he should be getting a higher rating. I told him the sale was over an hour ago, it just took him the extra time to realize it. He had missed a lot of cues I had given, but I was okay with it, and my general criticism of him was the above – keep it simple, don’t overstate, don’t over talk your position, and don’t say it too many times. If I had been an impatient buyer, he might have lost the sale, thankfully for his commission I wasn’t.

As sales people we have to communicate clearly, and make sure we are being thorough without inundating the buyer with too much information. The key to this is to build in questions in you sales presentation to ensure that

1)                         The customer can hear their own voice once in a while (the sweetest sound for anyone, is the sound of their own voice)

2)                         That you can get a feedback to see if the customer has grasped the concept, and if it’s time to move on.

 

It’s communication 101 to make sure there is a feedback system so we can gauge if the other party understands and comprehends what we are saying. A good sales person is not one that can talk a lot, but one that can listen and understand what else needs to be said, or when enough has been said.

Pinnacle Sales offers coaching in these types of topics, which best work in a one on one environment with your sales team. There is no ‘canned’ approach that can fit 100% of your team, so think about having some good quality coaching on presentation and listening skills.

 

 

Pinnacle Sales, LLC

418 Main Street, Suite 6

Belleville, MI  48111

(734) 516-0221

mkole@pinnaclesales-llc.com

 

For a reference on Pinnacle Sales, check out the publication:

PROFITS, Your Seven Letters to Success … available at amazon.com and several other online retailers.