You work to build relationship’s with you customers, solving their problems, listening and understanding their business pains. As a professional sales executive this is your job. Until your customers trust and believe in you, you will not succeed, bring the value. Your company will rank you on revenue attainment as a primary measure of performance, in most cases, but you need to understand the reality. Provide your customer with the facts, enable them to make an educated purchase, remember how you make purchases, and the research you do. Whether you selling point products or enterprise wide solutions time is of the essence. It’s a delicate balance between your sales forecast and your customer’s best interest. Ultimately the customer comes first.
Category Archives: Ethics
Sales Around the World
I recently participated in a week long international training program. As part of the group there was a mix of people from several countries and job roles. Thankfully the language of the day defaulted to English. I often reflect on how the sales process is just about bringing value and building trust. As the week progressed colleagues (but still strangers) worked on projects for the class. We traded stories and learned about each other as ventured to solve the project challenge of the day. We slowly found commonality and friendship. I hope to think that the sales process follows a similar course, no matter what language you speak.
Filed under Best Practices, Business, Ethics, Persistence, Quality, Sales, Uncategorized, Value
Promises Kept – Creating Good Surveys
How do you know your product, your program or your service is delivering on the promises you made to your customers? Your sales people say the offering is great, your literature enforces that message and your customer buys, however, what about buyer’s remorse, or the following days, weeks, months and years; are your customer’s still happy about the promise made?
One way to find the answer to these questions is to create a “good” survey; by the way, the other is to pick up the phone or to visit in person and ask.
This short article provides 10 good keys guaranteed to deliver a really good survey.
- Develop a set of objectives – “what do you want to know”. So, many organizations and people skip this step. They immediately jump in and begin to consider the questions they want to ask.
- Clearly state the intentions of the survey. It is important to communicate the intentions of the survey to both those taking the survey and to those asking to have the survey created.
- Present surveys in an organized layout, include instructions and keep it short. Layout, layout, layout, we, the human race, think visually first! So, be sure the layout is inviting. (Right-side of the brain thing)
- Structure survey based on the information you are looking to capture. Order and/or group the questions. If you took care of the layout, then this addresses the left side of the brain.
- Use different question types (“fixed responses” and “open”). Mix it up. You know, as a consumer of digital information we have a very short intention span.
- Ask one question at a time (no “double” questions). Be precise with your questions.
- Don’t ask for personal information. This is off limits on many levels.
- Do not bias your questions. Do you really want to know what your customers are thinking; then be sure to objectively present your questions.
- Ask questions that can be answered. Remember K.I.S.S.?
- Before using survey review against your objectives and test. Now, before you hit the publish or print button – review!
Follow these steps and you WILL have a good survey. Good luck on finding out if your customers think you kept your promises.
Filed under Best Practices, Business, Ethics, Marketing, Persistence, Quality, ROI, Sales, Uncategorized, Value
It’s not over till it’s over.
How many times have you seen the 2 outs in the 9th scenario. Your team is down by 3 runs. How can they win, but they do. The same thing can happen in sales. You’re in a head to head competition for a customer’s business and your competition is chosen. Do you follow up with the customer and wish them luck and express gratitude for having met them or just walk away? Don’t forget your competition still needs to deliver. I’ve seen it several times. In their all out effort to win the deal your competition promises something they can’t deliver. Make sure you’ve followed up and maintain a good relationship with the customer. There’s still a chance they may come back to you. It’s not over till it’s over.
Filed under Best Practices, Business, Ethics, Persistence, Sales
Good Salespeople Never Give Up
Non-Salespeople always ask me when do you give up and stop making calls? They stop after leaving 2-3 messages. They don’t want to appear to be over aggressive or annoying. The traits that most C-Level executives look for in there own salespeople is tenacity. Although most will do whatever it takes to avoid salespeople from other companies. Ultimately as long as you are polite and professional you have the green light to keep calling. Executives are very busy and have full schedules. Most will applaude your persistance when you finally do make contact. Just make sure you have a valuable message/solution for them.
Filed under Best Practices, Business, Ethics, Persistence, Sales, Uncategorized
Share the Credit
Most Sales Executives know that some deals they’ve closed, couldn’t
of happened without the aid of their colleagues. Although some will
never admit it. Good Sales Engineers, Solution Architects, Engagement
Managers, Telesales and Admin’s are worth their weight in gold. Give them credit for making you look good and helping deliver on a promise.
Filed under Best Practices, Business, Ethics, Sales
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