Talking versus Listening

Have you ever thought about whether you are a good listener?  Since strong working relationships are based on an exchange of information, listening skills are as vital as your ability to sell (“tell”) your solution or product.  There have been plenty of advice articles written about talking versus listening and they make some excellent points but are you doing a good job becoming a better listener? The fact that you have two ears and only one mouth should offer guidance towards the appropriate balance of talking and listening.    

I want you to try something for a couple of weeks.  Next time you meet with someone that is new, whether its work or social related, do a post evaluation about your listening skills.  Ask yourself how much you learned about the other person versus how much they learned about you.  It will make you think about how your conversation went and will help guide you toward the best balance.  

For example, when I have done my own internal evaluation, I realized I have learned so much about them as where they grew up, went to school, activities they like, if they have children, what do they like to do with their free time, etc.  Obviously, a conversation at a party is different than at a sales appointment but it gives you an idea as to what I am talking about.  

All of us want to work and socialize with people who make us feel good and important.   When you focus on your client, you may find you have gained more than a sale.  

Giving Back and A Challenge

Over the years, I have had many outstanding teachers as we all have.  Each of us has had some that were very memorable and truly had an incredible influence on developing our interest in learning.  One way I have decided to give back is to reach out to the schools and help where I can.  

Recently, I conducted an assembly for my largest audience ever: 140- 150 elementary school students.  I presented fiber optics covering how it works, some of the history, how it is pulled through the ocean and some of the history of wireless and telecommunications.  For example, did you know that the first communication via a trans-Atlantic cable was occurred in 1858 from Canada to Ireland?  How about the first wireless call between two buildings?  Any guesses?  Here are some of the pictures from this very special event.  

My challenge to you is this.  Please get involved with your local school and see what you can do to help.  Teachers work so hard and it is not easy.  Each of us has some talent that can be shared.  Now do it, and by the way, the wireless call took place in 1880.  

Blah Blah Blah

Blah, Blah, Blah……. Are your employees listening?  Have they tuned you out? Do you think your sales team “just doesn’t get it”?  You and your company will be much more successful if everyone is operating on the same page.

Let me give you a good example.  Almost ten years ago, Brian Billick was the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.  The Ravens were fairly new to the NFL and under Brian they achieved the ultimate goal – winning the Super Bowl.  After a team wins, with the salary cap etc., there is an opportunity for players to cash in with other teams and that certainly happened.  The Ravens struggled for the next several years and it became time to make a decision on Brian’s future.  Part of the decision to fire him was based on the message he was delivering.  It was old and stale and a new message would provide the team with the motivation to get going again.  

Jonathan Ogden, the Ravens Hall of Famer at left tackle summed it up nicely by saying "Sometimes the message can get repetitive after a while."  

Now that a new year has begun, everyone is excited and anxious to get off to a good start.  Your team is looking for motivation and new ways to get out there and close business.  You should take advantage of your employee’s enthusiasm.

Now, your employees are very receptive for new ways to get re-energized.  The top performers, on their own, will search out groups they can join, coaching programs, podcasts, etc. to help give them the edge they need.  Others want to improve their talent and aspire for excellence and want to take advantage of training opportunities provided by their company but are willing to wait until they are offered.  Your top performers will continue to excel so you goal is to elevate the remaining portion of your sales force to wildly exceed their sales and profit goals.  

A complementary training option is to turn to firms like Armor Assets to reinforce the message you are delivering.  By synchronizing the Armor Assets courses with your goals and processes, your employees will be given a consistent message that you have been trying to drive but in a different format.  As we all know, sometimes a different person delivering the message can have a remarkable impact.  

ABOUT ARMOR ASSETS™:  Armor Assets™ courses are effective and provide an interactive experience with real situations your sales teams face are discussed and strategies developed.  It is sales training that is simple, fun, pain free, and priced significantly below some of the training that is promoted today. Take a look at the website, read the testimonials, and let a fresh voice echo your message.

If We Truly Had Our Act Together...

80% of firms believe their Customer Service is excellent while only 8% of buyers rate their vendors as being excellent.   That is a huge disconnect!  

When I was working for a large firm, I use to make the statement that if we truly had our act together we would not have competition.  That is a bold statement it was true!

Over the years, our Customer Service levels went up and down.  As a large, technologically savvy firm, we were early adopters of many of the latest gadgets to come out.  We always had the best software for spec sheets and drawings, and of course, the newest cell phones / smart phones.  When we were on the leading edge, it gave us the ability to offer exceptional customer service at a level well above our competition…  

But, many times, we lost our focus on why we were in business.  We became disconnected with our customers.  We were typically able to fulfill 80% of orders upon receipt of the order.  Internally, we had varying perspectives.  Accounting/Finance thought that was a great number… as they did not want to invest more capital into inventory.  Customer Service thought it was low but didn’t really care as long as they got accurate in-stock dates for future shipments so they could get customers off their back.  Sales, of course, hated it with a passion... it held them back from making more sales and opened the door for more competition.  

As an organization we were NOT on the same page!  It appeared that each area was more concerned about their operations and not what was best for the overall company.  We developed an attitude of “if they really want it, they will have to wait and get it when we are ready to ship it.”  That is not how to build a business!

So where does that take us?  Armor Assets™ has developed an outstanding course on Building Business Acumen.  That can be a huge benefit to your firm which is capable of getting an entire organization on the same page or at least close.  With a solid business understanding, ALL EMPLOYEES can contribute to making the business work more effectively.  

By understanding the business and its goals and plans, everyone focuses on what is important. Employees make better business decisions that will pay improved dividends down the road.  

Armor Assets™ courses are effective and provide an interactive experience with real situations your sales teams face are discussed and strategies developed.  It is sales training that is simple, fun, pain free, and priced significantly below some of the training that is promoted today. Take a look at the website, read the testimonials, and let a fresh voice echo your message.  

"If You Can't Sell, Drive"

A pretty funny statement, with a lot of credibility...    This quote originated almost twenty years ago but it makes a good point. The more you drive, the more you get reimbursed in mileage expense. When you were having a bad year, mileage money each month was better than nothing.  Plus, it creates the perception that you are out busting it and your numbers will be turning around.  

Let's review some basic principles, so you don't fall into the above predicament. 

 The sales professional's goal:  to have a nice size carrot out there where it is easy to figure out how you going to be paid and confirm that it is accurate, rewards you for growing your business, and is competitive for your vertical market.  

The company's goal:  to provide fair compensation, make sure it is earned, and reward    those who bring in business to achieve the company's goals in revenue and profit.  

Are your incentive plans designed so that even when your sales team falls behind, they are still in the game and out truly working hard and smart each and every day? Are your sales incentive plans in full alignment with the top three goals for your business? Businesses generally thrive in the first and fourth quarters when extra effort is there to get off to a good start and to finish strong.  Make sure your plans and your trainings target the full year and you will get amazing results.  

 It is proven that employee training improves employee engagement. Many firms today do an incredible job of training their employees on products and services, but fall short on incorporated sales training.  Large firms can spend well over $1,200 per employee annually and employees can spend an average of 32 – 40 hours per year on training but not all firms can do that.   Studies show multi-day sales training events are effective for a short period of time but much is lost within days to several months.  Quarterly training and refreshing is much more effective as it continues to reinforce skills and successes.  

 So where does a firm like Armor Assets™ fit in?  Are you providing your sales teams with training on Business Acumen, Sales Skills, Account Penetration, and Developing Customer Relationships? Are you doing it frequently enough for everyone to realize it’s an ongoing process?  

Armor Assets™ takes what many courses cover in days and does the same thing in hours. The courses provide an interactive experience where real situations your sales teams are faced with are discussed and strategies are developed.  It is sales training that is simple, fun, pain free, and priced significantly below some of the training that is promoted today. Take a look at the website, read the testimonials, and leave the driving to someone else. 

 

SellingtoGov.gov

The Fed spends almost $4 trillion ($4,000,000,000,000) dollars per year or $13,333 per person and $1.1 trillion of it is discretionary.  Mandatory spending on Social Security, Medicare, and the safety net programs is 66% of the budget.  The balance is interest on the soaring debt.  Since the numbers have been climbing, and it is a huge number, you may be wondering how does my firm get a piece of that spending? 

Since my background has been running a Federal Sales program in the IT world, let’s drill down into the spending and the effectiveness of it. The Federal Government spends $80 billion on IT annually and although the intention is good the execution falls well short.  An article posted in The Week via the New York Times via The Standish Group says 94% of large federal IT projects were unsuccessful and 41% failed completely.  In addition, it cost the Federal Government 37% more for a project than it does for a comparable project done in the commercial world.  Let all that sink in for a few minutes!

So can your firm help the government spend more wisely and be more successful on their project implementations? 

There are a lot of explanations for these numbers and a book could be written about it.  That is not where I am going but a few quick reasons are Set Aside Codes for small, disadvantaged businesses, large change orders, Country of Origin requirements, Low Price Technically Acceptable awards (LPTA), and long timelines from project development to implementation all contribute to the higher costs.  

In running our Federal Government program, I would always ask “are you getting your fair share and are you selling or responding?”  If you are selling, it takes time and you have to have a plan to accomplish your goals.  You might start selling components for a project but are you positioning your preferred portfolio to the government?  

What are you doing to increase your Federal and State government business?  Would you like to learn more about how to do business with the Government?  We have two courses designed to help you understand the government acquisition model and position your firm to get your fair share:  Government 101 and Penetrating the Federal Government.  If you need help, Armor Assets is here to help.  Email (Dick@armorassets.com), call (301-704-7818), or visit our web site at www.armorassets.com.      

Cash or Gift?

Employee recognition is more of an art than a science.  Shall it be an individual or group? Are you truly recognizing the right person or people and are you leaving anyone out?  Is it merited or is it going to be perceived as favoritism?  Is it for recognition that has already resulted in positive change such as increased sales, increased productivity, improved efficiencies, or helping with compliance?  

If you ask an employee which they prefer, most will tell you they will take the cash.  But is that what is best for your business?  It’s a fascinating topic.  Cash which gets merged into the other cash funds and it is forgotten where it came from pretty quickly or a gift that might be seen or used somewhat often?  

Years ago a Salesperson was selling $2 million a year to the US Post Office.  It was a good account and stable business.  At that time, a design team worked on a concept of a new communications device.  It did not then and never did generate any significant revenue for the company.  That team was rewarded at an annual sales meeting and the ongoing business was taken for granted.  At the time it didn’t make sense and it doesn’t now.    The design team was rewarded for something that did not work and the solid performing salesperson was not rewarded!  

Another firm found some creative ways to improve morale in special ways with minimal expense but the impact was unexpected and long lasting.  When gas was really expensive, they gave the employee’s gasoline gift cards.  Another time, after a particularly fine quarter, they brought in an ice cream truck (complete with ice cream truck music) and everyone got to select their favorites.  Both creative ideas are still talked about to this day.  

Money can be the most expensive way to motivate or reward.  However, a gift changes the mental impact of the reward.  It can clearly help us develop friendships and longer term relationships with our employees and co-workers.  If you go the gift route, skip the logo-d stuff.  If it’s meeting its objective, it will be remembered by the employee and their family.  

If your firm has had some creative ways to recognize employees and you would like to share them, send me an email at Dick@armorassets.com. If I get enough, I will compile them and share them on LinkedIn.  

The whole idea is to make sure your incentives and rewards are designed to meet your goals, plans, and objectives.  The business issues come down to increasing revenue, increasing efficiencies and effectiveness, cutting or containing costs, staying in compliance, and/or Keeping Employees Happy.  

Topics such as these are discussed in Armor Assets™ short, in person, interactive seminars.  

Check us out at www.armorassets.com  “Keep Developing Your Most Valuable Assets”™

 

Have You Learned This Before

How does that saying go?  “Everything old is new again.”  I have attended many courses over the years and have read many outstanding books by sales professionals who are incredibly successful.  They all have a lot in common and are really good at repackaging many tried and true solutions into their own trademarked system for selling.  What do they have in common besides being time consuming and sometimes expensive?  Do they allow sales people to become more successful?   Why do most sales people rapidly fall back into old habits?   

Information overload is a reality.  Between your CRM tool, sales reports, forecasting for the next month and quarter, expense reports, and travel requests plus other ad hoc requests, we spend a lot of time documenting everything. 

At the same time, many sales people who have been doing it a long time have four common thoughts about their jobs and roles:  1) the whirlwind of day to day activity is eating me up and I have no time to change, 2) I am selling the most commoditized product in the world, 3) there are no promotional opportunities for field based employees without relocating and that is risky in this economy, and 4) this industry is on a downward trend and the future is not bright. 

In turn, management decides that their sales force is not nearly as focused as they need to be so let’s have them do a better job of documenting what they are doing and how they are doing or not doing it.  They will introduce some new tools for the field ranging from simple call reports all the way up to the most sophisticated Customer Relationship Management tools that are customized for their own company and industry.  

These changes add to the whirlwind.  Have we over-complicated it?  Psychologists have been able to show that our environment is so complex, fast paced, and information laden, that we use shortcuts in response.  Your objective should be to develop a culture that simplifies the process and drives successful, repeatable results.  

What these programs have in common is a goal to help further develop skills in Prospecting, Qualifying, Discovery, Solution, Closing, Implementation and Re-evaluation. But do they keep simplification in mind?  Simplification, along with answers to some of the unspoken questions the sales team might have, can unleash a potential that you may not be experiencing today.  

At Armor Assets, we have combined real world experience, bits and pieces of some of the best training that is conducted, and knowledge gleaned from others, and developed rapid two-hour in person modules that can be presented to individuals or groups.  Rather then spend days or weeks on a new system, simplify the process and re-invigorate your team.   We can help you do that. 

Please visit our website at www.armorassets.com for additional information.

Retraining and Retaining

(versus On-boarding and Off-boarding)

For most professional sales positions, it costs $50,000 - $100,000 to hire, train, and get the person fully up to speed.  It can take anywhere from six months to two years to truly become productive and effective.  So how did we go from “we do not want to lose employees to the point where many sales people are treated like a commodity?” 

Today companies on-board and off-board new employees so often that they can do it really fast and there is a matter of fact attitude from HR at how well they can do it.  Is this really what is best for the firm?  Periodic changes may be needed due to performance or not the proper job fit.  Frequently companies are too quick to make these decisions.  They don’t like the current results and decide to make a change.  BUT, there was a reason they [or maybe say “you”] hired the person initially.  Perhaps they haven’t been fully trained or coached to be able to achieve their goals.  All too frequently, companies give up on an employee that could be developed and nurtured into a great employee.

Let me give you a sports analogy.  Mike Schmidt, the Hall of famer third baseman that played for the Philadelphia Phillies, batted .206 in his first taste of the big leagues with a limited number of at bats.  In his first full season, he hit .196 with 18 home runs in 132 games.  Should the Phillies have given up on him?  In his second full season, he hit .282 and the next year he hit .242.  His results moved up and down as he was learning how to play professional baseball.  He was getting real world experience, a ton of coaching before, during, and after the games.  He ended his career batting .267 and hit an astounding 548 home runs.  Without patience, hard work, and sufficient coaching and training, would he have made it? 

Today there is a big movement towards “Coaching” instead of the traditional “Managing”.   A lot has to do with the word “Coaching” being a softer word and less boss like [or maybe say “less rigid”].  The idea is to regularly work with your employees to help improve or refine their performance instead of coming down hard on someone every six months.  By conducting frequent coaching sessions, you can enhance your relationship and build a solid development plan.

A good way to supplement coaching sessions is to have quarterly professional training sessions from an outside company, one that specializes in sales training.  There are plenty of choices out there for interactive and fun courses that can be incredibly helpful.  By selecting someone from outside, the sales person or team can open up and discuss situations and ideas with a third party that brings real world experience and a different perspective to the situation and discussion.  

Keep Score or Play the Game

So how did you wind up in sales?  Did you get a college degree in which there was little opportunity for jobs after you graduated?  Did you work your way up in an organization from the technical side and then wanted to get out and try to generate business?  Regardless, you have made it to Sales and now you have to take advantage of that opportunity.  

For me, I majored in Accounting and after working in Auditing for three months, I decided it wasn’t for me.  I have told people that Accounting was Keeping Score and Sales was actually Playing the Game.  If you grew up playing sports or were active in another type of competitive environment, then you likely would much prefer to play the game then keep score.  If that is you, Sales is where you need to be.  

Scoring and the stats are really important to you so you can strategically work your accounts and projects.  They help guide you in not only your day to day activities but also how you need to plan for the next month, next quarter, and next year.  Are you getting timely and accurate stats for your role?  Are they in full alignment with your organizations key strategic business objectives?  

Keep in mind that Sales drives the entire organization.  Without it, no one else is needed.  Sometimes people need to be reminded of that.  Be proud, be professional, and get out there and score!!