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What Sales People Can Learn from Professional Hockey

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

What Sales People Can Learn from Professional Hockey

From an accountability standpoint, the NHL (National Hockey League) has the right idea for penalties. You have a penalty called against you - and you sit in the penalty box (for a minimum of 2 minutes). Meanwhile, your team continues to play with 1 less player (creating a Power Play for the other team) during the penalty time. Power Plays can (and should be) a major advantage for the team with 1 additional player. While Hockey is an extremely physical sport, I'm sure this form of accountability makes players think twice before they commit a penalty.

Goofy "penalties" in the world of sales can hurt your customer, your team, and you. Accountability issues from Salespeople can have a negative impact for a long time on their company. In Hockey, 2 minutes can be an eternity – but in business this could translate into years (definitely eternity). Play the sales game by the rules, and enjoy the "sport."

Have a great sales week!

Avoid the Slimy Approach to Sales

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Avoid the Slimy Approach to Sales

Effective consultative sales is solving customer problems and fulfilling customer needs. During the prospecting stage of the sales process, we are trying to get the attention of a potential customer to see there may be mutual interest. The goal of prospecting is to move to the next step of your sales process (professionally and with integrity).

Based on my survey through social media, the slimy approaches below received the most chatter: 

1. Using the saying "wait there's more."
2. Sending the same e-mail over and over again.
3. Phone stalking by calling multiple times per day and not leaving messages.
4. Sending mis-leading mail packages (i.e. using fake overnight delivery or fake government-looking envelopes).
5. Leaving mis-leading phone messages (i.e. like you know the person, or calling under false pretenses).

Bottom line – take the high road! It will lead to a better sales experience for you and the prospect, and you'll be doing your share to get slime out of the sales profession!

Have a great sales week!

"No" is the Second Best Response.

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

"No" is the Second Best Response.

The best response you can get in the sales world is a "yes." However, the second best answer is a "no." What can drive sales people crazy is either no answer/response or some sort of delay from the person they’re trying to reach. This could be because the prospect may not truly understand how you can assist them, they're not a qualified prospect, they're busy and have other priorities now, or they're just trying to be nice and don't want to say "no."

By the way, if you do get a "no" - it may just be "no" for now, not "no" forever.

When we get a delay, it may be that there is not a sense of urgency for the prospect. Re-focus your conversation on why and how your solution will create a tangible (quantifiable) benefit for them.

If you think they're just trying to be nice (and just won't say no), find out what they like the best about your proposal, and how they think it would benefit them. Solving customer problems and fulfilling customer needs are critical to your successful sales efforts.

Hearing a "no" from your customer may not be the best answer you can get, but it will certainly save you time, save you frustration, and help keep your sales pipeline more realistic.

Have a great sales week!

Call Me After the Holidays.

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Call Me After the Holidays.

If you haven't heard this comment from a prospect or customer yet, you soon will.

They may not want to see you until January; however, you certainly can try to set an appointment now for a future time in January.

Next time you hear this comment, instead of just calling back in January, consider a response like…                "I certainly understand. Can we schedule a time now for a meeting after the holidays?"

Having appointments set up for the first couple of weeks in January will help you start the year strong. Otherwise, you may not be able to see these people until late January or even February – losing valuable time. If you sell a product or service with a recurring, repetitive, or trailing revenue stream, getting a fast start to your year is critical. Mathematically, the first quarter of the year can be worth as much as 42% of your annual revenue opportunity or potential.

Lay the foundation now, for a great 2012!

Have a great sales week & Happy Holidays!

Accountability Buddies Help to Make it Happen.

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Accountability Buddies Help to Make it Happen.

Be accountable to someone and watch your business grow.

If you work on a team or in a company with others, you are accountable to your supervisor, your team, your company and yourself.

What about Entrepreneurs and the self employed? How can these people be accountable to someone? A recurring theme I hear is, "We tend to take care of our customers, but may not take care of our own businesses." This sounds like the Shoe Maker's kids going barefoot.

To help keep yourself on track with developing your business, consider having an accountability buddy. This could be a friend, networking contact, or an associate that works in a complementary field. To increase productivity and reduce stress, I do recommend that your accountability buddy not be your significant other (you already have overall accountability to that person).

Set up a regular call or contact schedule with your accountability buddy to outline commitments that will be completed within a specific timeframe (blogs, newsletters, website updates, collateral etc). Focus on defining the task and when it will be completed. Don't over-commit, and consider keeping the list short (so you'll actually do it). If you can't have a call, at least communicate in email. Consider a risk/reward component to keep it interesting. An accountability buddy can help you "work on your business, while you are working in your business". Even if you can only take small steps today in improving your company, you will be miles ahead in the future.

There is one common group of people we are all accountable to - our customers - they keep us in business! Thank you!

Have a great sales week!

Why the 4th Quarter is Critical!

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Why the 4^th Quarter is Critical!

The sales year has 4 Quarters in it – and the 4^th Quarter is the most important of the year. "Q4" is the quarter that has a double-impact to your performance.

First, consider that sports coaches always teach their players to compete until the end of a play, a game, or a season. Many sporting events are not won until the last minute, or play of the game. Yogi Berra's famous quote "It's not over 'till it's over" not only applies to sports but sales as well.

From a sales perspective – give your maximum effort until the last day of the year. Let your competitors coast through the holiday season. This is the quarter that sales performers will usually dramatically impact their annual performance and commission for a strong finish. I have also found that it is a great time to get in front of decision-makers, and some of your customers may even have budget money available that expires at the end of the year. Even if you find yourself behind your quota going into Q4, stay focused on a strong finish.

Second, it is also a critical time to lay the ground-work for a successful start to the next year. Our performance in the first quarter of 2012 will be traced to our activities in this final quarter of 2011. Many of us have longer sales cycles, so let's get a start on building a strong pipeline (or funnel) of projects now! Coasting now, may seriously impact your sales performance into the New Year.

So, compete to the end of the year, or as they say in football "until the whistle blows." This will not only help you in 2011, but also help you set the tone for a successful 2012!

Have a successful sales week!

Herb Tarlek – a "sales" role model?

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Herb Tarlek – a "sales" role model?

Herb Tarlek was the sales guy in TV's "WKRP in Cincinnati" that ran in the late 70s and early 80s. The attitude, the wink and the slime, was complemented by the big hair, the loud tie and at times the white belt and white shoes. It was funny and made for great TV, but some people think this is what sales people are all about. Herb's sales approach will not work today, and it didn't work that well in the late 70s (so please don't go there). The sales profession has been battling perception problems for decades. Sales "done right" is an honorable profession. Sales people can be among the highest and lowest income earners – it's truly up to the individual.

A professional understands that "sales" is about solving a customer's problem and fulfilling their needs. It's a highly consultative process, and there has to be a benefit to the customer. It's also about building a strong relationship that can lead to creating "life long" customers.

Sorry Herb – slinging the B.S. is not what "sales" is all about.

Wording and Timing can be a lethal combination

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Wording and Timing can be a lethal combination

The "financial issue" in Washington is highly visible these days, and it seems that everyone has an opinion about what to do and how to do it. No, this blog topic is not taking a political stand, but rather sharing an observation about a business advertisement I recently heard on the radio.

The news had just come on at the top of the hour, and it centered on the U.S. financial budget crisis and the highly polarizing topic of taxes. A commercial for a bedding/mattress store immediately followed the news report. They're offer was a "no tax" sale. Say what? Timing was certainly an issue here, but the advertiser didn't have control of where the commercial was placed. What the advertiser did have was control of the wording (especially since the commercial had to be recently produced based on the copy content). Sales Tax needs to be paid, and what the business could've said is that "we will pay the sales tax for you." This changes the message from some type of perceived scam to a customer benefit.

Even though the news report was about income tax rather than state sales tax, I'm not sure the advertiser's point was accurately portrayed or received by the radio listeners. What you say, and how it is perceived can be altogether different. Sometimes, your wording and the timing of the message can backfire.

Check out this link for another great example of the power of changing wording.  

Have a great sales week!

That's okay, don't pay us – we trust you'll come back!

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

That's okay, don't pay us – we trust you'll come back!

Lately, great customer service is a lost art – and is harder to find! However, if you give great customer service (and have a great product or service), you build a loyal customer base. Yes, it's as simple as that!

Over the 4^th of July weekend, we were in Coronado, California. This is the biggest weekend for the town, it's packed (more than the normal summer weekend), and they really know how to celebrate this holiday! Clayton's Coffee Shop is an awesome breakfast spot on the island, and is worth the wait to be seated. The wait is also a great opportunity to people watch.

We saw a high school age customer finish his breakfast, and when it came time to pay the bill produced his Dad's American Express card. The potential problem: Clayton's doesn't take American Express, and that's all the customer had. The solution: The Manager said, no problem, come back and see us again. Wow, that was it? As Seth Meyers on Saturday Night Live would say "Really?" This could be attributed to Coronado's small town charm and how they do business, but most likely it's the way they just do things at Clayton's. It was also obvious this customer was not a regular of the coffee shop. In most Metro areas, one would think you would never see that customer again (especially a high school age customer) – remember the old "Dine and Dash?"

Fifteen minutes later, a car pulled up in front of Clayton's, and the customer jumped out with cash in his hand to pay his bill. Kudos to the kid!

A combination of great food and great customer service will keep them coming back! A special shout-out to our favorite Scottsdale breakfast spot Perk Eatery, where the excellent service and addictive food keeps us coming back.

Have a great week!

Just one call a day!

Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching

Just one call a day!

That’s approximately 250 calls per year. Good things will happen when you make 250 new prospecting calls per year (even better is 2 per day = 500 per year, and so on).

I have a client that no matter how busy they with their current clients, makes 1 ice-cold prospecting call per day. She calls it her "Random Call of the Day" and it usually is at about 9:30 every morning (when it's time to refill her coffee). So far for the year, she has converted 18% of these calls to clients, and another 13% are in the current pipeline. That's nearly one third of her total calls resulting in sales or future potential. These are excellent results for prospecting calls! The secret to her success is that she has no fear whatsoever making 1 call. She truly believes that the worse thing that can happen is that they say "no" or don't return her call. That's okay with her, because the answer was already "no" before she made the call. "Anything I get is a bonus" she says.

In the words of Col. Hannibal Smith of the A-Team, "I love it when a plan comes together!"

Have a great holiday weekend!