The Fast Path to Sales Success: Managing Performance Drive

If you are looking to reach a high level of sales success, then it is important you understand the basics of effectively managing your sales team. If you want to be on the fast path to sales success, then you must be able to identify the best ways to motivate your team and get them into high performance drive mode.

This can be a challenge at first as each team has different and unique members who have different strengths and are motivated in completely different ways.

While expert sales coaching and sales training can help in this area, you may have to go through some trial-and-error before you reach the fast path to sales success. However, as you figure out your best formula for success with your team, there are a few key roadblocks you will want to avoid along your way.

These are common mistakes that many people make when it comes to their leadership efforts, and they can slow you down during your attempt to get your team into high performance drive mode. Those mistakes are:

Separating Yourself as the Leader

There are many sales leaders who look to establish themselves as the alpha dog in their team and, while taking on the role of leader is important, you will want to make sure you embrace this position without separating yourself from the pack. Many industry-leading sales coaches and sales trainers believe if your team sees you as part of the group, you will get more respect, be better able to lead by example and get better results.

Skirting Around Difficult Obstacles

There will be a few tough obstacles you will likely face during your attempt to find a pathway to sales success. However, this doesn’t mean that you should skirt around them. Show your team that these difficult situations are no match for their abilities. Digging deep and taking on these obstacles is often just what you need to do to establish yourselves as a leading sales force in the business. Many times, to illustrate this to your team, you will need to take on these tough situations yourself.

Treating Your Team as a Whole

According to top virtual sales coaches and online sales trainers, there are many leaders who will look at their team as a complete unit and this can be important when it comes to building trust. However, you will want to keep in mind that your sales team is not an individual unit in all respects; they are a team of individuals, and each individual team member has their own strengths, weaknesses, and way of being motivated.

Keep this in mind and treat each member of your team as an individual that is working towards a shared goal, and you will find you can better get your group into performance drive mode.

Anatomy of a Stellar Strategic Sales Call

In sales, it is generally accepted that the most difficult way to close a sale is over the phone, especially with the first call.

Not only are phone calls impersonal, but if the prospect did not request the call, you can end up inconveniencing them which will never result in a sale. However, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of making a sale over the phone.

Anyone who is an expert in phone sales will tell you there are very strict unspoken rules you must follow to be successful in phone sales. An important part of any sales skills training, here are a few tips for making stellar strategic sales calls:

1) The Introduction

This is sometimes the most important part of the call as it is when you will quickly find out if there is any chance of making a sale. If your prospect doesn’t simply hang up or ask you not to call them again, you know you’re off to a solid start.

This could be your one and only chance to reel the prospect in, so it had better be good. Always be polite, listen attentively and be sincere. Think of phone sales as providing excellent customer service while making a sale.

If they interrupt you, stop talking. Listen to them and always display good manners. You called them so don’t be rude, short, or even worse, hang up on them, no matter the situation. Have some class and display professionalism under any circumstances. Always remember to get to the point quickly.

Any customized sales training worth its salt will teach you that it’s often a good idea to work from a script for your first call. A good introduction may read: “Hi, Mrs. Jones? My name is Jamie and I work for XYZ Industries. Is there any chance you have time to learn about a powerful new all-natural dietary supplement that has no side effects and only costs $29.99 for 60 capsules?”

You have been respectful, introduced yourself and gotten straight to the point as to why you called them and interrupted their busy day. The potential buyer has everything they need to know to make an informed decision about whether they want to continue the call.

2) Question and Answer

No matter how bad you want to just get through your script and close the sale, always try to bear in mind that this is not up to you. Your prospect may interrupt your product description or sales pitch at any time and ask questions. Once again, be polite and answer anything they ask.

As any industry-leading sales coach and sales trainer will tell you, it is important you do your research ahead of time because, if you are unable to answer even one question, the sale is as good as lost. Your prospect will see this as a certain indication that you did not do your due diligence and are just calling to make a buck.

Yes, the point is to make money, but it shouldn’t feel that way to a potential buyer. You should make the prospect feel as if you care about their life and that you are providing a valuable service to benefit them in some way.

3) Closing and Follow Up

This is a great opportunity to ensure your prospect or customer refers you to their friends and business associates whether they bought from you or not. If they have listened to your entire pitch, it means there is some interest in your product or service.

Even if they didn’t buy anything during that first call, always give them your contact information so they can call you back and place an order if they change their mind. Providing them with your contact information also sets you up for other potential clients because they may know a friend who could benefit as well.

If they did make a purchase, you want to make them a loyal client so they will continue to reorder through you. If you call them back regularly and check in on them after they have had enough time to try the product, they will feel like you genuinely care about them. As a result, you have maximized your chances of reordering as well as them referring you to their contacts.

Having the ability to close is perhaps the most important aspect of being a successful salesperson. It is also the most difficult.

To help you get the best success from your sales calls, it can be useful to adopt a strategy proven to get results. Follow this five-step closing system and you will improve your ability to close more sales as well as your overall performance:

1. Strong Introduction

As any industry leading online sales trainer will tell you, the way you introduce your product or service to your prospect or customer can have a huge impact on your ability to close those sales. First, it is important to start with a strong introduction that captures the attention of your audience and engages them right away. As always, it is a good idea to begin by asking them a few questions to help you learn more about their wants and needs; it will also help set a more “interactive” tone for the rest of the conversation.

2. Detailed Preparation

Carrying on from the second point made in Step No. 1, it is critical you know what your prospect or customer wants or needs to move efficiently towards a close. Before you meet with them, create a list of questions that will help you accurately gauge where they are at. Don correctly, these questions will reveal their thoughts and feelings, problems and motivations. If you think you already know the answers to those questions, you should still go ahead and ask them anyway. You never know what could have changed in their lives since the last time you spoke or since you conducted your pre-call research. For example, perhaps their website needs an update?

3. Confident Presentation

The presentation is perhaps the most important part of the closing. It is your time to shine and showcase what your products or services can really do. During this step, make frequent eye contact for that personal connection (yes, that includes when you are on Zoom!) and do not spare any detail regarding how your products or services can benefit them. Make physical copies of your presentation and pass them out (or email them in advance) so everyone has something visual to refer to during the presentation.

4. Handle Objections

It is likely you will encounter potential customers who will turn down even the most useful services or products regardless of how appealing you offer is. It is up to you to anticipate these objections and have well-constructed arguments to counter to them. Obviously, you do not want to be argumentative with a prospect or a customer so, you must be sure to present these counterpoints in a calm, polite manner. You should also be ready for the unexpected. Many top sales coaches and virtual sales trainers recommend rehearsing with a mentor, friend or family member can help you identify any weak spots in your presentation or highlight any objections a prospective buyer may have.

5. Powerful Closing

Having nailed the first four steps, your close will need to be as impactful and powerful as the introduction. Remind your prospect or customer how your product or service will change their lives as well as what a great value it is. Be confident but not arrogant and make sure you follow up after the meeting to show your continued interest.

Closing a sale may seem hit or miss, but when you approach it with a strategy in mind, you can improve your chances of a successful outcome. These five steps will put you on the path to closing more sales and helping your company to grow.

Top 5 Traits of an Outstanding Salesperson

Ask any top sales leadership coach or sales coaching coach and they’ll tell you, there are five essential traits that all sales professionals must have if they are to effective and successful. Let’s dive right in:

1) Personability: According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, being personable means you are pleasant and likeable. That being the case, it is worth noting you won’t get anywhere is sales if you can’t strike up a conversation with another human being and gain their initial trust with a positive first impression. Whether it be in person, on the phone or on Zoom, the person who can grab attention, maintain a conversation, and make the other person feel like they are the focus of all your attention is a real salesperson. Your customer wants to know that they matter to someone else and if you are a smart and personable salesperson, they will be more likely to believe that person is you.

2) Skilled Communicator: You might only have two minutes to pitch your product or service to a potential customer so it is critical you have the ability to communicate your message clearly and concisely. Are you going to blow the sale rambling on about something that may or may not matter? As any outstanding salesperson or online sales trainer knows, if you can’t communicate clearly, chances are you’ve already lost your sale.

3) Honesty: Being able to communicate and being personable will never help you if you can’t keep your word and be trusted. If a customer comes to you with a complaint, they should feel reassured that you will handle the problem and that they can count on you to get the job done. Additionally, if you are selling a product or a service, you need to be able to sincerely stand behind that product or service. If you can’t, your ability to sell will suffer tremendously.

4) Persuasiveness: Great salespeople must be convincing. You must be able to show your customer why your product or service is superior to other products or services. Or, you have to show that your product or service is going to help them in some way and that they should not live without it. This motivates your customers to not only buy from you in the short-term, but to keep buying from you on an ongoing basis.

5) Knowledgeable and Informative: There should never be a question about your product or service that you don’t know the answer to. Think your job ends when your customer makes a purchase? Think again. As any virtual sales trainer worth their salt will tell you, you are now in a relationship with your customer and if they want to know where the part No. 11,342,051 was made, then you need to know exactly where that part was made and preferably the name of the worker who made it. Of course, this is an extreme example, but you’d be surprised to learn just how often outstanding salespeople know this level of detail.

Bottom line is being a likeable, slick talker will only get you so far. Eventually, your prospect or customer is going to want to know you have the honesty, integrity, and professionalism necessary to be an integral, successful and long-term partner for their company.

By the time a member of your sales team reaches out to a prospect, they should already know them inside and out. Not only this will help them feel confident and prepared, but it will also show the prospect that they have taken a specific interest in them and their needs.

Let’s face it, you are not the only company competing for their business and with so much competition out there, it can be difficult to build a relationship with a prospect and make a sale. That is where research of your prospect is critical. It is the one step that you can control as you try to win over your prospect and gain their trust.

Thoroughly researching your prospect will help you better understand their needs and interests and help you tailor a pitch specifically for them. According to many certified online sales coaches, tailored pitches are far more likely to be successful than anything scripted to appeal to a wide audience.

Where to start with research

The art of research should be an important part of your training. Topics should include both internal mechanisms such as your CRM which records past interactions with the prospect and external opportunities such as LinkedIn and other publicly available information.

Generally, the Internet is the best place to start as it offers easily accessible information about anyone including your prospects.

Google them, find them on Twitter or Facebook and glean as much information about them as you can, professional and otherwise. You can collect much useful data about their habits, interests and needs. You can also see what social groups and networks they follow or interact with. Also, by identifying mutual connections, you can easily spark a conversation with your prospect.

Speaking of mutual connections, many sales coaches say this is a very useful way to research your prospect. These ‘connected’ sources can be invaluable as they can give you a different perspective on your person of your interest. That said, you should be careful not to abuse your connection and ask for too much.

Doing industry research is also a great way to get valuable insight into the needs of your prospect and their company. Including some of this information while pitching to your prospects will show them that you are interested in them and you understand their specific needs. This will also help you to come with a unique offer that is tailored uniquely to them. In the end, this will help you to win that prospect over and close the sale.

Where to find your prospects

Starting the research process and gaining valuable information about your prospects is not hard if you know where to look. According to some of the world’s best sales trainers, here are some of the tools you should use:

LinkedIn: As the largest business network in the world, LinkedIn is the perfect place to network and start direct conversation with prospects

Company Websites: Start with the About Us to learn as much as you can about the company’s vision, its mission, its goals, values, location, employees and leadership

Crunchbase: A unique register for many companies of all sizes. Crunchbase is a great source of outreach tools and automation integrations. It can also provide a first step towards setting up a meeting with your new prospect

CRM: When planning a first contact with a prospect, be sure to go through your own CRM beforehand to make sure you’re not duplicating someone else’s efforts or giving them a lot of information they have already heard. If there has been a previous contact, hopefully your CRM will tell you what the outcome was so you can come up with a new strategy if necessary

Press Releases: To be as up to date as possible with any prospect, sign up for their newsletter, go to the Press Releases section on their website and follow them on social media. The more you know about them, the more likely it is you’ll find somthing no-one else has thought of when the time comes to make your pitch

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Natasa Tomic is a journalist and content producer who specializes in writing about business and sales.