Today’s salespeople may find it harder to sell amidst increasing competition and increased resistance to typical sales methods. At the same time, employers may have a desire to pay salespeople less just to stay competitive. In light of these challenges, it is imperative to make sure your sales compensation plan works – for the salesforce and for the company.
First, know the value of your sales reps. If they took their skills and experience to your competitors, what could they expect to make? Pay too little and you risk costly turnover. Pay too much and the company’s bottom line suffers. Further, morale will take a serious hit if you find you have to adjust sales incentives down at a later date in order to stay competitive.
Second, establish reasonable productivity goals. The best plans adjust goals based on factors such as: tenure of the producing salesperson, product being offered, sales territory and associated competition, etc. Unreasonable goals discourage and demotivate – the opposite of a compensation plan that works. A related concept to keep in mind is making sure that any hurdles/qualifiers for salespeople to qualify for sales bonuses are truly valued by the organization. One company had a team that was largely geared toward customer service, rather than sales. However, the incentive formula required a minimum number of sales as a hurdle to qualify for any incentive pay based on productivity. The manager admitted that there were few opportunities for sales, the sales really weren’t all that important to the organization, and they should be removed from the incentive pay formula. Including them was serving to demoralize the representatives, while providing little benefit to the organization. Make sure that there is a good reason for any qualifiers that you include in your compensation formulas.
Third, give your representatives a bigger piece of the pie once they achieve above a level that is high enough to cover their pay and benefits. If you can motivate your existing salesforce to produce more through higher incentive pay, it will certainly be more cost effective than hiring additional salespeople and paying their benefits. Employees who are motivated to achieve at high levels are a goldmine for your organization, since they lower your fixed costs (benefits, equipment, office space). On a similar note, and for the same reason, don’t put a cap on incentive pay. Why would you want to limit the incentive to produce. If incentive pay is capped at your organization, how much extra performance do you think you will get from your reps above the cap?
Finally, consider non-cash incentives such as recognition and rewards. Although these forms of “compensation” aren’t spendable, don’t underestimate how important they can be to employees. It feels good to be named “top dog.” And if you are named “top dog,” you won’t want to return to the bottom of the heap. Also, consider whether other forms of compensation may be more valuable than the cash it takes to provide the incentive. For example, paid company trips for top performing salespeople may be more valued than the cash required to provide the incentive. Additionally, there is the prestige that goes along with qualifying for such a trip that is similar to an award, just discussed.
Ensure your sales compensation plan adheres to these principles, and you will be well on your way to a sales compensation plan that works!
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Put yourself in this scenario: You’ve just been hired as the new sales team leader – vice president of sales with a charge to turn around a stagnant and seemingly unmotivated team smack dab in the middle of the most challenging economic times in the past half century. Yikes!
You’ll need some strategy – and some questions. First, your strategic sales team plan, four strategies to implement right away:
- Ask questions. Meet with your sales team (conference calls work in a pinch) and brainstorm to identify the top three – only three – key activities that lead to the fastest, cleanest, most profitable sale for your company.
Once you’ve defined these key elements, begin to orient your energies and systems to create more time for the three elements. By getting all your sales people involved in this process you build trust, focus and create more accountability because team members are giving you answers based on sales data and experience.
No more excuses for failure if they don’t follow the formula they all agreed is the right one.
It will take less than one week to implement the four strategies, with little cost. The results and learning you will glean will enhance your knowledge, create more energy in the sales team and show your new boss that you were worth paying the big bucks to join their team.
You’ll also want to learn the personalities on your team. Based on research that indicates past success is a key predictor of future success and that, indeed, you’re looking for success, here are some behavior-based questions to ask in one-on-one discussions with your sales people.
The questions are conversational, non-threatening and created to generate life stories that will help you better understand each individual’s drive, life experience, sales training, personal status, behavioral patterns and how the person organizes their life.
Armed with this meta analysis, you can gauge who on your staff will best benefit from additional sales training/coaching – and who may not be worth additional investment at this time.
•1) Why don’t you start? What question do you have for me?
•2) What would really surprise me about you?
•3) For a prospect: What’s your real motivation to change jobs? Now what’s the real reason?
•4) What’s your philosophy on goal setting?
•5) What reading material would I find on your coffee table (or nightstand, kitchen table, car)?
•6) Tell me about a situation that placed you in an ethical dilemma? How did you handle it??
•7) How did you earn money in college?
•8) How far away from home have you traveled? (Have a map on your desk.)
•9) Draw a pie chart showing how you spend an eight-hour day.
•10) Are you a curious person? If so, give me an example.
•11) What’s your favorite success story? How about a failure story?
•12) What should I have asked you that I haven’t?
•13) Want to be a millionaire? Why? What are you doing to prepare for it?
•14) How would your world change if you made $35,000 more next year?
•15) For a prospect: Are you ready to resign from your job in five days? What will they do when you quit? What will they say about you after you have left the company?
•16) Share some stories about the four most influential people you know.
•17) Have you ever created a 30, 60, 90-day strategic plan for your job or a future job? Give me the outline of such a plan now.
Got a question of your own to ask author Russ Riendeau? You can reach Russ at www.russellriendeau.com or 847/381-0977.
#####
Behavioral scientist. Senior Partner, The East Wing Search Group.
Co-author, The CEO’s Guide To Talent Acquisition: Finding Talent Your Competitors Overlook (Eyecatcher Press 2008)
Nationally known speaker on retention strategies and peak performance.
Watch Russ at www.RussRiendeau.com. Email him at russ@RussRiendeau.com.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/great-questions-reveal-more-than-just-great-answers-how-to-find-the-sales-talent-you-need-today-812865.html
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Sales Daily Action Steps
1. Start the morning by reading something positive.
Don’t start the day just going through the motions by reading it gets your thought process headed in the right direction to a positive attitude 90% of your production is based on your attitude check it out each morning before you start.
2. Practice your script and objection handling in down time.
Before your first call go over your script and objection handling with someone in your office a couple of times so the first pitch does not catch you off guard. You must warm up before any big game.
3. Listen to sales cd’s
While sitting at your desk you have a great deal of time. Take this time to study your art (Sales) by listening to cd’s during your down time you can sharpen your skills greatly over a short period of time just by listening at your desk. Just think 1hr a day that’s 20hrs a month and 240 hrs a year learning sales info. Do you think that would help you?
4. Begin to read sales and self help books
Reading increases your creativity and exposes you to new information. You are only one book away from your breakthrough. “You will be the same person you are 5 years from now accept for the people you meet and the books you read.” – Charlie “Tremendous” Jones
5. Set Goals
It always amazes me with the production of a person that walks in the door in the morning with their mind made up on what they are going to produce that day some how make it. Make your mind up and don’t give up until you hit your goal. If you miss it leave knowing you did your all to reach it.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/daily-sales-action-steps-812521.html
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Have you been procrastinating about projects you need to get started? Do you find yourself continually frustrated at the end of the day, with a mound of things that need to be done? Unfinished projects, e-mails to answer, stacks of paper that keep piling up? If so, you’re not alone. A lot of people suffer from an inability to make the most effective use of their time, but there is a solution if you just apply a few simple time management strategies. You’ll be able get more accomplished in less time with less hassle than ever before!
1. Set goals and determine what you want to accomplish.
Determine when you need to have the task completed by. Don’t think of this as a “to do” list but rather a “must do” list. Don’t give yourself the option of not finishing the task.
2. Determine where you are losing time.
Keep track of what activities are eating up your valuable time. Checking e-mails throughout the day can be a huge time waster. A much better option is to get as many things accomplished as possible early on, and then check e-mails later in the day, all at once. Also, it’s a good idea to keep your e-mail folders organized so that you can easily find what you’re looking for. There’s no need to do double paper handling, even if it’s just electronic paper.
Another tip for e-mails is in regards to handling long e-mails with multiple replies. Just keep the latest version and delete all previous versions. That way you won’t be reading the same things over and over again.
3. Use a daytimer or computer contact manager software.
Use one of these essential tools to list everything you need to accomplish and keep track of all your valuable contacts.
4. Prioritize.
Each morning, review the tasks you need to accomplish and prioritize them. Determine which ones are urgent, needing immediate action, and which ones can wait. Do the most important things first. Sometimes these are things you don’t really want to do but by getting the tough stuff out of the way you’ll feel a greater sense of accomplishment.
5. Ask for help; delegate.
You don’t have to do it all yourself. Ask for the assistance of others whenever possible.
6. Have a plan.
When you have a doctor’s appointment this doesn’t have to be down time. Bring something with you that you can work on – a book or report to read, a notepad, a laptop computer, or a PDA to check your email. Continue working on those tasks. Don’t let a moment go by wasted. Do this anytime you know you’ll be waiting in a lobby for any reason.
7. Work the plan.
Be consistent and work the plan every day.
Consistency is the key to this endeavor. If you’ve set realistic goals and you’ve followed the seven steps outlined here, you’ll be on your way to getting things done! There may still be some days that you just can’t get everything done. If you’re consistent however, you’ll be on your way to living a more productive and less stressful life.
We all have the same 24 hours in a day, and how we choose to spend this time is up to us.
Debra Wier shares her passion for personal development and self improvement on her blog at www.TheMetamorphosisCafe.com. She also believes that one of the contributing factors to happiness is the ability to earn a living doing something you enjoy. This belief led her to research the possibilities of making money online and she is the author of the popular 40-page ebook:”How To Flood Your Bank Account With Multiple Streams Of Internet Income.” Head over to ==>http://www.TheMetamorphosisCafe.com to get your FREE copy now!Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/time-management-in-seven-easy-steps-787732.html
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Author: Ben Franklin
As any company grows, there’s a need to build up the different departments in the organizational chart. You need these various functions to get more specialized, more organized and focused. One of the main areas that you will need to concentrate on for your business to grow even more is sales. You won’t just need a sales person, you need a team. And this team will have to function according to a few guidelines which have been set down. These will typically have to take into account your company’s policy, its short-term and long-term sales projections and the image you want your brand and the company to convey.
The first thing to do is to get yourself a sales team. Then, you have to evaluate them. It’s only after they’ve been with you for a while that you will be able to evaluate their performance and see if anything needs changing. This is especially important when you are poised on the threshold of growth. Can your existing team fuel future growth? Or do you need to add to the team? Do you perhaps need to change the team? Or the direction the team is heading in? As a precursor to this step, you will need to sit down and be clear about your objectives for the company. What do you expect from it? Is your business such that you expect them to just follow up on your direct mail or email campaigns? Or do you need a more aggressive, path-breaking approach? Are they going to be the face of your company as far as the outside world is concerned? Is the image of your company resting on their shoulders? Depending on what they are expected to do comes their training. From this also flows what they can do and cannot do. If they are making a lot of personal house calls, it stands to reason that they cannot manage 100 calls a day as they would perhaps if they were doing telemarketing.
Finally, there has to be some criteria set up to measure productivity. Does it matter how much work they do or how productive they are? Productivity has to be measured not in terms of volume of work or number of hours but in terms of conversion. It all boils down to the bottom line and how much money they bring in to the company at the end of the day. Once you set the sales ball rolling in your company, you will be able to calculate the average productivity. You would do this by taking the total sales in a month and dividing it by the number of people you have on your sales team. You will then be able to see, month wise, how many are overachievers and how many are not. Depending on how much of an under-achiever a person is, it would be up to you as to when to take the call of asking him to go so as not to pull your sales team down because of lack of performance. Make sure that you do give the person some leeway however. Sometimes, the most profitable clients will come to you only after a sales person has worked on him for a long time. So you will have to carry him with you till he makes the sale. Then it’s gravy days ahead for him and you!
About the Author:
Building a sales team
Sales force
http://www.salesforcetech.com
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/building-a-top-notch-sales-team-79128.html
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We’ve seen this process improve sales systems to turn poor results into a hefty 45% conversion rate of prospects into new customers.
Lasting sales performance rarely comes from super-star performers. It comes from great sales management systems. Good systems are reliable and they enable all your sales people to improve and maintain their performance.
We find the best sales management process has10 powerful parts…
1. Position descriptions
2. Procedures
3. Activity expectations
4. Performance expectations
5. A means of monitoring and reporting activity and
performance
6. The 3 principles of sales contacts
7. Regular sales meetings
8. Strategic guidance
9. Corrective guidance
10. Employee review
Here They Are, Explained…
1. Position descriptions need to outline the expectations of your sales person. You can’t afford to have out-of-date PD’s. If your sales person doesn’t have a clear charter, how can you correct any failure to meet your expectations?
2. Procedures describe how to perform certain tasks expected of the sales staff. Even aspects taken for granted, like meeting with a prospect, are important and occur regularly… and are therefore appropriately documented into Standard Operating Procedures.
3. Activity expectations are minimum volumes or qualities of calls, visits, scripts and other tasks inherent in the sales procedures. Since activity is what yields results, activity must be measured and reported on.
4. Performance expectations are expressed as sales dollars and new customers won. These come from the right procedures being performed within adequate activity levels.
5. Means of monitoring and reporting activity and performance are means for the staff to record their work and show it to you. Both public reporting in charts and private reporting to management would be ideal.
6. We’ve seen 3 valuable principles in a good sales meeting…
1. There must be no unaccountable time in the
work week,
2. No contact must occur without an agenda, and
3. No contact must go without an outcome of some
kind and a next step.
7. Regular sales meetings need to be at least weekly. Work needs to be interrogated so that management and consultants can provide guidance.
8. Strategic Guidance means suggestions and information of value to overcoming a hurdle the salesperson has encountered.
9. Corrective Guidance means admonishment and advice designed to cease activity that is not productive and encourage activity that is productive.
10. Employee reviews are the last component, and this is really a component of a good HR system more than merely a good sales management process. We’ll help you set up procedures, forms, sales meeting structures and principles of management that get more from your sales staff.
Results From Systems That Work
With systems like these, you’ll enjoy the kind of results that are independent of individual personalities in your sales force.
Stephen Johnson, Director, Strategy and Action www.strategyandaction.com.au
Stephen Johnson is the director of Brisbane based consultancy, Strategy and Action. For more information please call (07) 3808 5366 or visit www.strategyandaction.com.au
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/how-to-create-a-better-sales-management-system-for-your-business-803675.html
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I had heard a story regarding integrity several years ago when I was in the Marine Corps. I had spent twelve years as a Marine, and it will never leave me. You know what they say, once a Marine, always a Marine.
Now I don’t know if the story that I’m about to tell is true, but it gives a perfect illustration of what integrity is.
There was a General that used to love to take his Marines on forced marches every so often. There was just something about it that he loved.
Now if you do not know what a forced march is, it is where the Marines get into full combat gear which includes their rifles, wearing their helmets, sometimes flak jackets, full pack, and then you would march out over rough terrain to a predetermined destination, and then back. Sound easy doesn’t it! Yeah right!
Now I will tell you that I have been on several forced marches and they are just a blast! Almost as much fun as having a tooth pulled.
Well the General heard a rumor that some of his officers might be cutting a few corners when it came to filling their packs with the required items. Items such as, a change of uniform, an extra pair of socks, extra boots, and other assorted items totaling about 50 pounds. He had heard that they were taking empty card board boxes and putting them into the pack so that it looked full.
This of course would make their load quite a bit lighter than their fellow Marines.
So, not knowing for sure if this was true or not the General decided that it was time to go on another forced march. But this time he decided that they should take a route that was even rougher terrain than any other he had ever taken before.
So the day of the forced march came and they all marched out and it was very rough terrain. They marched over rocks, thorny bushes and more hills and valleys than they cared to.
As the story was told to me, they marched out about ten miles.
When they reached the half way point to turn around to march back, there were vehicles waiting for them.
The General then ordered everyone to remove their boots and socks and place them into the vehicles.
As you can imagine this was very confusing to the Marines. But when a General orders you to do something you don’t question it.
Once they all placed their boots and socks into the vehicle the General then ordered them to get into their packs and get out the extra pair of socks and boots that they had packed and put them on for the return trip.
Well, it did not take long at all to determine which officers had integrity, and which ones were about to end their careers with the Marine Corps.
Don’t ever be the type of leader that fills their pack with an empty box.
Find more leadership stories like this as well as all types of leadership information by visiting http://www.leadership-skills-for-life.com/
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/leadership-articles/integrity-dont-fake-it-794723.html
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Julian Blee – Voice Inflection
Voice inflection is an imperative part of the telesales process. So much so that a large percentage of sales people destroy their telephone presentation before it has even had a chance to begin by utilising the wrong type of voice inflection. A vast majority of sales people are not even aware that they are doing it, or in fact what voice inflection actually is.
Let me explain to you using a real life example that I am sure that everyone one of you can relate to. My mobile phone rang this morning and when I answered it I heard a bouncy over friendly voice say, “Hi I am calling to speak to Julian Blee, this is Barry from ……… (a popular mobile service provider), am I speaking to Julian”
I am immediately alerted to the fact that this is more than likely a telesales call. I am automatically on the back foot and feeling defensive and thinking of how I can begin the ‘getting rid of them process.’ Needless to say the conversation was a cold call from a mobile phone service provider attempting to better my current package. They may have been able to offer me a phenomenal package that would have had me howling at the moon in delight, but the fact of the matter is that people do not like to be sold to, so I completed the getting rid of them process and ended the call. I won’t go any further into what dialogue was exchanged, but I will look at why his pitch didn’t even have a chance to blossom. There were 3 primary reasons why it failed within 15 seconds:
- 1. Over friendly
- 2. The need to confirm he was talking to me confirmed he didn’t know me
- 3. Each sentenced was doused with a heavy dose of ‘upward inflection’
Let’s look at these 3 common mistakes.
1: Over Friendly
This is a common misconception that being super friendly towards people when making a cold call to them will somehow assist you in the ‘getting to
know you’ process. This is an approach that was outdated by the 80′s but is still taught by a huge population of unskilled sales trainers throughout the telephone sales industry. If someone walked up to you in the street with a beaming smile and said “Hi how ya doing, do you have a few moments?” I am sure that you would be rather unnerved and suspicious of their motives. The same goes for the telephone. If you’re calling clients or potential clients for the first time, when you get through to them please don’t act as if you are their best friend and be over familiar and over friendly as that approach just doesn’t work. The only sales people that should do this are those that sell Happy Meals.
2: Am I Talking to You?
Talking to someone you don’t know, as if they are your best friend is bad enough. But talking to someone as if they are your best friend and then having to ask if you’re talking to the right person just makes you sound stupid. I fully understand that it is essential that you must confirm that you are talking to the right person but there is a better way of doing it and I will come to that in a few moments.
Zig Ziglar says, “Sales is a process and not an event.” As it is a process certain things need to be done in order to get the order. One thing that you should never do is be over familiar. No one likes over familiarity, and there isn’t a better way of becoming over familiar than being too friendly to someone too soon.
3: Upward Inflection
For those of you that don’t know what upward inflection is, it’s the upward direction of the voice’s pitch that’s usually placed at the end of a sentence. For example; if you saw someone that you were fond of and you hadn’t seen them for a while you may say; “Hi, how are you?” Because of the nature of the greeting and the friendliness in your voice you would more than likely apply upward inflection at the end of the sentence. It’s the upward motion placed on the final syllable of any sentence that is called Upward Inflection.
If that’s not clear in your mind yet try saying aloud to yourself, “Hi, how are things going?” (Don’t try this exercise on a busy train or tube as people stare. Trust me, I’ve done it.) Before you start talking to yourself, let me ask you to do this twice. Firstly say it as if you’re pleased to see someone, picture someone you like, someone who makes you smile. Secondly, pretend that you are saying the same thing to someone that you are not keen on. It shouldn’t be someone you despise, just someone that you wouldn’t really want to get stuck in a lift with. You will find that the happier you are to see someone, the more upward inflection there is on the end of your sentence. You will find that when you are not super pleased to see someone, you can still be polite, but you won’t have the over-friendly upward inflection at the end of your sentences.
That type of upward inflection is fine when you’re talking to a friend, but when you are talking to a potential client for the first time it screams ‘TELESALES.’ Nothing will inform the person that you are a sales person quicker than upward inflection. One other characteristic that upward inflection carries with it is a lack of confidence. Upward inflection at the end of any sentence hints at the fact that you are not 100% confident of what you have just said.
I will give you an extreme example of this. My fiancée is from New Zealand and when we have dinner parties our house is usually full of the booming voices of all of her Kiwi and Australian friends. One thing that is very noticeable about both these type of accents is the consistent presence of upward inflection. This is not a slant on their incredibly boisterous accents in any way shape of form, but an observation of ‘upward inflection’ in full friendly swing.
I was introduced to an Australian guy a few weeks ago at a Christmas party. I told him that my name was Jules and he said, “Nice to meet you mate, my names Terry.” The upward inflection was so extreme on the end of his sentence that I noticed that it actually sounded as if he wasn’t sure that his name was in fact Terry. Of course he knew what his own name was, but I am simply pointing out that upward inflection can even add an element of uncertainty to someone telling you their own name. If it can have that effect of someone telling you something of unquestionable truth, imagine the effect it can have on the first few lines of your telephone sales pitch.
We have covered the following 3 aspects of a dying sales pitch
- 1. Being over friendly
- 2. Confirming that your speaking to the right person
- 3. Upward inflection
I know that some of you are thinking that I have gone crazy because we all know that those 3 points that I have mentioned are in certain degrees absolutely imperative for a good opening pitch. It’s important that you build a rapport with your client. You need to be friendly to your potential client, you also need to confirm that you’re talking to the right person, and well, Jules you’ve already said that upward inflection can sound friendly, and friendliness is a good thing. So if all of these things are good, why are you saying that these 3 points will kill a sales presentation?
These qualities and actions are necessary in order not just to open your sales pitch, but also to continue through your presentation and to close the deal. However these skills, and many others need to be used in a certain order and with certain degrees of usage. The reason that they will kill a presentation is because they are used in the wrong order and in too high dosages. I like a hot curry, but if I order a Phaal the heat is just too extreme and it ruins everything, including the lining of my oesophagus. Too much of anything in most cases just doesn’t work.
You are right in thinking that the 3 points I have been questioning are in fact quite important. But the thing that needs to change is the upward inflection. If your change the upward inflection to downward inflection you are in a whole new ball park concerning your voice and how you come across on the phone. If your opening 15 to 30 seconds of your call is delivered with downward inflection it adds a new aura of seriousness to your presentation. We have already gone through why the days of a beaming, bouncy, “Hi how ya doing” type of pitch immediately alerts every ‘you are about to be sold to’ warning bell in your prospects head. But downward inflection is different.
Downward inflection carries a sense of confidence with it. It tells the listener that you have something serious to say. Let’s face it, if the prospect doesn’t buy from you, you get no commission, if you get no commission you can’t pay your rent, and if you can’t pay your rent, well, that is serious; isn’t it?
Let’s go back to the beginning of this article when I mentioned that I was called by a sales person this morning with a bouncy and beaming voice. What if the person said exactly the same thing, but this time they inflected downwards. It doesn’t matter if you are Tigger himself; downward inflection will make you sound more serious and it immediately gives you more kudos. If you sound serious, people will listen to you. And believe me, in your opening gambit, that’s exactly what you want to happen. You want the prospect to listen to you and actually weigh up in their mind whether they want to give you some of their valuable time or not in order for them to hear more about the offer you have just briefly summarised in you 30 second long opening pitch.
Try this exercise when you are selling over the phone today. Try opening a client with upward inflection, and then the next one with downward inflection. 9 times out of 10 the downward inflection will get you further.
Remember that sales is a process, and in order to get to the sale you must travel through that sales process in a structured fashion. You need to get to know your client and vice versa they need to get to know you. So if you are the most bubbly, bouncy and boisterous person, start off with some downward inflection, otherwise too much too soon will scare the client off.
I have a complete telesales training manual being launched in a few months time and I will discuss and educate on voice inflection in much greater detail. However, in the meantime look out for my articles on many other areas of sales. The ones that predominantly focus on the introduction re; The 3 Biggies, Vocal Gearbox and Voice Speed. These are all primary skills that you will need to understand and master in order to deliver a well received and viable introduction to your sales presentation. All of these points are very simple but imperative factors to be taken into account in the first 30 seconds of any sales presentation. I am always contactable via my website www.jnbassociates.co.uk for those of you looking for further sales training. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Remember, don’t pin your hopes on your history, pin them on your potential.
Julian Blee
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/julian-blee-telesales-secrets-voice-inflection-793481.html
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I joined a Toastmasters club seven years ago hoping to improving my public speaking skills. At the time, I didn’t really consider whether it would enhance my sales career, but it definitely has.
As I was leaving my weekly Toastmasters meeting last Monday, I found myself thinking about how Toastmasters training is complementary to a sales career.
Toastmasters International was designed to help people improve their communication and leadership skills…but it is most widely known to develop one’s public speaking skills. It is an excellent training ground for anyone seeking a sales career or looking to improve their overall sales skills. Sales professionals should consider the following advantages that Toastmasters experience can offer…
1. Presentation Skills – Being an excellent presenter is by far one of the best advantages a sales person can possess. The training focuses on effective use of voice, eye contact, gestures, timing, handling nerves and using visual aids to add to your presentation. Whether you are in the boardroom looking to justify your position during a company meeting, or in front a room full of clients, you need to inspire and persuade the audience to buy in to your message. The presentation skills you acquire from toastmasters will give you that sales edge.
2. Leaderships Skills – Leadership skills can help position you as the expert in any field of sales. Why? Because Toastmasters take on challenges, make things happen and get things done. The Toastmasters program has a parallel track to the communication path which will provide specific training applicable to advancing your career, especially if management is a goal of yours.
3. Credibility – Toastmasters are known for continuous self improvement. Being involved with an organization which has grown to 225,000 members across the globe makes a statement. Clients, colleagues & bosses who have been involved in Toastmasters will recognize you in a positive way. Your association to Toastmasters will be a powerful contributor to your resume. It is an excellent topic when answering the question, “Tell me about yourself” during your next interview.
4. Confidence – In sales, soaring confidence is a tremendous advantage. You will look forward to challenges, like an awkward call, dealing with complex clients; negotiating a deal or closing an important sale. As a Toastmaster, you are required to step out of your comfort zone every time you tackle a new speech, plan a contest or put yourself up for evaluation. Toastmasters are conditioned to work through fear, which ultimately builds confidence. As your confidence grows, the challenges you take on will become easier. Ultimately, clients will view you as an experienced, self assured sales professional.
5. Organizational Skills – Organizational skills are important in sales for follow up, managing your database, preparing proposals and presentations, managing your daily activities, meeting preparation…etc. The skills you receive from your Toastmasters experience will improve your organizational skills. Drafting speeches in a concise, yet logical format that is both informative and entertaining takes excellent organizational skills which can easily be applied to your sales career.
6. Sharper Listening Skills – As mentioned in a prior article, success in sales requires sharp listening skills. Sales people do much better in their careers when they armed with these skills. In Toastmasters, members learn techniques for delivering constructive, yet positive evaluations. They are also evaluated regularly. Receiving and giving evaluations help us hone our listening skills and accept constructive feedback more easily. Toastmasters are well equipped to listen reflectively to their clients and provide relevant solutions which will give them yet another advantage in their sales tool belt.
7. Networking Opportunities – Toastmasters are a supportive group. They will make an effort to help each other because they all have something in common. In most cities, there are a lot of clubs, so the opportunities are vast. A lot of networking goes on within the Toastmasters clubs, especially during the contests. Fellow toastmasters feel comfortable sharing their knowledge with each other. Like any member of a group they too will typically endorse your products or services to their colleagues.
Whether you are a novice in the sales arena or a seasoned professional, Toastmasters will make a positive difference in your career.
Take a look at some clubs in your area and attend as a guest to get a taste of what a Toastmasters experience during their meetings. I believe that the communication and leadership skills taught in Toastmasters is arguably the best investment you can make for improving sales career.
If you are in the Vancouver area check us out at www.racquenteurs.ca
Sean Moss has spent the past 15 years mastering the B2B sales environment, and the interaction between marketing and sales. He works as a corporate sales coach,freelance copywriter and public speaker. He is an advanced member of Racquenteurs Toastmasters in Vancouver BC
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/7-ways-toastmasters-will-boost-your-sales-career-792056.html
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Many successful companies have begun using competency models to help them identify the essential skills, knowledge and personal characteristics needed for successful performance in a sales job and to ensure that human resource systems focus on developing them.
A sales competency model describes the particular combination of knowledge, skills, and personal characteristics needed to effectively perform a sales role in an organization, and is used as a human resource tool for selection, training and development, appraisal and succession planning.
Similar to the individual sales competency models, successful sales organizations share certain characteristics i.e. competencies that are worthy to note:
• Effective Sales Process
• Sound Management System
• Updated Automation Tools
The impact of using sales competency models is significant at both the individual and the organizational levels. In addition, sales management has proved to be more effective by using this behavioral approach of management. The benefits from implementing sales models include:
• Increased customer retention and loyalty
• Reduced sales employee turnover
• Higher revenue growth rates or higher profitability.
There is no doubt that training helps and assists companies in the Gulf in instituting competency models and many training programs address this behavioral approach, however the responsibility falls also in the hands of sales managers and supervisors to implement such models and coach their sales force accordingly. This will ultimately lead to peak performance in sales and the increase in profit that it entails. However, training the sales force has to be fun, taking into consideration the number of demotivating objections they handle per day. Top companies such as GE, Kodak and IBM are trying to incorporate more humor into the workplace including everything from a special humor bulletin board to silly hat days. Studies showed that when humor was incorporated into the workplace, companies experienced a 21 percent decrease in staff turnover and a 38 percent decrease in absenteeism.
So give it a try, use a sales competency model and train your staff accordingly while making sure that the workplace and the learning experience include humor. After all we’ve heard the saying, laughter is the best training medicine.
Meirc Dubai offers an impressive range of Dubai training, consulting, Dubai Certification, Seminars Dubai, Management Course Dubai, Dubai Business Training and research services.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/sales-training-competency-based-for-a-slow-economy-788598.html
Posted in On-boarding, Training Sales Teams No Comments »
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