Happy Independence Day 2008!

232 years!

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend from all of us at the Sales Hub.

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Selling Your Solution

This week’s SalesRepRadio spot talks about how you as a rep can stay focused on being a solution provider instead of downloading the prospect with all the features and benefits of your product/service.  The interview is with Ron Lavine, founder of Intellworks Inc.  Ron has this to say:

“What I’ve found is that sales reps are very well educated on their product or service, or what I like to call solution. And the tendency is to want to talk about that, and all the wonderful things that it does, as opposed to finding out which aspects of their product or service are needed by the prospect. It’s a ’scatter-shot ‘ approach versus taking the time to ask questions up front.”

He gives 3 tips or guidelines to follow (pay attention to the first one):

• Don’t sell. Focus on finding out if there is a need to sell.
• Get a dialog going and then throw out a question to put the ball in their court.
• Focus on the other person and find out what is important to them.

Focus on First Impressions

The title has a broad meaning and could be taken in a variety of directions.  Let’s focus on starting a new job and the first impression you make with a new boss which is the title of the article from the StarTribune.  I may have passed on posting about this article under different circumstances but recent events gives the article new meaning for me.

There isn’t any earth-shattering advice in the article, but it is full of good, sound advice that everyone should keep in mind.  Here’s why - we recently had a salesperson that could have benefited immensely from the advice given.  The article has 3 main points; leave a good first impression, focus on the positive and pick your battles.

The 2nd point is the one with which many people struggle (think about someone who was talking about previous co-workers, bosses or companies).  As my Grandma used to tell me, “if you don’t have anything good to say then don’t say anything at all.”  I hear too many candidates and newly-hired employees bad mouth something from their previous company that really has no relevance to what they are involved in at the time.

You will also find in the website margins a list of things to remember for making a first impression that I would like to leave you with.

• Be friendly.
• Show patience.
• Exhibit professionalism.
• Stay flexible.
• Listen.
• Anticipate his or her needs.
• Stick with the facts.
• Let go of your baggage.
• Invite him or her to lunch.

Lame Excuses for Being Late

Okay, I’m a sucker for articles like this -there are usually some rather lame or bizarre excuses.  As I hoped, the first two made me laugh.  Hope you enjoy (and a piece of advice, don’t try using these).

• While rowing across the river to work, I got lost in the fog.
• Someone stole all my daffodils.
• I had to go audition for American Idol.
• My ex-husband stole my car so I couldn’t drive to work.
• My route to work was shut down by a presidential motorcade.
• I have transient amnesia and couldn’t remember my job.
• I was indicted for securities fraud this morning.
• The line was too long at Starbucks.
• I was trying to get my gun back from the police.
• I didn’t have money for gas because all of the pawnshops were closed. 

Don’t Make These Errors on Your Cover Letter

CareerBuilder had an interesting article on cover letters -  Seven Cover Letter Don’ts - that gives a short example cover letter then lays out the 7 things that are wrong with it.  The 7 tips are simple, direct and to-the-point and yet so many cover letters I receive have not followed any of these tips.

1. Don’t address the letter “Dear Sirs”.

2. Don’t forget to say which position you are applying for.

3. Don’t send a cover letter that has not been thoroughly proofread. Typographical and grammatical errors (such as confusing “you’re” with “your”) create a poor impression.

4. Don’t focus on what you want. Focus instead on what value you can bring to the employer.

5. Don’t send a generic letter.

6. Don’t appear desperate.

7. Don’t challenge them to hire you. Employers will be turned off if you say something like “It’s your loss if you don’t hire me.”

If at all possible, have someone else proof read your cover letter.  Usually it is much easier for someone else to pick up on your grammatical errors.  One other tip when it comes to proof reading - use spell check.  Simple, I know, but clearly many people do not use it.  This is especially true if you are emailing your resume.  Most email programs are able to spell check your email before it goes out.  Please, turn the feature on right now if you haven’t done so already.

Friday Tips - Communication Keys

The past couple of weeks we have been working with a customer who is ramping a new salesperson.  Unfortunately, we have found one major piece of the process missing which we and the customer both own.  That piece is communication.

The most interesting aspect of this communication issue is the interaction between our customer, the salesperson and us.  If just one of us would have started the communication cycle sooner things would be in a completely different place right now.

Let me lay the foundation for you regarding the situation.  A strong salesperson with direct industry experience was hired to help develop a specific market that our customer had not been able to penetrate.  Our customer liked the salesperson’s skill and experience and felt that he would start fast with minimal training.  Besides, they figured if the salesperson needed anything he would ask.  So the salesperson started with just a short orientation and minimal training and then was basically told to go sell.  Not the type of ramp that we expected or developed for the new salesperson. 

We followed up with the salesperson and our customer for the first few weeks to check on progress and development.  All the progress reports were good.  Then we received a call from our customer stating that they were disappointed in the progress that the salesperson was making.  Yeah, that was a surprise.

We set up meetings with both of them and through that process we discovered there was no communication between either of them.  I’m being serious - no phone calls, little meeting and next-to-no emails.  The salesperson was feeling like an island and was not receiving support from his boss.  He was only corrected for not bringing in the right deals, not being able to hold on price and not bringing in enough opportunities. 

The price problem was the biggest issue his boss brought to our attention, and unfortunately, the value proposition was never a topic of their discussions.  How can a salesperson defend margins with prospects if they don’t understand the value the company brings to the market?  This is now the top item of discussion and where we are placing all of our effort.  Something that should have been a priority in training never was discussed. 

Now as I said all parties are guilty in this and the moral of the story is that no matter what, make sure the lines of communication are open and engaged.  As an employer, no matter how strong a salesperson is, don’t short the training and make sure you are communicating.   Also, set clear expectations and put systems in place to ensure these expectations are being met.  As a salesperson, ask questions, ask for assistance and, most importantly, communicate with your boss frequently and directly.