Optimizing Sales Hiring Effectiveness. Read the Article presented by CSO Insights that discusses the challenge in hiring the right person for your sales team. It looks at the type of Process you employ and factors in the type of Relationships you develop with your prospects. Take a minute to download the full article (only 5 pages and a quick read)

http://info.csoinsights.com/GettingtheRightPlayersontheField.html

There are two (2) things that, in my experience, are imperative to having a truly dynamic Sales Group.  Sales Process & Sales Coaching. You must know where you are and where you are going with each and every prospect. If the sales process is aligned with the prospects buying process and is integrated appropriately with sales methodologies and tools, and reinforced through coaching by management, the process is the guiding framework to convert strategy into revenue, in a predictable, consistent and sustainable manner. If win rates are declining, sales cycles are getting longer, there is an inability to leverage and replicate success across the group, and the pipeline is cloudy and ambiguous, you lack a process or you need to fine tune it. In addition to a process, Sales Coaching has been shown to positively impact performance. According to the Sales Executive Council, when coaching is added, sales productivity is improved by 88%, ROI goes up by 27%, and according to Gallup, customer loyalty improves by 56%. Would you like to see this kind of impact on your business?

The First Coast Coaches Association, a chapter of the International Coach Federation, named Robert Zinsser from Get In The Game SE as President. Robert will lead the chapter in 2011-2012 in developing awareness of the value of Coaching in today’s business and personal issues. The North Florida chapter has a wide variety of categories in its Coaching membership and will be reaching out into the community to heighten awareness and the importance of Coaching.

I recently attended a webinar entitled “How Your Value is Critical to Creating Value”. It was a very interesting topic and runs in parallel with the work that I do with SMART Conversations. We’ve all heard that after food, shelter and sleep, the most fundemental human need is to feel valued. When you feel your value is under attack you move into “fight” or “flight” which is a basic part of our human being. Part of the brain shuts down and you react in one of the two ways identified – fight or flight, and your defensiveness rises. In SMART Conversations, we refer to this as you moving into your “Trigger Style”. The key to getting out of the survival zone and into the performance zone is called practicing good Dialogue. Being able to draw out the facts and stop telling yourself a story – The Belief Map.

This webinar went on to talk about what we, as humans, value – Acceptance, Acknowledgement, Respect, and Worth. These are what address our Core Emotional Needs. Daniel Goleman, the author of a book called Emotional Intelligence stated that “threats to our standing in the eyes of others are almost as powerful as those to our very survival.” We need to feel valued. One suggestion provided was for us to always think about creating value in the world inwhich we live instead of defending our value and worth. It was also stated that Good Leaders – Acknowledge, Appreciate, and Respect their people and that goes a long way with most.

Sales Leader Jonathan Farrington cited recently published research that discovered that the average tenure of a Sales Manager is now just 18 months. More organizations are recognizing that top sales professionals need expert coaching support from their managers to improve their performance and to truely excel at their skill. So, we have Sales Managers lastly a little under 2 years and Sales Representatives need Coaching. We have a dilema.

Most Sales Managers rise to their position from being a top performing Sales Representative. Companies may do some Sales Training but most concentrate strictly on Product Training, especially during the recent economic crunch that most companies just experienced. Add a little pressure to produce numbers and the trap the Sales Manager falls into is to do the selling for their Representatives. If the Sales Manager is helping the Representatives close, they are not teaching them/coaching them to be good at what they need to do. It creates a dependent relationship where the Manager eventually burns out with too much to do and they are not effective at what their responsibilities really are. Regular Sales Coaching creates skills that eventually becomes daily and regular behavior. This leads to Representatives that develop a greater level of engagement within the company, sales performance increases, and top sales people stay and contribute to greater profitability. Coach Sales Managers to Coach and give the Sales Represetatives what they want and need to be successful.

A gifted salesperson can sell anything to anyone. It is because they are very confident about themselves and know they can charm and intrigue virtually everyone they come in contact with. It is not by touting themselves and bragging about how wonderful they are, but instead by revealing a genuine and unrelenting interest in others. They care about:

• What makes their prospects tick
• Why they are passsionate about their work
• What they value about business, family, life, and friendship
• Who they are as “regular” people, as opposed to their executive titles
• What their dreams and goals are

When people recognize that you are truly interested in them, an extraordinary chain reaction occurs. First, they thnk about themselves. Then they think about you, and then they appreciate that you have genuine interest in the traits and attributes that make them unique. They feel engaged. They feel connected to you in a way that no sales manual ever discusses or recognizes. They feel a certain intimacy – that is the most powerful sales builder that can ever be unleased.

 None of this is manipulative. It’s based on a legitimate interest in and involvement with others that build a bridge between you and the prospect or client. A bridge of faith, trust, mutual interests, and even friendship. When you obtain this level of intimacy, you can sell the world and interestingly enough, iot doesn’t come across as “selling” because there is no product or service at the foreffront. Instead, there is personality, an intelligent and compelling human being, developing a bond with another.

How do you know when you have achieved this special status with your customers and clients – A true “Relationship”?

• They turn to you for advice in issues outside the realm of business
• Your relationship evolves into a form that cannot be defined by an order or a transaction
• It is clear to you that the other person truly enjoys your company. Being together transforms from a “have to do” to a “want o do”

My definition of a True Relationship has been, for most of my professional career,  defined as being built on Trust, Credibilty, Expertise, Reliability, and now “Intimacy”.

I recently read an article in Fortune magazine that discussed “Creating Connections” with employees. It really follows some of the the 5 Principles of SMART Conversations and the work that I am passionate about.

Bonding with your employees doesn’t just mean a fun, better place to work. It leads to better business results. Pontish Yeramyan, CEO of Gap International says that “The more connected one is to people, the more willing and rapidly they will do things because of the relationship.” She continues to state that “employees are more likely to take on risks and bigger challenges if they feel as if their boss knows and understands them.”

Some tips on creating “affinity” with employees are:

1.) Say things that are hard to say. Deal with problems without placing blame.

2.) Be interested, not just interesting. Show a personal interest in every single person and be more accessible and people are able to bond with you and give their best performance.

3.) Open up first. Share things about yourself that you are dealing with and what you need to develop in your own career or life. It lets employees see you as human and know that they can be real with you because you are real with them.

This article really reinforces pieces of the work of SMART Conversations and I thought you might find a few good tips.

I beleive there are three most essential, core things that every employee… every person… deeply craves.

Safety: People want to feel safe and they want to know that you have their back, that they can speak the truth without suffering and consequences, that they work in a safe envirnment, that their job, to the extent that you can control that, and livelihood are safe. Helping your employees feel “safe” is a fundemental element of building the kind of culture that will allow them to be creative and highly engaged.

Belonging: People want to feel like they’re part of a group, part of a team. They want to feel welcomed and that people genuinely care about them and value them as an individual. This is why the motivator of a culture that has a strong “family” feel….. where people are friendly to each other and often times work with their best friends….. is consistently lised as one of the most important factors in creating an organization where employees are loyal, satisfied, and engaged.

Appreciation: Employees want to know that they are appreciated for thew work they do, how they contribute to the success of the company and who they are as an individual. This strikes directly at the motivation of self-esteem. People want to feel that they are doing a good job and that the rest of the team feels like thay are an important contributor and add real value. The goal here is to catch people doing things right and to build a culture of “celebration” into every aspect of your business.

If you stay focused on these three things that your employees need in order to bring everything they have to the work they do, you will have engaged employees and an enironment that leads to success for you and your company.

Start by focusing on what needs your target demographic group have in common and be clear and concise. What do they all want that your business can provide? What is important to them? The purpose of your value proposition is to identify and satisfy an unmet need that your target market possesses.

The benefits of a strong value proposition to your business is it:

• Creates a strong differential between you and your competitors
• Increases not only the quantity but the quality of prospective leads
• Assists you in enhancing tools that will help you close more business

An effective value proposition describes what you do in terms of tangible business results. It draws interest and shares a success story within a few words. Get In The Game SE’s value proposition:

“We Build Teams & Leaders”

TEAMS through establishing 1.) Effective Sales Processes and Management that results in a 30% increase in revenue, 2.) Top of Mind Awareness by nurturing a greater number of prospects until they are sales ready, and 3.) Dialogue through a development of a culture powered by SMART Conversations.

LEADERS through Coaching & Assisting Small Businesses to excel in their markets.

I recently read an article about Peter Drucker and A.G. Lafley being curious and how it has led to some amazing insights. Their advice is to decide to learn something new without anyone asking you to. Karen Dillon, Editor of Harvard Business Review has “covered many entrepreneurs and many of the great ones were relentlessly curious, freely daring to reach out to people they thought they could learn from, even when it wasn’t clear why those people would give them the time of day. The morale of the story is that great thinkers and innovators make deliberate choices to be curious and then dare to pick up the phone, email someone, or start their own research project. Great connections that lead to game-changing insights aren’t made randomly.” You need to make discovery a priority project. What journey of discovery is going to top you to-do list Monday morning?

Industry Leaders in Sales are encouraged to challenge themselves and their employee sales group to move toward increasing marketing and sales accountability (ROI) through proper lead management. Too many corporate managers are allowing nearly 75-90% of the inquiries generated by marketing to be ignored by salespeople. According to Dan Rogers, CEO of Smartlead by Adtrack, “Recent research shows that marketers are under pressure to increase market share, lower costs, prove ROI and directly contribute to revenue growth. More than 50% of organizations state that lead generation is their biggest marketing challenge”. This number will grow larger, as companies look at going beyond traditional lead generation and move into lead management, which is a must. Organizations that want to improve revenue make sales more effective and respond to the changing needs of buyer must adopt a lead management process.

Get In The Game SE announces a strategic partnership with Target Teams, Inc.  Target Teams Inc. has created the industry’s first “Talent Intelligence Platform” – Target Teams Advisor®.

Read the attached Press Release under “NEWS” at my website

PRESS RELEASE 100510:

Sales Coaching is one of the most effective ways to optimize performance and maximize the rentention of sales people. Good sales coaches raise the bar on performance, helping each team member continuously improve. According to a recent study, sales representatives receiving three (3) hours per month of coaching exceeded their selling goals by 7%, increased revenue by 25%, and increased deal size by 70%. The same research also concluded that calls per representative increased by a healthy 76% among top performers and by 261% in the core group.

Clearly, coaching can become a dynamic and ongoing process that drives individuals to higher levels of success. Good coaches also promote greater satisfaction and retention of sales people. In the right hands, coaching has the potential to be a major differentiator.

Innovative companies are sustainable only if the can produce demonstrable value. Otherwise senior management loses interest. Companies should gauge the success of their organizations, based on how many ideas are implemented and with what results.

Companies are forming innovation communities within their organizations to create a space to innovate. After all the employees are the ones who daily fight the company’s battles, who serve the customers and can explore new markets or products and fend off the competition.

The current economic weakness offers new opportunities for those who seize them. Companies with imagination and courage can do more than tread water amid the slump. Tools like innovation communities can help businesses take advantage of the upheavel and rewrite the rules of their industry.

As you may have noticed I am a sports minded person and look to sports for a lot of “reality TV” and real life examples. I recently read an article about drawing comparisons to Rex Ryan, Head Football Coach of the NY Jets (I’m a huge Pittsburgh Steeler fan) and how his coaching qualities relate to those of good Sales Managers. He has a unconventional leadership style and that’s exactly why his players like him so much. 1.) He supports his players. He stands up for them in public and criticizes them privately. 2.) He does not take himself too seriously. He often makes cracks about his large frame to take the attention away from his players and team and puts it on him. 3.) He makes connections with his all his players. He gets to know each player and makes a connection and bonds with them. No matter how despaired the season gets, he always believes that each player would respond and turn things around. 4.) He has confidence in his players. When your coach has confidence in you, you want to work that much harder to make sure that you don’t let him down. 5.) He adapts to a proven system and duplicates it in a new environment. His accomplishments with the Baltimore Ravens (boooooo!!) with a defensive scheme that consistently placed the among the very best defenses. He brought elements of that system which paid off with a berth in the game one step from the Super Bowl. 6.) He tells the truth. He’s up front and honest with his players and they trust him so they follow him. He is a leader and has many good qualities of what would make a great Sales Manager.

Robert W. Zinsser, President of Get In The Game SE has accepted the nomination as the Vice President of Public Relations for the American Society of Training & Development – Northeast Florida Chapter.

This position requires that a Marketing Plan, a Marketing Budget and a Committee of support be organized and implemented. Robert is very excited about the opportunity to support the ASTD and utilize his skills and energy to promote the ASTD and raise the visibility and value of the organization in Northeast Florida. Robert has already begun to formulate the ideas he has for his new responsibilities which will become effective January 2011.

I read an article this past weekend in the Jacksonville Times Union that disussed the use of Social Media and how it is driving traffic into local Automobile Dealerships. It also commented on Ford’s “unusual launch” of the 2001 Explorer fueled by the “buzz” created by social media leading up to a helicopter delivering the new model at an aviation show in Oshkosh, WI. What I came awy with through all of this discussion was that the use of Social Media is that it can be very powerful if used correctly in this market. The message was, “It’s not about selling a car but about connecting with customers on a personal level.” This is the approach I take throughout my business in two of the the services that I offer – SMART Conversations and Cyrano’s Closed Loop Marketing System. The personal connection is very important in today’s somewhat non-personal environment in which we live and work.

Executive Briefing Luncheon Aug 6 2010 Promotion Piece 071410  Join us for lunch and an Executive Briefing event at Venture Plex – Friday, August 6, 2010. This informative briefing will present a collaborative approach to strategic creativity powered by effective dialogue. This is a follow up to a webinar presented and very well received.

The Jacksonville Business Journal reports that small and medium size companies are confident that their revenues and profits will grow and plan to hire new employees over the next twelve months. GOOD NEWS for the market and Northeast Florida. The article breaks out statistics and feedback from metro Jacksonville FL.

Read further: http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2010/07/05/daily18.html?surround=etf&ana=e_article

I recently read an article that reinforces what I am providing to my clients and their sales groups. You can manage sales activities but you can’t manage sales results. When you set up, add a process to, and measure the results, sales managers can then rep the benefits of increased sales and productivity with their sales group. Read the article link provided by Employee Benefit Adviser

http://eba.benefitnews.com/news/improving-sales-management-effectiveness-sales-activities-2683902-1.html?zkPrintable=true

SMART Conversations – 4Ds workshop flyer – July 26-28-2010

Attend the SMART Conversations Workshop on July 26, 2010. Jacksonville, FL

*Increase Trust
*Maximize ROI
*Reduce Liability
CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE FOR REGISTRATION

I recently read an article that talked about what things are required to survive in today’s economic environment. I would suggest that these same things are required in a healthy economic environment…. A few things that struck a nerve with me were: First,  Focus your Sales Teams on SELLING. According to The Alexander Group, a typical sales representative spends only 22% of her or his time actually selling. They spend the rest of their time in internal meetings, on administrative activities, and traveling. Do the math and you will discover just how much more sales capacity you will gain by keeping their time focused on selling. Second, Standardize the Sales Process. It helps your organization define, “where are we with this prospect?” Everyone is on the same page and ensures consistency among and between your teams.

SMART Conversations May 2010 newsletter 052610

See the newsletter from Michele Simos and SMART Conversations on this important topic.

Michele Simos writes an article in the recent edition of SMART Perspectives about improving your “online persona”.

SMART Conversations May 2010 newsletter 052610

Baby Boomers as today’s leaders find themselves conflicted. Check out the full article:

SMART Conversations May 2010 newsletter 052610

Why are there so many ads and job postings for a Sales Manager? My guess is that it is due to several things. It starts with the usual path of a Sales Manager getting the job. He or she is the best performing salesperson for the organization and when the position opens up, they are the new manager. First, this not necessarily the best practice. Simply put, just because you are a great sales person doesn’t mean you will be a great sales manager. When and if this doesn’t work out, the company is now searching for a new sales manager. Second, when bringing in a person from outside the organization for the sales manager position, you are taking a big chance that this individual actually can accomplish what he or she says they can accomplish. I propose that an approach could be used to “outsource” the sales manager position and gain several advantages. There is a high degree of accountability without hiring the person, with all the expense, to get the job done. There is then a focus on the sales function, process, and results by the outsourced sales manager’s role, without the company issues that tend to creep into every employee experience. If you have any comments, supporting my theory or presenting your viewpoint, let’s talk.

I have been very active in Networking for my Business and have learned from the experience and want to pass along some Key Tips & Suggestions.

First and foremost, you need to have a prepared and rehearsed “Elevator Speech” (15 seconds to deliver) that answers the question “what do you do?” It must identify what problems or issues you address with your target market and it’s a great idea to give the definition of your “perfect prospect”.

Make sure you go into the networking function with a goal. Either to connect with 3 or more “good” prospects or referrals or to find another attendee or two that you can partner with based n their product or service.

Once you’ve gathered all your new networking connections, make sure you connect with them one-on-one immediately following the event with some information of value, based on your brief conversation with them, or information on what you can provide to any people they come in contact with.

Networking, in my opinion, is the most targeted way to build your business and connect with people through many eyes and ears.

Keep this in mind while you are at your job doing the fine work that you do. You are viewed by your company as a “revenue producer” or as “overhead”. I have know several people that have gotten caught in this dilemma and it can happen oh so subtly. Always be conscious to adding value to your role with the company, especially if you get caught in the overhead bucket. Even if your responsibilities are bringing in revenue, though you would think that is revenue producing, the corporate culture today looks at the total picture and factors in your overhead cost and if your job can be done by others for less. That is why it is important to stay on your toes, observe what is going on around you and be thinking about how you are interviewing for your next job. Stay Safe Out There!!!!

Welcome to Get In The Game SE and my business. I established my company to help companies of all sizes to become more effective. I address their effectiveness in two areas. First, in the area of sales, I will work with an organization in managing the Sales Group to become more focused on generating sales and provide them with tools to accomplish that. I will define a sales process for the unique sales environment of the company that employs my services. The bottom line is that sales increase and more revenue is produced.
Second, I work with organizations of all types that have a need for more effective communication in their current environment. I promote positive, effective and respectful communication through a training program called SMART Conversations.

I recently read an article that had good application in today’s highly “mobile” workforce. Now that we have navigated our way through – some better than others – a tough economic time, hopefully we have learned to work smarter. An article published by Citrix Online stated that the IDC (no explanation of who this is) predicts that by the year 2011, “nearly 75% of the US workforce will be mobile”. They suggested 10 ways to prepare your organization for the growing mobility of the workforce. You can visit the short piece via www.citrixonline.com and search the title “10 Ways to Advance Your Business in the Age of Workforce Mobility”.