Sandler Sales Management:

Motivating Independent Reps

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Innovative sales management is critical to becoming and remaining strong as an organization. As a sales manager, you have to design your sales network to yield the greatest possible coverage for each segment of the market within tight budget constraints. At the same time, the network must be flexible enough to be redesigned and redirected as priorities and opportunities change.

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One strategy that will help you achieve this balance is the use of independent sales representatives as part of your network. Independent sales reps complement your internal sales team and allow your company to cover specialized or smaller segments of the market at a lower cost.

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Lack of motivation means a loss of sales. You generally don’t have to worry about motivating independent sales reps to sell. They already have that going; otherwise they wouldn’t have a business you want to be associated with. You do, however, want to motivate the independent sales rep to work your product line with attention and consistency.

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Financial incentives are certainly as effective with independent reps as they are with your internal team. Keep in mind that, like all employees, independent reps do their jobs for reasons that extend beyond money. They clearly have a lower need for company-based affiliation than internal reps. Nevertheless, since they are working for your company, they likely would welcome some actions that make them feel included. They are also motivated by pleasant working conditions, power and authority, security, and the opportunity to excel. Here are some ways you can address those needs when working with external reps.

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Give them leads. Don’t hold out just because they may—and probably will—develop those leads for your company and others.

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Provide back-up support. Have your inside salespeople prequalify leads without cutting the rep’s commissions. Set up some secretarial support in-house to help with the paperwork. The sales team’s secretary or the company production shop could also help external reps prepare reports or get them produced.

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Respect their time and independence. Have a set schedule for status meetings by phone; don’t call simply when you want to know what’s going on. If you are going to spend a few days with a rep, schedule the time well in advance. Don’t tell reps who to see or set up appointments for them. Independent reps make their own schedules to maximize the time they spend in each part of their territory.

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Respond promptly to their customers. Independent reps protect their relationships with "their" customers. A customer who is unhappy over a problem with your product takes it out on the rep. So, if you can’t deliver or support a product to meet the customer’s expectations, the rep will not sell your line.

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Honor their territory. Don’t allow your internal salespeople or another of your independent reps to infringe on the territory assigned to a rep.

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The management skills and techniques you have learned to use with your own salespeople will apply to independent reps. Keep in mind, however, the nature of their relationship with your company is such that they retain far more autonomy, accountability and authority than your internal sales team. You need to provide a point of leadership for your external representatives, without applying control.

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Darren R. Cecil, President

Telephone: 858-483-8888

www.sdsales.sandler.com

 sdsales@sandler.com

No Mutual Mystification
By David Sandler

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In the early stages of the sales call, the offer itself is less important than the offer being explicitly communicated and definite in its terms. In other words, there can be no doubt about what you offered the prospect.

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Too often, the interaction between salesperson and prospect is fuzzy. Neither side really understands what transpired between them. Ever hear a prospect say, "Well George, certainly based on what you’re telling me so far, all things being equal, apples to apples, it really looks good. You’re very close. I don’t see any reason in the long run why you may not get this order, assuming things fall into place and everything works out."

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On that note, the amateur salesperson rushes back to the office and says, "Boss, got one!" when, in fact, he has nothing at all. The more intelligent salesperson would recognize the prospect’s wishy-washy response. And, using the Sandler Selling System, you would not accept such verbiage from a prospect.

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To make an intelligent offer, you must first understand the prospect’s problem, or what Sandler calls "pain." This process requires you to ask a variety of questions, and to listen while the prospect does most of the talking. There should be no doubt in your mind about the prospect’s needs. If there is, ask clarifying questions. The message you want to send to your prospect in the first meeting is that you really understand the problem from the prospect’s point of view.  

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Darren R. Cecil, President

Telephone: 858-483-8888

www.sdsales.sandler.com

 sdsales@sandler.com

Round Up More Sales with the Ok Corral

Happy New Year! I do not want to ask how those resolutions are working for you.  We can discuss that later. 

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Over the weekend my family watched a movie that had a mean bully.  My four year, Darren asked my eight year old, “CJ why is that boy so mean?” CJ answered “Darren it is because he feels not OK and the way for him to feel more OK is to make others feel less OK than he does.” Proudly I thought to myself, perhaps my son should be teaching this to companies or sales people.  It made me think of the following sales tip that discusses feeling OK. 

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You’ve probably never had prospects avoid you.  You’ve probably never had prospects look uncomfortable during the sales process.  You’ve probably never felt, small, stupid, silly or even strange when you were trying to sell.  If you have experienced any of these, perhaps you need to saddle up and mosey on down to the OK Corral.

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This is the Ok Corral and it’s based on the book I’m OK You’re OK by       Thomas Harris.

Here’s the goal -- be ok with yourself, so you can make other people feel ok with themselves.   The reason why you want people to feel ok is that if they feel not ok they will want to avoid you and they sure won’t want to buy from you.  You are responsible for your client’s OK ness through the entire sales process.  Should your client feel not OK while you are asking him/her questions to determine their challenges, they will associate their feelings of not being OK with something you did and blame you for their negative feelings.  Chances are the sale is over!

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How you make people feel ok in the sales process is by giving them strokes. 

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Strokes are things like positive praise, recognition or encouragement. For example, when a prospect asks you a question, before you do anything else, give them a stroke, such as “That’s a really great question.  I’m glad you asked.”

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Most people are stroke deprived.  They are hard on themselves.  Their internal voice or self-talk is like a critical parent always putting on pressure, put-downs, never praising.  When you give a stroke, you become the voice of a nurturing person.  Most people like to be around nurturing supportive people.  We like to buy from people who like us.

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Unfortunately, we have regular patterns of thinking and connecting with other that aren’t always positive.  We either think or act like a parent, a child, or an adult.

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Here’s an example of the critical parent. "You are no good, look at what you did wrong again, you are useless". The Child inside of us may then respond with "I am no good, look how useless I am, I never get anything right". Many people hardly hear this kind of internal dialogue as it goes on so much they might just believe life is this way.   The nurturing parent may say that is not usual please tell me more about that

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Here’s an example of the child inside each of us.  The sales manager calls us into his or her office, we may immediately get a churning in our stomach and wonder what we have done wrong

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The adult inside of us is healthy, free from negative ideas about past communications, positive, and present.  The adult is quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to get offended. 

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The critical parent is angry, controlling, demeaning.  The child is selfish and self-centered.  The adult isn’t rude, conceited, or impatient. The adult is logical and serves as a referee between the child and the parent.

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So, if you want to reap the benefits of transactional analysis, here’s what can be done. 

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Techniques:  I can use the Ok corral and analyze my communication transactions to increase my effectiveness.

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Attitude:  I can change a negative sales call into a positive one.  I can be the kind of person that prospects want to buy from.

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Behavior:  I can give strokes and positive comments to my prospect.   Even though, my child tape may play telling me not to call on the prospect because he/she will not want to buy from me, I need to leave that child voice safe in the car.  Instead, I play my nurturing tape, so I can nurture and the client and communicate empathy and caring while discussing their challenges.  I also need my adult tape playing in my head which will provide my prospect with a logical reason to buy my product or service.  

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Please do not forget people buy emotionally and then justify their decisions intellectually.  Just bring your nurturing parent and adult tapes along as your posse and you will never have to have a showdown with your prospects at the OK Corral.  

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Want more information about the use of Transactional Analysis in the Sales Process? Or to attend our next Sales Training Boot Camp or Briefing call 858-483-8888.   

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Darren R. Cecil, President

Telephone: 858-483-8888

www.sdsales.sandler.com

 sdsales@sandler.com

Sales Tip of the Iceberg

Like the iceberg that sank the Titanic, there are at least four major weaknesses lurking beneath the surface of any potential new hire and perhaps even your current sales force. Don’t wait till your ship starts taking on water to uncover and shore up any potential threats.

Ice Issue in the Need for Approval

When salespeople need approval from prospects, they are unable to close effectively. They cling to comments like, "we really appreciate what you did for us". They are too fearful to get the business. They usually find it difficult to ask tough questions because they're afraid to upset prospects.

Freezing due to Emotional Involvement

Some salespeople are worriers. They strategize on the fly, are excitable, creative, or analytical. After a sales call you might hear them say, "Oh jeez! I should have said..." They weren't able to execute during the call because they were caught off guard, became emotional, and over-analyzed. Panicking, they began to think about how they would handle the obstacle. When your salespeople talk to themselves they can't effectively listen to their prospect.

Icicles in Non-Supportive Buy Cycles

Buy Cycle refers to how your salespeople make purchases for themselves. They will tolerate bad behavior from their prospects when it is similar to their own. A buy cycle that fails to mirror a proper selling process causes many obstacles your salespeople have been unable to handle. Anyone who bargain shops, does extensive research, and clips coupons will be more vulnerable to stalls, put offs, lies, excuses, procrastinators, comparison shoppers, sob stories and other forms of "think it overs.".

Cold Feet Talking About Money

My parents told me never to ask questions about how much money people made, had, or merely mention the word money. Discussing money is impolite. Right? Wrong.

When salespeople are uncomfortable talking about money, they can't ask a prospect how much money (s)he has, where it might be coming from, or how to come up with more. Therefore, they fail to accurately learn how much money a prospect will spend with them. This becomes even more difficult when the prospect is equally uncomfortable.

You run a tight ship and don’t shuffle the deck chairs on the Titanic. You systematically assess all your new hires freezing out anyone who can’t or won’t sell at the margins you require. You also have a good plan for supporting your existing team so these icy issues don’t cause their blood to run cold. As a result your sales are hot.

If for any reason you want a screening process more streamlined and fluid, please contact us at the Sandler Sales Institute and will help your ship come in.

In the box:

Hidden Weaknesses Impacting Sales Success
· Ice Issue in the Need for Approval
· Freezing due to Emotional Involvement
· Icicles in Non-Supportive Buy Cycles
· Cold Feet Talking About Money

Darren R. Cecil, President

Telephone: 858-483-8888

www.sdsales.sandler.com

 sdsales@sandler.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

To our great friends and members of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce,

I was recently researching the origin of Thanksgiving.  I found this website (http://wilstar.com/holidays/thankstr.htm) and I wanted to share it you.  I hope that you enjoy this brief historical perspective on Thanksgiving.  Growing up in Boston and visiting the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock, gave me an appreciation for this special day of Thanks.

Please read below the article to see what events we have coming up in December.

On behalf of my family, we all wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Darren R. Cecil, President

Telephone: 858-483-8888

www.sdsales.sandler.com

 sdsales@sandler.com

The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchanted with the Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly. Seeking a better life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to America. Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists, but were hired to protect the company's interests. Only about one-third of the original colonists were Separatists.

The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast -- including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival than a true "thanksgiving" observance. It lasted three days.

Governor William Bradford sent "four men fowling" after wild ducks and geese. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their feast. However, it is certain that they had venison. The term "turkey" was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl.

Another modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included that treat. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. There was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There was no domestic cattle for dairy products, and the newly-discovered potato was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums.

This "thanksgiving" feast was not repeated the following year. But in 1623, during a severe drought, the pilgrims gathered in a prayer service, praying for rain. When a long, steady rain followed the very next day, Governor Bradford proclaimed another day of Thanksgiving, again inviting their Indian friends. It wasn't until June of 1676 that another Day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed.

On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unanimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving. It is notable that this thanksgiving celebration probably did not include the Indians, as the celebration was meant partly to be in recognition of the colonists' recent victory over the "heathen natives," (see the proclamation).

October of 1777 marked the first time that all 13 colonies joined in a thanksgiving celebration. It also commemorated the patriotic victory over the British at Saratoga. But it was a one-time affair.

George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, although some were opposed to it. There was discord among the colonies, many feeling the hardships of a few Pilgrims did not warrant a national holiday. And later, President Thomas Jefferson scoffed at the idea of having a day of thanksgiving.

It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Lady's Book. Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was proclaimed by every president after Lincoln. The date was changed a couple of times, most recently by Franklin Roosevelt, who set it up one week to the next-to-last Thursday in order to create a longer Christmas shopping season. Public uproar against this decision caused the president to move Thanksgiving back to its original date two years later. And in 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.

Advantages Of A Selling Career

"Find a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life." - Jim Fox

Rodney Dangerfield's career was built on a theme: "I get no respect." Too many salespeople suffer from the Dangerfield syndrome; either they get no respect, or they act that way. They are selling sympathy rather than solutions. Don't let this be you; hold your head high. Selling is a great field, with advantages that few other careers can offer.

1. Your compensation is limited only by your own performance. Selling is the classic embodiment of the heart and soul of capitalism: PAY ON RESULTS. Your level of achievement and income has no ceiling.

2. Selling makes you test your mettle every day. Every time an athlete steps onto the field, he has to prove himself. Sales provides you the same opportunity to show your stuff. You're only as good as your next performance.

3. Selling generates revenue. Nothing happens in our economy until a sale is made. Companies don't make money until the customer decides to buy; you help the customer make that decision. As long as you're generating sales, you have complete job security.

4. Selling solves problems and fulfills needs. What you're selling will either relieve pain, provide pleasure, or both. You help customers solve problems, make more money, serve others better, enhance their self esteem, improve their knowledge, or fulfill their heart's desire. When you do your job right, others get what they want out of life.

5. Selling is a psychological high. At the end of the day are most workers displaying the "joy of victory?" Look at any salesperson who has just closed an important deal, landed a new customer, or solved a client's problem. You're watching a winner.

Wishing you good selling!

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Darren R. Cecil, President
Telephone: 858-483-8888
www.sdsales.sandler.com
sdsales@sandler.com

SALES - A SCARY BUSINESS!

There are so many things out there that look like monsters, things that make you feel uneasy, and disguises that can trick you. And you know I’m not talking about Halloween.
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Sales is a scary business. If it weren’t, there would be a lot more people lined up to take the job. What other career could you be in that guarantees you’ll be rejected ten times a day; where you’ll have people say ‘no’ to you; where you’ll have to pick up the phone or call on people you’ve never met and ask for time to discuss their business? No question, most people outside of the profession see us as unique; and that’s the nice thing they say.
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How do people generally define a good business development person? I was shooting hoop with a friend, and he said his accountant daughter was interested in a sales career. I asked why? He said, “I don’t know, but she’d be good at it. She’s got the gift of gab.” So one misinformed perception is you have to be a talker. What you really need to be is a great listener. The best salespeople can craft compelling questions that engage the prospect and help both of them understand the issues they face and the impact they’re having.
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Oddly enough, I’ve known people who say they couldn’t work in sales; yet they can express themselves vehemently on a subject they are passionate about, or defend their position on any topic of the day.
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To be in sales, you must be a professional communicator. That’s not the same as talking; talking in sales is overrated.

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After today the monsters from Halloween disappear.  The scary part of business development remains.  Check out the boot camp information below.  Learn new tricks which will lead to lots of treats!

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Wishing you a Happy Halloween and Good Selling!

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Darren R. Cecil, President
Telephone: 858-483-8888
www.sdsales.sandler.com
sdsales@sandler.com

Are You in Sales For the Long Haul?

Have you burned your bridges back to the secure life of a steady job with a guaranteed paycheck? Or are you just in sales until something better comes along?

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People don't fail in sales because of bad markets, bad prospects, bad companies, bad products, or bad economic times. Those are just the excuses they use. People fail in sales because they stop believing in themselves.

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The most important thing you need to be successful in sales is a strong self image. Sales is a high-risk business. Every day you risk rejection, defeat and failure. If you have a weak self image, you may begin to take these experiences personally and soon you'll be reluctant to put yourself in risky situations. When that happens, it's over.

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Learn to separate your role as a salesperson, "R", from your self-image, "I". One day you make three sales and your "R" is a TEN; next day you blow two easy closes and your "R" is a TWO. But, at the end of the day, your "I" should remain a TEN in both cases, because the principles, values, and beliefs that make up the inner you have not changed.

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Selling is no place to get your emotional needs met; the purpose of selling is to go to the bank. You'll achieve that purpose when you:

• Put your ego aside
• Realize that no matter how prospects treat you and no matter what results you achieve, your "I" is always a TEN
• Focus your energy on what it takes to close the deal

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Wishing you Good Selling.

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Darren R. Cecil, President
Telephone: 858-483-8888
www.sdsales.sandler.com
sdsales@sandler.com

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