The Basics of Selling…What a novel idea!

I wanted to begin the next phase of “Pack & Ship Products – The Basics” on specific sales techniques but I must lay some ground work first, hence my sarcastic title. Selling is the fundamental activity that drives the success of everything in business. The basic exchange of value is what buying and selling or vice versa is.

Not everyone has the personality to be an effective sales person. As harsh as that statement sounds, I believe it is true. If the thought of asking someone (sometimes a stranger) to give you money for goods or services makes your skin crawl, selling is not for you. If you enjoy the process of meeting new people and you believe your products or services fulfill a need or want and you cannot wait to exchange money for them, you are a sales person.

There are sometimes bigger problems that must found before a person or even a company can be successful in sales.

• Sometimes non-sales people are hired out of desperation to fill a position. This is not only bad for the company but sets that person up for failure.
• Good sales people can be great sales people but lack training on the fundamentals.
• Great sales people can digress to below average without frequent refreshers, goals, and expectations.

Which describes you or your salesforce more? 

And…if you do not know…there is a bigger problem afoot.

Outside Sales

Description One

• Get up at 7:00ish and make calls up to 10:00 a.m. to set future appointments.
• Leave the house or office by 10:15 to 10:30 a.m. to go sell.
• Have quick lunch by yourself around 11:30 to 12:00 and then go sell some more.
• Wind down the day about 3:30 p.m. and start traveling back home or office.
• Have some warm to hot “potential” future sales for the day.

Description Two

• Get up at 5:00 and review your pre-call plan mentally preparing for each visit.
• Leave the house or office and are at your first cold-call/door-pull or visit by 8:00 a.m. with bagels, cookies or something.
• Have lunch with a current customer to expand depth in the relationship and products.
• Know that you can and will get an order on each cold-call, drop-in or appointment.
• End the day at 5:00ish (unless you have dinner with a new customer) and get home and separate your orders, new opportunities, and break your cold-calls into cold, warm, or hot leads.
• Pre-plan your next, day or week.

Inside Sales

Description One

• Get in late (after 8:00 a.m.)
• Get coffee and start making random unorganized calls at 8:30 a.m.
•  Check email multiple times during each hour to avoid calls and selling.
• Take a break mid-morning.
• Do some busy work or get up from your desk to ask questions you already know the answer to.
• Throw in some more calls.
• Make a good compelling problem-solving presentation to an interested buyer but do not ask for an order.
•  Lunch
• Do some busy work.
• Afternoon coffee
• Take an in-bound call but do not turn it into a sales opportunity.
• Go home at 4:59 p.m.

Description Two

• Start making your pre-scheduled (with set call objectives) outbound dials at 8:00 a.m.
• Set a goal to make enough calls per hour to reach 4 decision makers on the phone and repeat this each hour.
• Do not open your email each hour until you have made enough calls to have 4 decision making conversations.
• Know that every dial outbound or inbound call you are going make will result in a sale. You are ready with a primary, secondary, and tertiary close.
• Eat lunch
• Fill your pipeline with future opportunities.
• Make your last call at 5:00.

To finish my ground work so we can talk in the future about selling packaging and shipping products, what are you doing to ensure you are motivating and training a team of highly-effective, sales generating, customer retaining, relationship building, profitable and happy sales BEASTS?