Improve Your Sales Results by Not Selling – Three Tips from the St. Lucia Straw Market

March 13, 2012

Learn a sales lesson from the lady in the St. Lucia straw market.

I was on a Caribbean cruise last week – first time away from email in years. The first stop was St. Lucia, home to one of the larger straw markets (local crafts, etc.) in the region. Let’s just say I’m not a shopping fan, but I negotiated a morning of ziplining for an afternoon of shopping – and received $50 in free sales training.

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Posted by Dave Slovin

Closing the Professional Services “Sale”

February 24, 2012

Five (different?) tips for landing the next client.

I know. You’re not technically in a sales position. You are a professional. I also bet that just doing a great job is not enough of a magnet to attract and retain every prospective client. You can always improve, and that’s why it helps to think like a sales rep sometimes.

Before you roll your eyes at yet another sales article, I thought about that too and tried to look at this topic from a little different perspective. This won’t be about active listening, consultative selling, SPIN or other sales seminar approaches. Here are a few simple sales tactics Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Dave Slovin

My Sales Reps’ Dream Job is My Nightmare!

July 2, 2010

Three steps for making the dream come true for you.

The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) recently notified me that they wanted to publish an article I created from the “My Sales Reps Stink” blog post. After patting myself on the back, I started thinking about some more specific sales team advice that I’ve given clients since that original post. Today we’re just going to focus on the sales rep or reps, rather than any other business factors. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Dave Slovin

Ditch the Pitch – Part II

August 19, 2009

Know when not to sell. Take the No Pitch Pledge.

In Part I, we talked about how to improve your sales call results by actually doing less selling and more communicating. Now that your reps have taken the No Pitch Pledge and are all wildly successful sales consultants and business partners, let’s talk about the importance of removing your sales pitch from other types of communications, particularly what I call “value-added content.”

Defining Two Types of Communications

There’s a real subtlety between general marketing communications and value-added content. Traditional MarCom has a feature/benefit format, and typically includes brochures, website pages, presentation and proposal templates (before you customize them), mailers, etc. The goal is to describe and differentiate your company and products, so buyers at least understand what you have to offer and general costs. Pitch away here, no worries. But you may want to worry about how effective these communications really are.

Value-added content offers much more to the recipient, and can ultimately sell your company much better than any website or brochure. It should share your overall knowledge and expertise, providing strategies and advice that will help recipients improve business effectiveness and results. Examples of value-added content include white papers, seminars, trade articles, newsletters, benchmarking reports, etc. These most likely cover broader ground than just your specific products, although your products may be an implied part of the overall solution. Avoid the temptation to pitch here, as you will greatly diminish the value of the content.

You’ll want to offer both types of communications, but real challenge is maintaining the separation between Church and State – keeping your sales pitch out your value-added content. Here’s an example of what not to do.

Don’t Do This

I attended a webinar last week that was advertised as a discussion on new email marketing practices. That’s right up my alley, and I’m always looking for new ideas to steal. The presenters were introduced, and they started to give an overview of XYZ Company and its email marketing products. I always expect a brief sponsor pitch somewhere during a free webinar, so I continued to listen. Unfortunately, the pitch never ended. After 25 minutes, I closed my screen and went back to work.

While the webinar was advertised as information that could help me do my job better, it was actually about why I should buy XYZ Company products. Translation — sales pitch.

Put Yourself in Their Shoes

Pretend that you are a prospective buyer who was enticed to attend based on the promise of new ideas. How would you feel? Here’s what I thought:

  • I was there to learn about email marketing, not XYZ Company’s products.
  • There was no way that XYZ Company could understand my unique needs, since I’ve never talked to them.
  • Trying to pitch to all audience members resulted in a very vague message that provided me with no informational (or even sales) value.
  • I wasn’t expecting a sales pitch, and felt deceived. This would negatively impact my willingness to purchase from XYZ Company in the future.

So think about this as you develop your own value-added content. Remember to educate your audience about a concept, not a product. Think about the things that will make your buyers more productive and effective, beyond just what you have to offer them. Share your knowledge, experience, and aggregate data with your buyers, and they will share their budgets with you… and your content with their peers…

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Posted by Dave Slovin

Ditch the Pitch – Part I

August 11, 2009

Know when not to sell. Take the No Pitch Pledge.

Now that we’ve discussed how trimming the sheer volume of content can improve your ability to generate interest and demand, let’s talk about making some adjustments to the ways you communicate. Let’s start with sales calls in Part I, and then move onto more general communications in Part II next week.

Sales Calls

So you’ve read all the hip books on selling, and you may even have some pretty consultative selling course certificates proudly displayed on your wall. Or not… It doesn’t really matter.

When you finally get a meeting with your prospective buyer, you diligently ask your 3 tremendously insightful and impactful business questions…

  1. What do you have in place today?
  2. Why are you looking to make a change?
  3. How would you measure success?

…and then jump into your sales pitch. You lay it all out, hoping that the buyer will bite on something. At the end, there’s a hearty handshake and you agree to follow up in a couple of weeks. You can never reach the buyer again. Hear the Twilight Zone theme playing in the background?

Is this you? I’m sure that you are very passionate about your company and products, and that is commendable. You are just showing your enthusiasm in the wrong ways. The first meeting is rarely a “sales” meeting, so why are you trying to sell?

Here’s where you need to take the No Pitch Pledge.

  • Start asking more questions and listening to the responses, rather than just waiting for the best time to start the pitch.
  • Have a real business conversation about company objectives, how those relate to the buyer’s goals, and even how the company is changing their industry.
  • Discuss ways that you may be able to share insight and information (other clients, partners, aggregate data, etc.), rather than talking about how your product works.
  • Just say NO if the buyer asks for your pitch. If you don’t learn anything new, you’re exactly the same as everyone else who met with this buyer – a vendor.

When you take the No Pitch Pledge, you have a chance to build much more than a PowerPoint presentation. You’ll receive:

  • More information about the industry/company/department, with details that may help you present a more comprehensive and unique solution than your competitors.
  • More information about your buyer, with some personal information if you are lucky.
  • The start of a real business relationship. You become a trusted advisor, a source of information that will improve the buyer’s ability to succeed. He/she needs you.
  • A chance to come back again to present real, meaningful solutions.
  • The sale.

Is this more difficult? Absolutely! Does it take more up-front preparation? Much more. Will this work every time? Absolutely not! There’s a happy medium in here someplace, and you’ll need to gauge the buyer’s willingness to communicate based on responses to your first questions. But wouldn’t you rather be the 1% who builds long-term business and client relationships rather than the 99% who just show up and throw up?

They’ll call you back…

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Posted by Dave Slovin

Marcom – Less is the New More

August 3, 2009

Streamline communications to improve results.

I was reading a company’s PowerPoint sales presentation earlier today… with a magnifying glass. Each page was chock-full of very valuable information about the company, but it was so overwhelming that I couldn’t figure out what they were really trying to communicate. I feel bad for saying this, but I quickly lost interest and decided to write this post rather than read on.

Is your company presentation overloaded with content in paragraph form? Did you have to produce your brochure in 9 pt type to include everything you wanted to say? How many times does a website visitor have to page down to reach the bottom of your home page? If you had to give these questions more than a couple of seconds of thought, you need to cut out some of the fat and focus on delivering a few key messages to the right audience at the right time.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • 3 messages – Before you start planning each communication, think about the top 3 messages that you want the audience to remember. This should be what you can truly offer your client that no one else can. Then leave everything else out. I mean it. You’re not going to close the deal with one brochure or presentation, so don’t try it.
  • 3 seconds – This is how long you have to generate interest or you will lose your audience. Where were your eyes drawn in this post? Hopefully to the bulleted items, where the cute use of 3s attracted your interest. Get to the point, and highlight or bullet your key messages. This applies to all marketing-related communications, especially new prospect communications like brochures and websites.
  • 3 minutes – Limit the size of your sales or company presentation. The last thing you want to do is run out of allotted time, and you’ll start hearing that familiar Blackberry key clicking if you try to rush through your pitch. Assume each page will take at least 3 minutes to cover, 5 or more if you expect your audience to actively participate in the discussion.
  • 3 bullets – Actually 3-5 bullets is just fine. The whole concept is to highlight a few important points. Too many bullets and you’re really not highlighting anything anymore. For presentations, use bullets (other than quotes or your boilerplate) rather than paragraphs or your audience will be squinting at the screen instead of paying attention to you.
  • 3 times – Here’s a good rule of thumb for any marketing communication.
    1. Introduction – Tell them what you are about to say.
    2. Body – Say it, in a concise format.
    3. Conclusion – Tell them what you just said, with next step.

Enough with the 3s. You get my point. Most communications that I’ve seen could be cut in half and be twice as effective. This type of concise communication is much harder to accomplish, but your results will be worth the effort.

If you can’t measure it, don’t do it!

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Posted by Dave Slovin

My Sales Reps Stink

July 28, 2009

7 questions to ask yourself before you fire everyone.

This will probably be my easiest post, since I really started writing this several months ago after hearing three prospective client CEOs make similar comments in as many days. Here’s what they said:

  • They hired reps with terrific track records.
  • The reps weren’t contributing enough to offset the expense.
  • The CEOs couldn’t understand why the reps weren’t more successful.
  • The reps either left, were fired, or were heading down one of these two paths.

After hearing these comments, I started to think about some of the basic barriers to successful selling. The changes that ultimately improve sales results may actually need to start much earlier in the marketing and sales process. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you hand out pink slips.

  1. Do you have a plan? A marketing plan (and/or sales plan) doesn’t have to be a novel, just a document that outlines the basic who, what, when, where, and why. Set activity goals that will drive your revenue goals. When in doubt, just make something up and make adjustments when you start seeing real results.
  2. Are you selling to the right buyer? If you are selling something that will streamline (read staffing cuts) IT, you should probably go above the VP of IT who will be directly impacted. Think about who will ultimately benefit, and who will sign the check. It also helps to know the buyer’s current environment and solution, as that may impact your marketing message.
  3. How do your reps meet buyers? Local businesses often see great results door knocking and phone calling, since the target owner is often the one behind the counter. If your true buyer is a company executive like a VP or COO, you are wasting your time and diminishing your reputation by cold calling. When’s the last time you answered your phone for a telemarketer? Get your reps involved in networking groups, chambers of commerce, trade associations, and even charitable organizations. That’s where they will build real relationships with buyers and influencers, not during a 30 second cold call.
  4. How are you marketing to buyers? Basic marketing tools include professionally designed (no 3rd party logos) business cards, print and PDF brochures, and website. For some companies, a bulleted PowerPoint presentation will also help present your value, and it can be customized for each prospect to show you understand their “unique” needs.
  5. How often? There’s a good analogy that compares the sales and marketing process to one hour on a clock. While the sales rep represents 1 minute of contact, ongoing marketing contact represents the other 59 minutes. Create content that shows you are a credible source of knowledge and experience that will improve the buyer’s ability to do his/her job. Think about sharing successes, related experiences, aggregate data, and best practices in a brief format. Avoid a blatant sales pitch. You will add value, earn respect, and buyers will start calling you. I promise.
  6. Did you hire the right reps? Less that 10% of sales reps are natural hunters, meaning they thrive when tasked with generating something from nothing. The other type of sales rep is a farmer, best at building and growing relationships over time. Make sure you’ve got the right people for the task at hand, and you will ultimately need both types to grow your business. Some people (like me) pretend to be able to play both roles. Ask about their largest sales wins and losses, and the truth shall be told.
  7. How are you measuring them? Build some metrics that are realistic to the sales cycle as well as the end results. Measuring only revenue results, or hourly progress in a 6-month sales cycle, just doesn’t make sense. Think about the activities that have to occur before a sale is closed, like introductory buyer meetings, presentations, proposals, and contracts, and then set reasonable monthly or quarterly goals. If your reps are achieving those targets, they are more likely to hit the revenue goals. If you only measure revenue, you will always be a complete sales cycle late in taking corrective action. Link compensation (like a small bonus) to these metrics, and your reps will be more likely to focus on the short-term activities that lead to long term success.

If you don’t have a complete answer to one of more of these questions, it’s probably worth the time and effort to make some upstream sales and marketing process adjustments. If you’ve got everything covered, then it’s time to call your sales reps in before they start on the back nine.   

If you can’t measure it, don’t do it.

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Posted by Dave Slovin

Demystifying the Sales and Marketing Process

July 27, 2009

Before we begin, let’s get a couple of things straight.

Well, I’ve finally run out of ways to procrastinate the start of my blog. I’ve chosen a technology, come up with a decent name, reserved the URL for future use, built an editorial calendar (more about that later), cleaned my windows, and reduced global warming. Now it’s time to talk about how to measurably grow your business.

The purpose of The Marketing Engine is to provide specific advice that improves your ability to target the right buyers, develop interest in your product or service, convert that interest into the first sale, and then grow business from long-term relationships. Simple, right? Well, you’ll soon see that the ideas are pretty easy to implement. Having the patience to see them through to the successful results will be the more challenging part. While the content is geared to the owners/leaders of small and medium-sized businesses, there’s a little something for everyone.

To me, setting realistic expectations is an important part of any new business or personal relationship. Before we get started, you should know what to expect of me and this blog. So, here are 10 things to expect from me:

  1. Weakly updates – as my uncle used to say, “We pay weakly!” I’ll update when I can, but I write blogs for paying clients first.
  2. Quick read – easy to read and digest…and maybe even remember.
  3. Lots of lists – see #2.
  4. Ideas you can use – we’ll discuss things that have actually worked or failed. You won’t see any beautifully illustrated 400 page strategic PowerPoint plans here. You can still be happy with a small deck.
  5. Sarcasm you can do without – yes, it’s a weakness. I just can’t help it and this is my blog.
  6. No buzzwords – I’d rather talk about specifics, so if you want to shift paradigms and optimize synergies, start looking for another blog. If you use one, you owe me $10.
  7. Typos – I’m normally so spent after obsessing over my articles that… OK, mostly I just don’t like proofing. Please help me.
  8. Anonymity – we need to avoid using information that will identify companies or people, unless the information is already public or we really don’t like the people.
  9. Honesty – if I don’t agree with something, you’ll be the first to know. I expect the same level of feedback from you. Be blunt, and I’ll respect you even if I don’t agree.
  10. Interaction – Please post your ideas and opinions. Let’s discuss, debate, and ultimately decide. I’m smart enough to know that your feedback improves the content, and simply makes me look better.

Now that we’ve gotten past the introductions, the first real post will be tomorrow once I check to make sure this thing works. Please let me know what you think.

If you can’t measure it, don’t do it.

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Posted by Dave Slovin