Sales Department or Sales Force?

May The Department Be With You?

From The Accidental SalespersonBy Chris Lytle

The Force vs. The Dark Side

• Yoda tells Luke that the dark side is not stronger: “Quicker, easier, more seductive.”

• Think about how much easier it is to be a level 1 account executive vs. a level 4 Sales and Marketing Professional.

Your Goal

• The most important thing to do is propose your solution to the prospect face-to-face and ask for the order.

• The second most important thing you can do is get into position to do the most important thing.

• Don’t phone/fax/email when you can go in person.

Getting in the Door

• Prospects are protective of their time.• They expect just another time-wasting,

product-focused presentation.• They want a faxed/mailed promotional

kit (proposal) rather than a meeting.

• That’s broadcast advertisement, not selling!

Magic Phrase

• “(Gasp!) We don’t have an off-the-shelf promotional kit (proposal) that we send out. We customize everything. What would you like in yours?”

• Remember: “The way that I work is…”

Customized Selling

• “I would rather give you the one piece of paper that gives you information of value, rather than wasting your time wading through a package.”

• The prospect will like getting custom service. It will be more targeted/useful.

• Need to ask questions, preferably in person, so you can customize.

Get a commitment to communicate.• I am sending this information

(proposal) and I want assurance that prospect will take my phone call.

• I want you to tell me if you are a prospect and whether there is a next step or not.

• This lets the prospect know that you are a busy professional too, and don’t want her/him to waste your time either.

• This is Business!

If you get that commitment…• Explain exactly what you intend to do

– I am going to FedEx a package with a cover letter, a spec sheet, and a one-page list of our clients.

– Make sure they don’t think it’s junk. Have them on the lookout for your letter.

• You want to gain their complete trust.• That takes time (years).• Don’t waste their time. Do what you

say.• Make a level 2 (or higher) impression.

Leverage is…

• …getting better results from the same effort or expenditure.

• If you are going to all the time, effort, and expense to get in front of a prospect, then make the most of it.

Top 3 Reasons People Buy

• Business expertise and image.

• Dedication to the customer.

• Account sensitivity and guidance.

• NOT PRICE!!!!

Why People Buy

• “It’s the quality of the salesperson-his or her knowledge and his or her ability to bring added value to the sales-that converts prospects into buyers.”

Learning that you can do it.

• Yoda: “You must unlearn what you have learned.”

• Luke: “I don’t believe it.”• Yoda: “That is why you fail.”

"Do or do not, there is no try."Yoda

(little green sage from the Star Wars series)

Sales Manager

• A great sales manager gets her/his people to think bigger thoughts, and dare to do greater things.

"Ya gotta believe."

Tug McGraw (1944-2004)Major League Baseball pitcher

Remember: Leadership

"Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could

be."Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

American writer and activist

Look Everywhere for Teachers• Your best teachers may not look

like teachers. – May look like Yoda.– Probably won’t look like a trainer.

• Learn from anyone who offers a lesson.– Sometimes active, sometimes passive.

• Always be learning. Be alert for lessons.

• Might come from customers, competitors, children, anyone.

Your beliefs are important.

• You have to believe in:– Your product;– Your company;– Yourself;– Your customer.

• Confidence and honest belief shows through to your customers.

Jerry Garcia