As front line sales professionals fight hard to earn new business each and every day in almost every industry, it shouldn’t be a shock to know that your competition is targeting your current clients in their new business development plans as well.  The key to client retention – and keeping the competition at bay — is certainly rooted in providing a great product or service, however, the other critical piece is the importance of a regular reminder of the value you bring to your client, which can be done through formal reviews or even daily interaction.  Without the presence of consistent value selling with current customers, the risk is exposing your clients to think about your value statement on their own when the competition calls.

We recommend that each client-facing representative (both sales team members and non sales team members) have a “Golden 120 value proposition” and use it consistently in their client or prospect interactions.  Sales development and trajectory goes well beyond securing new business.  By focusing on great service to current clients while reinforcing the ‘Why You?” of why they chose you in the first place gives them a clear, concise rebuttal when your competition comes knocking on their door.

1. Preparation:  Be prepared to leave a compelling voice mail.  Think about it, write it down, rehearse it before you dial that number.
2. Lead with your purpose:  naturally we should lead with our name and company name right?  Wrong!  Actually…this approach will most likely not yield the results you are aiming for.  Alternatively, we find that leading with your differentiating factor is much more compelling – in other words, give the listener a reason to listen a little bit longer.
3. Stick to the basics – lots of details make a very long voice mail.  Executives are busy and will lose patience with long statements.  Make your impact in a brief (less than 45 seconds) synopsis and save the details for an actual conversation.
4. Finish with your name and contact information.
5. Repeat your phone number twice.  Executives are busy, chances are if you leave the number once – they may not have the patience to rewind to get that number.  Make it easy for them to return your call– give the number once.  Pause.  Give your name and number again.
6. Above all, your tone should be friendly and conversational.  This takes practice and
   memorization.  Do not READ your messages.  Do not REPEAT your messages like a computer drone.  Sound like a person that your prospect would enjoy having a conversation with!

Below is an example of a standard message we’ve tweaked for higher impact.

Standard Voice Mail (Generic company – in this case a web marketing firm)

“Hello, my name is Jeannine Johnson with Company Name.  I noticed your website is due for renewal and I would like to set up a time to speak with you regarding our website marketing services.  You can reach me at  888-555-1212.  Thank you!  Have a great day!”

PMD Sales Training & Consulting, Inc. version

Good morning.  My company specializes in high impact, award-winning, website design services that, on average, increase web visibility and lead generation by over 50%.  I am calling in regards to your current website renewal and would welcome the opportunity to speak in more detail about your website design needs for now or in the future.  My name is Jeannine Johnson with Company Name.  I can be reached @ 888-555-1212.  Jeannine Johnson, 888-555-1212.

Use DISC assessments as a tool in identifying top performers in your candidate pool.  Identify your current top performer and have that person take the DISC assessment.  The assessment tool we use gives us a handy little graph with the assessment results.  Go through the interview process with candidates for the position as you normally would – targetting candidates with the right experience and background that you would look for.  Now narrow those candidates down to the top 2-3 and have those candidates take the same assessment.  Compare the graphs and take a close look at the candidates who are similar to your top performer (hopefully at least one of them will exhibit a similar graph to your top performing employee).

Finally, a good training and management program is essential to keeping even top performers on track within the first 90 days.  Make sure that you, your executive team and top performers are providing the support and clear direction necessary to ensure a successful upward trajectory as your new superstar is getting oriented to their new position.

Good luck!

•  Scope out the location.  Make sure you leave time to arrive at least 5-10 minutes prior to your scheduled interview
  time.
• Make sure your collaterals are printed on resume stock paper and enclosed in a folder.
• Be prepared for the “why you?” question.   Practice your answer and if it isn’t asked, make sure you communicate why you think you are the best fit for this position at some point in the conversation.
• Order something light and easy to eat quickly so you have plenty of time to talk.  Soup is the perfect interview
  food.  Salad or sandwiches take too much time to chew and create ackward moments of silence.
• Make sure your car is clean inside and out.
• Research your interviewer and have questions that spark intelligent and relevant conversation.  For example – ask them how long they have been with the company and what they enjoy the most about their position.
• Don’t get distracted with the noise and activity in a busy restaurant environment.  Focus on the conversation and make eye contact clear, direct and attentive.

The lunch meeting can be tricky but with a little preparation can be easily managed.  Take the time to prepare and the results will dramatically place you ahead in the process.

All
Sales Professionals:

• Work on prospecting and building your pipeline 2 hours a
  day, 4 days a week.
• Practice your 60 and 120-second introduction.  This
  means audibly speaking in front of a mirror twice a day, 2 days a week.
• Update collaterals with new material for the coming year.
• Read a sales oriented professional book in the month of
  December and take notes.
• Write down goals your sales goals for 2012.

For
Sales Management and Executives looking to hire in 2012:

• Update your profile on Linked In.
• Write down the three most compelling reasons why a superstar
  sales professional would want to join your team.
• Read a sales oriented book or a book related to interviewing
  skills.
• Bring your Human Resources team cookies …and collaborate
  with a great sales recruiter.
• Write down the three key abilities or traits you need to
  hire for.

So
let the Holiday Season begin!  High
performance sales professionals will be quite busy making sure they do
everything in December to ensure they’ll meet or exceed their first quarter
goals!

For those who haven’t realized it yet, the world of sales recruiting has changed.  If you are serious about adding great performers to your sales team, it needs to be the right fit for both parties and posting an open position on the internet probably won’t do it.  High performance sales organizations will pursue high performance sales candidates with just as much energy and motivation as they would their prime client prospect – that high performer, in fact, is just as relevant and will bring just as much value to your organization – as your number 1 client.  So here are some tips on bringing in those high performers:

1.     If you can budget it, work with a sales recruiter who understands your culture, your organization and your compensation structure.  It will save you valuable time and effort in the screening process. 

2.     The interview process should involve a sincere interest in the candidate’s background, track record of success and abilities.  Don’t do all the talking!  Give your candidate the opportunity to speak to his/her strengths and abilities – great sales professionals take great pride in their success and will appreciate the opportunity to speak to them.

3.     The interview process should also involve your 120 seconds on why your company is the right opportunity for a high performance sales professional:  is it uncapped commissions?  Is it career growth opportunities?  Is it a great life/work balance culture?   Hopefully it’s all three!  If you have a great organization – don’t expect that the candidate will fully understands it from looking at your website – communicate the value in a meaningful, honest way just like you would if you were talking to a prospect for your business. 

4.     Use a sales assessment.  It creates value for both you in the hiring process and for the candidate – take a serious interest in where their strengths and motivations lie and then manage them through the interview process using those key factors. 

How ironic that she was worried about the length of her resume, and I was thinking the condition of her resume was so much more important!   The condition of her resume spoke volumes to me about the condition her proposals or marketing collaterals would be in if she were representing my client in this position, it also speaks to her ability to prepare and execute meetings professionally.  I spent another 30 minutes with her asking questions and taking notes but the interview was really over within the first 30 seconds. 

 Here’s the best way to present your qualifications during an interview:  your resume should be printed clearly on nice paper and presented in a folder with resume on one side and references on the other.  Simple, clean, professional.  And bring at least two extra copies – you never know who you might be meeting with.

Sales can be a similar adventure. Your sales team may be saying the right things, doing the right things but your clients just aren’t responding the way you want them to. A sales trainer, much like the Supernanny, can help identify those details within your sales process that are often roadblocks to success. The results from engaging with a great sales trainer prove to be just as amazing as those you see on the Supernanny. Suddenly clients are engaged, provoked, calling you back and buying your services at a higher margin…it’s all in the details of effective communication that generates results.

The Conference Board reports today the Consumer Confidence Index stands at 60.8.  That’s down from 66.0 in April (after economists actually expected a slight increase), and it’s far from the level of 90 that indicates a robust economy.  The Conference Board’s director, Lynn Franco, blames “a more pessimistic outlook,” according to the board’s website.  “Consumers are considerably more apprehensive about future business and labor market conditions as well as their income prospects,” Franco says.  “Inflation concerns, which had eased last month, have picked up once again.”

Meanwhile, oil prices have climbed to $102.40 a barrel in early electronic trading today, up from Friday’s 36 cent jump to $100.59.  The surges come as potentially more financial aid for Greece further weakens the U.S. dollar, and concerns over fighting in Libya and Yemen escalate.

In manufacturing, national indicators shot up considerably in April, according to the Institute for Supply Management.  But reports from various U.S. regions show much slower increases, or declines, in manufacturing indexes for May.

Maybe you’re feeling the effect of high gas prices on your business.  Perhaps you’re sensing apprehension among your customers and prospects.  Summer might typically be the slowest time of year for your business, no matter the economy.  In any case, it’s the perfect time to define your message, make sure you’re delivering top value in your product or service, and step out of your sales comfort zone.

How about setting a goal of reaching out to, or reconnecting with, a certain number of prospects per week?  Maybe it’s one new and one existing prospect.  Make that phone call you’ve been hesitating to make, or touch base with prospects and current customers through thoughtful but brief hand-written notes.

All the while during this networking, you can perfect your first Golden 120 Seconds.  Though the customers are different, your central message is the same.  Determine how you can compellingly convey the value of what you’re selling in the first two minutes of your interaction – and most importantly, how your service or product will meet that customer’s unique needs.  Practice your pitch, then practice it some more.  Find an honest, objective person to role play and tell you if you’re selling from the heart – and listening – as opposed to overwhelming the prospect with all that your company can potentially offer.  Methods such as these have helped PMD’s clients boost their bottom lines through the recession of the last three years.

As you rejuvenate your mind and body in the beautiful summer weather, pledge to jump start the energy and conviction in your sales strategy as well.  You’ll see results now and be way ahead of the game when the economic recovery becomes a reality.