Tag: sales

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Experience Sales Advice

Getting Past the Gatekeepers

Gatekeepers:

Every organization has them, though that is not their primary purpose.  They can be the scourge of the planet or your best friend.  Which would you prefer?  Regardless of what a sales manager says or expects, it isn’t always possible to call the decision maker direct.  That doesn’t mean you will never talk to them, just that you are not starting with them.

Gatekeepers or non-decision making entities can actually help you.  Learning how to deal with them is paramount in gaining access to the real decision makers.  This is the sister article to Reaching the Decision Makers published a few weeks ago.  So how do you start when encountering a gatekeeper?

  • Ask questions having an answer(s) only the decision maker can answer (or a high likelihood).  This allows them to direct you to someone who does know the answer.  If they pause, or show a hesitation in wanting to let you know, ask if they could suggest someone.
  • Ask what functional units your product might impact.  Now ask for that person’s name.
  • Use your past experience and suggest that similar past projects always involved the CIO or CFO.  By doing this, you can ask, “Are you sure the CIO or CFO (or whomever is applicable) will not need to see this”?

Gatekeepers have the duty to guard the castle thereby protecting the company.  Some take this responsibility particularly personal and will do what is necessary to swat everyone that tries to enter.  The problem with this is they really do a lot of harm.  The jury is still out on if the harm is more than the good.  Sales people have two reactions to the gatekeepers; love ’em, hate ’em. Those that hate ’em are the ones that are not successful in winning their support.

When you first encounter a gatekeeper, they usually ask the typical, who you are and what you want.  Most will ask you to send some “documentation or some brochures”.  To get past this, simply say “I would love to but we do not have the standard type of documentation you typically receive from other companies.  If Mr. CxO is interested in saving XYZ% off his bottom line expenses, then I would be happy to discuss this with him and follow up with custom documentation.”

This immediately compels them to pass this on, make the appointment or put you through right then.  It also does not pigeon-hole you as a vendor or salesperson; you are bringing value.  This is where you start to build yourself as a trusted business partner.  If there is any push back, ask if they think the XYZ% is compelling to them.  How can they say no?  They can, but the logic of doing so escapes me.

In closing, there are basically two types of gatekeepers, the one that is charged with keeping everyone out, and the other has the discretion to pass value-producing propositions through.  You can be fairly certain of the type you have run into by asking the above question.   One last item you might try if there seems to be an interest on the part of the gatekeeper, just not the willingness to pass you on. Ccntinue the conversation with the gatekeeper.  Educate them on the value of your solution. They can actually pre-sell the idea in your stead.

If you find this useful, Contact Me or please leave a comment. If you have a Twitter account and found this article useful, it would be much appreciated if you would retweet this at the beginning of the article!

Happy Selling!

Ed Warner

Categories
Experience Sales Advice

Shoulda, Coulda, Gotta

This phrase caught my eye a few weeks ago when I saw it as a headline for an article on the U.S. debt.  I began to wonder if there was a message here for the sales community. Sure enough, there is..Voila, my next article! The original article addresses the realization that our elected officials are going to have to come to terms with the fiscal issues over the mounting federal debt.  So too does a salesperson have to address the issue of a mounting quota. The successful ones are those that plan for the triumphant climb to the top of Quota Mountain. Indeed, if you cannot climb you cannot be successful.

For those that are on a different fiscal calendar than others, that’s ok as the same advice applies here as well. Now that we are into the 2nd (calendar) quarter I ask:  “How was your first quarter?” Good, great? Ok, maybe you don’t need to read the rest of this article! If not, or the quarter just doesn’t seem to be getting enough steam to roll into the end of the year, maybe I can help.

Let’s back up to last year…Early 4th quarter to be exact. Did you do any planning for this year?

This is the first part I call Shoulda!
While I don’t like to dwell on things we can’t change, that doesn’t mean we cannot analyze for a better next quarter. Keep in mind the goal is to build for the end. Remember Quota Mountain? That’s the objective.  This is the time a lot of junior and some senior sales people as well, realize that hindsight is 20/20.  Here is some advice to keep from looking back over your shoulder.

  • Plan every step of your next move. Plan for what might not happen rather than what will.
  • Keep progress notes and use what works.
  • Look to your sales organization and the management to see what they expect you to use as best practices.

I like to take 5 top clients from the prior year and use the strategy that worked with them to align myself to the current list of clients.  This gives you a running head-start and allows you to change your tactics as needed.

The second part I call Coulda!
This part can also be considered a “looking over the shoulder” move.  If you lost a deal, the first thing one tends to say is “I coulda done that!”. If you have said this, then I have one question for you: “Why didn’t you?” Do not get into the mode of never wanting to take a chance if the decision is based on sound advice or information.

Strategically, you have to outsell you competition. It is not about what your widget does; it is about how that widget can solve a business roadblock.  Ask yourself this, “How important is my product to the strategy of the company I’m trying to sell to?” Can you answer this? No? Go match your pitch to the company’s goals.

Finally, the third part of this is what I call Gotta!
If you have arrived at the end of the year still doing the two parts above, Should & Coulda, you will undoubtedly fall into this third part.  The pressure in making your number is going to be intense and unless you are skilled at pulling a rabbit out of the hat, your chances of year-end success is minimal at best. Panic is going to bear down with the words “I Gotta make my numbers!” There isn’t much I can offer as advice at this point other than to say, “Don’t wind up here– “

I leave you with this quote from Erma Bombeck.  Apply it every day to your life as a salesperson. It will yield awesome results!

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.”


If you find this article of value please comment. Have a Twitter account? I would be most appreciative if you would retweet this at the top of the article!

Happy Selling!

Ed Warner

Categories
Experience Sales Advice

Stop the Churn

I never thought I would ever write a public service announcement, but that is exactly what this post is going to become. STOP the CHURN! I aim this message at companies that are sacrificing long-term talent for short-term gain. Whether you are a newcomer to my web site or follow me with regularity, you know I mostly aim for the sales side of the audience; but not this time. I point my finger in absolute disgust at companies that are using talented workers as throw-away pawns in an effort to forge some semblance of profitability.

My routine is to regularly “stalk” websites, postings, and even job listings in order to stay abreast of changes in sales and the competition. I am seeing something I find unsettling. A trend among companies to hire hastily and hope for the best. Are they expecting exceptional talent at low-ball prices? What is the reasoning? The fiduciary responsibility of any company’s executive leadership is to the stakeholders, whether those stakeholders own part of the company or not. This responsibility is being ignored. I often use the phrase, “Churn-n-burn” when I talk of a salesperson’s desire to sell and get out quick. Well, it is apropos when it applies to those that are sacrificing bottom-line dollars to make themselves look good.

I will give you two examples I have personally observed without revealing the names of the innocent.
FIRST: I have followed this particular company over the past 18 months and have seen advertised an opening for a account manager/sales representative listed 6 times for the same area! You do not have to have higher math skills to understand the people have only lasted three months! More likely 45-60 days since there will be some time period necessary to fill the position.

SECOND: Another company decided they would branch out from their inside-based verticalized sales model for a sales model based on territory. This is a model I embrace, so it is one I fully understand and believe in when a company’s strategy is to go to the next level of revenue. They brought in sales management to execute this strategy,  which they in turn brought in territory-based sales people. For those not familiar, this type of change takes time–a long time to see end results. So what was the outcome? Within 4 months the senior VP was let go and within 5 months the personnel he brought in was gone; some sales people with as short tenure as 45 days. Seeing a pattern here?? The second example is pretty extreme, but none the less true.

This is costing companies thousands of $$, let alone the cost in terms of brand damage. Think I’m wrong? Ask any reputable company what a revolving door of personnel does for company reputation. I wrote an article, “Hiring the Right Salesperson” where I mentioned the cost associated with hiring the wrong person. Think about how costly it is to the company in both tangible and intangible elements. Hire for the long-term. Hire and treat employees as you do your product. Use “Life Cycle Management” theory and apply it to the employees. If, as a company, you continue to go through not only sales people, but any employee you must understand your variable costs are going to be skewed. Is that the overall intent, screw with the variable costs at the right time to make the contribution margins look better? Let it be understood that this will catch-up on the backside–BIG TIME!

Show this to your company’s executives. See their reaction. Was it snuffed? I’ll let you decide.

Find this article useful, interesting? Contact Me or please leave a comment. If you have a Twitter account and found this article useful, it would be much appreciated if you would retweet this at the beginning of the article!

Happy Selling!

Ed Warner

Categories
Sales Tips

Hiring the Right Salesperson

Going through the hiring process from the candidate and the hiring manager’s point of view is not all that different. Each side should have the same objective; convince the other this is the right match. Is there a way to increase the odds for a win-win situation? This article addresses this question.

Anyone can hire and anyone can hire poorly. The key is to hire the right person the first time. Hiring the wrong person is costly for a company, but what the hiring company fails to realize is this is also highly damaging to the candidate’s reputation as well. Hiring the right sales person should not be predicated strictly on their ability to meet and exceed quota. WHAT? Yep, you read it right, that’s exactly what I wrote.

I didn’t say that trait was not important or not high on the list. Managers get myopic when they see a high performer and don’t see the bigger picture. Let me explain with this scenario. interviewYou have two candidates interviewing for the same position, and their performance at their last position employer was 80% and 140% respectfully. Which one do you hire? Managers with myopic vision hire the over-quota performer and six months later, you find this person truly is a rock star, but with one BIG drawback. He/she does not follow the rules, disrupts team continuity and has undermined your team allowing resentment to set in which is allowing total sales to drastically fall. WOW! Not the result you had in mind when you hired this cannon is it?

Given this scenario, which candidate would be the better hire? The answer is: You don’t know. Certainly this hire is producing as you had hoped, but at a very high expense to the team and company. The passed-over candidate maybe looking pretty good right about now, but then again you had no guarantee of success if you had hire them.

This brings us to the core of this article, Personality-Trait testing. I opposed these until I saw how costly a bad hire could become, and not just in revenue; they can be destructive to the entire sales team. Companies are beginning to understand the value of having a candidate tested, especially when it relates to the cost of hiring an employee that does not work out.

These type of tests are not expensive, so you could do these on your own and send one to targeted employers in a job search as they could give you a competitive edge. The caveat to doing this is if it came back showing you in a negative light, you might not want to share with a potential employer. Additionally, if it is truthful, ignoring it won’t make you a better salesperson.

Personality and trait analysis testing isn’t new, but in the present economy, they are becoming a valuable tool. analyzeI do caution companies and managers to think sensibly when analyzing the results. These are simply another tool to use in evaluating talent. If you perceive these as the deciding factor, then maybe hiring isn’t your biggest problem.

I will end with a great quote from
Casey Stengel–Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story.

Make sense? Let me know by commenting. It’s how we all learn!

If you find this article of value please comment. Have a Twitter account? I would be most appreciative if you would retweet this at the top of the article!

Happy Selling!

Ed Warner