Sales Training – Page 2

Are you the best around?

kirk_wakefield 2013, Careers, Learn, Marketing, Sales Training August 1, 2013November 2, 2018best, culture, define value, goals, promotions, unique 0 Comment

by Jeff Eldersveld – August 2013

What does “best” mean?

The word “best” is interesting. While clearly defined in sports with crowned champions, MVPs, medals and trophies, the business side of sports is a little harder to understand.

Who is the champion of website marketing? What was the best in-game promotion?

Sure, there are awards for these types of things, but they are voted on by members within the industry – based more on gut and feel rather than stats and numbers.

If I ask you who’s the best hitter in baseball, you should reply with the league leader in batting average (don’t say Yasiel Puig!). If I ask you to name the best promotion in Minor League Baseball, you could reply with a variety of answers from Brittany Spears’ Child Safety Night with the Newark Bears to Free Gas Night with the Fort Myers Miracle. Different promotions are the “best” in their own unique way.

Best in class

A characteristic of the best salespeople and managers I’ve known is that they have a clear vision to be the “best” wherever they are. If people in this business are satisfied with middle of the pack or bringing up the rear, odds are it won’t be long before they’re realizing their vision of work somewhere else. Here are some tips that have helped me stay focused on the right path.

Define what value means to your organization–>especially your boss.

Not everyone has the same idea. You should constantly present data, statistics, or examples that prove your worth to the organization. For those already employed, this is a great way to solidify your position within the organization. For those seeking employment, this is a great way to get a foot in the door. Dan Migala, Founding Partner of Property Consulting Group, could not agree more:

“Iowa State University Associate Athletic Director, May Pink, just reminded me at NACMA this year that hiring decision-makers look for candidates that show they want the job the most. I think this is great, timeless advice. I would encourage any applicant to find multiple opportunities during the interview process to show vs. just tell why you want the job the most.”

Always encourage others. Go out of your way to compliment a job well done.

You can’t get anywhere in your career by yourself. The people who can propel your career development are the ones with whom you work most closely.

Take time to cultivate those relationships; it will strengthen the chemistry within your team and positively affect the culture within your organization.

The faster you embrace your company’s culture, the better, says Migala, “Understand that the culture and people you work with and learn from are more important than the logo on your business card.”

Be unique

You are your own person. “Be yourself, ” says Oscar Wilde, “Everyone else is taken.”

“Legendary Notre Dame SID Roger Valdiserri taught me early in my career that each person is the sum of their own experiences,” explains Migala. “The minute I realized this, I stopped trying to guide myself into the box of what I thought the industry wanted me to be and focused instead on carving my own path.”

Start now

So start being the best around. And if you are the best, share it. Shout if from the mountaintops, market the heck out of it, or more literally, leave your comments below. Remember, we make each other better. The worst thing that you can do is keep your “best” to yourself.

3 basic questions you should ask premium seat buyers

kirk_wakefield 2013, Lead, Learn, Research, Sales Management, Sales Training, Sell, Tickets July 1, 2013November 2, 2018buying, leasing, NFL, premium sales, preparation, renting, research, selling efficiency, Success, suites, VIP 0 Comment

by Kirk Wakefield – July 2013

Preparation is the key to selling efficiency

Preparation is on anyone’s top 10 list of what makes successful salespeople. Successful preparation is based on asking the customer the right questions.

Knowing the right questions is one thing. But knowing the right answers can lead to more sales and more efficient selling (i.e., close ratios).

A little research

One of our NFL client partners wanted to help their sales staff get a head start in understanding individual suite rental customers in preparation for the upcoming season. In the two weeks after the season ended we collected responses from a sample of 20% of individual decision makers from the previous season’s rental customers. Among other things, we wanted to know the answers to three basic questions and the relationship between these answers and how likely customers would be to buy again and refer others.

Three basic questions

Corporate buyers are likely to be passionate fans, but that’s not the reason they are buying. They are buying because they believe potential clients are passionate league or team fans. So, sure, it helps if they love the team. But in an NFL city, odds are most everyone locally or regionally has at least some affinity for the team. This leads to the first basic question you need answered.

Where does your business come from?

The results show the vast majority use the suite to build relationships with local (71%) and regional (84%) customers. However, those indicating they also have extensive global (37%) and national (68%) markets are significantly more likely to recommend renting suites to others, representing your best promoters and referral sources.

If the premium buyer’s customers are primarily local and regional, promoting the team angle may be useful. But if their customers are more national or global, then we really need to ask what else influences the choice to rent a suite.

What influences which game you’d like to select?

Too many salespeople assume price is the main issue. Don’t start there.

From our sample, almost 1/3 aren’t really concerned about the price. More importantly, concern about the suite rental price had no bearing on whether or not they’d be likely to rent again next season. Statistically speaking, what did?

The most likely return suite rental customers were those who wanted to (1) know who the opposing team was, (2) review the entire schedule when it was released, and/or (3) who were planning a special occasion.

Why are those good answers for you? Because it means they’ve already decided in favor of buying, the question is which game? Greater concern for knowing (a) the kick-off time, (b) day of the game, or (c) the price had no influence one way or the other on likelihood of using a suite the next season.

The upshot is that if you focus efforts on prospects in a true-decision making mode (team, schedule, occasion), your close ratio should be higher.

Compared to other options, how would leasing a suite from us help you win business?

We aren’t the only game in town. Our clients can entertain in other sports & entertainment venues. The heart of this question is what is it about leasing from us that helps meet your objectives?

What we see from our study is it’s not what you think. Most don’t think leasing a suite guarantees closing a business deal.

The big insight is that a suite offers the best chance the invitation will be accepted and won’t fall through. What your clients really want is just to make sure they have a chance to close a deal.

What’s the worst fear when we throw a party? The people we wanted to come don’t show up. It’s been the same since high school; now we’re just playing for different stakes.

A second big insight is predicting who will be our best promoters and source of referrals. The ability to predict a client’s NPS (Net Promoter Score) is highest among those who strongly believe the suite provides the best return on objective (i.e., the chance to sell) and is the best choice for doing so in the market (viz., “differentiator in the customer entertainment universe”).

Conclusion: Act

Premium sales isn’t as simple as asking these three basic questions, but it sure helps. The key is in preparation. Teams like those who commissioned this research know that knowledge is power. Now let’s go get some.

Sales training for CRM: The 3 sales rep types & how to reach them

kirk_wakefield 2013, CRM, Learn, Relate, Sales Training June 1, 2013November 2, 2018acceptance, CRM, effectiveness, fear, how to, progress, sales management, sales reps, training 0 Comment

by Chris Zeppenfeld – June 2013

How can CRM fail?

Numerous studies estimate that somewhere around 50% of all CRM implementations ultimately fail. That’s scary. Why do CRM implementations fail?

User adoption is usually at the top of the list of most of the articles on the subject. The recurring theme is reps and managers need ongoing CRM training to fully benefit from the installation. That brings up questions like:

How often do you train?
How long are the sessions?
What measurables should we use?

But, the most important questions is: HOW am I going to treat each rep in the training session?

Typical sales responses

Tell me if any of these sound familiar among sales reps:

motivated by instant gratification
want things to be fast and quick
paranoid about protecting leads
concerned about how they will be judged by their manager
hates anything that slows them down from selling
dislikes having to put info into CRM for the sake of putting info into CRM
expects something to happen immediately whenever a button is clicked

After training roughly 2,000 people in my career in software, I’ve boiled it down to three types of reps you are likely to encounter in CRM training sessions. The major challenges are 1) getting buy-in and 2) keeping their attention. Achieving these goals requires different approaches with each type of rep.

THE QUESTIONER

Symptoms:

always asks if CRM can do something that you haven’t built yet in CRM,
often the most engaged reps you have,
potential to be managers someday,
most likely to be curious about something in CRM you never trained them on

Diagnosis: Questioners aren’t your typical rep. They want to know WHY something is the way that it is. You may only have one or two of these people on your entire sales staff.

Treatment:

Important to develop good relationship since they can be your best source of ideas for new things in CRM
Focus on how CRM can make them smarter than the average rep
React quickly when they complain since they can “poison” everyone else with their vocal barbs
If you do create a new tool in CRM based off their suggestion, make sure to give them credit so they feel engaged
Spend more time explaining the logic behind the new task and less time having them repeat the task over and over again in the training session

THE SOLDIER

Symptoms:

rarely raises an issue about CRM (but if they do it’s all of them at once)
not curious at all about the other things in CRM outside of their world,
uses CRM as a means to an end rather than a tool to help them improve as a sales rep

Diagnosis: Soldiers are your typical rep: Here’s what the world looks like, put your head down, and sell it!

Treatment:

Focus on showing them that CRM makes them faster and more efficient
Use them as showcase examples to your staff to reward good CRM habits
Engage them and ask for their input when considering adding a new feature to CRM
Tell them to click where and when, and they will do it (as long as it is fast)
Try to get as many repetitions as possible during the training session of the new task you are showing them

THE OLD GUARD

Symptoms:

usually most tenured reps consistently selling at high volume,
stuck in their ways,
struggle to get notes in CRM,
think their way (spreadsheets, note cards, outlook, etc.) is “good enough” to do the job,
often say things like, “I sold XXXX without CRM then, so I don’t need to learn this new CRM thing”

Diagnosis: Old Guards are usually skilled salespeople, but are a mixed bag when it comes to CRM adoption.

Treatment:

Show them indisputable statistics that using CRM helps their winning percentage
Show them that the time it takes to put in a note in CRM is less than what they are doing now (literally conduct a time trial session – if his method is quicker/better, you have a design issue)
Focus on the bare essentials (put your notes in) of CRM rather than all of the bells and whistles
Lean on managers for enforcement of CRM when you get non-compliance
If you have to resort to threats of taking away sales for lack of CRM notes, make sure that comes from the sales manager not you!
Much better to have 5 CRM training sessions over 5 days that last 10 minutes each vs. 1 training that lasts 60 minutes straight

Which comes first: Happiness or success?

kirk_wakefield 2013, Careers, Lead, Learn, Personal Development, Research, Sales Training, Sell, Sponsorships, Tickets June 1, 2013November 2, 2018change, evidence, good thinking, habits, happiness advantage, how to sell, research, smile 2 Comments

by Shawn Achor – June 2013

What is the connection between happiness and sales? Most salespeople tell me it’s an easy question: “When I’m selling then I’m happy.”

How could so many salespeople possibly be wrong?

Undeniably, we feel happier after a sale, but that common answer is actually holding down our happiness and lowering our sales.

Researchers at Harvard, Yale and UPenn have been studying this issue now for two decades. We found predicting who will be a good salesperson is relatively easy. We just look for optimism.

Optimists beat pessimists

When we ran the numbers, optimistic salespeople outsell their pessimistic counterparts by 37% cross-industry. At MetLife, the top 10% of optimists were outselling the other 90% by another 90%! That’s huge, and here’s why.

Most professionals face daily setbacks, but the life of a salesman is, almost by definition, fraught with failure and rejection. In many businesses, only one in ten pitches leads to a sale, meaning that those salesmen experience rejection 90 percent of the time. (That was also my dating rejection rate in high school.) This can get pretty demoralizing after a while, which helps to explain why there is such high turnover, stress, and depression.

But here’s where it gets interesting: it turns out if you wait until a sale to be happy, you’re following a broken formula for happiness and success. We think:

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”curled” width=”375px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]

Wrong thinking

I will work hard, then I’ll be successful, then I’ll be happy. [/dropshadowbox]

But every time you were successful in the past, what happened? Your brain changed the goalpost of what success looks like. If you hit your sales target last year, what did you do this year? Raised it. Happiness after a success (like a sale) is very short-lived.

But flip around the formula and try to create happiness before the sale, and our success rates rise dramatically. (Want to know more about the effects? Watch this video on TED.com.)

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”curled” width=”450px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]

Right thinking

If I create happiness before the sale, then I’ll be more successful selling. [/dropshadowbox]

The Happiness Advantage

In The Happiness Advantage, I describe how positive brains have an unfair advantage over negative or neutral ones. Positive employees:

have higher levels of productivity,
produce higher sales,
perform better in leadership positions, and
receive higher performance ratings and higher pay.

So how do we create happiness before success?

Realize happiness only exists in the present, otherwise it will always be off in the future (never).
Train your brain to become happier.
Happiness is not only a choice, it is a work ethic:
1. Write down 3 new things you’re grateful for each day for 21 days. This rewires your brain for optimism.
2. Journal for 2 minutes each day about a positive experience. This is the fastest intervention for seeing the meaning embedded in your work.
3. Write a 2 minute positive email or handwritten note to someone. This deepens social support, the greatest predictor of long term happiness.

Evidence

One way to train your brain to become happier is to smile more.

At a group of hospitals in post-Katrina Louisiana, we trained 11,000 employees to just smile and make eye contact in the hospital hallways. Within 6 months, the number of unique patients rose and their likelihood to refer the hospital based on good care skyrocketed.

At KPMG, I found that just teaching this concept (happiness first; success second) and practicing a positive habit can create greater happiness and job effectiveness 4 months later, in the middle of the worst tax season in recent history.

Happiness is a choice, but also an incredible advantage. Do you want to see your true sales potential? See what you can do when your brain is set on positive!

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”lifted-both” width=”650px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]I can’t help but think back to some of the best sales people I’ve worked with and their attitude – pretty positive. I also can’t help but think of the people I’ve let go in the past year, all very pessimistic. Another interesting angle to look at would be the affect an optimistic person has on a potential client. Essentially, people like to buy from people they like and people like positive and friendly people. ~ Chip Maxon, Sr. Vice President, Business Operations, Sacramento RiverCats[/dropshadowbox]

Sales Training: How to Handle Objections

kirk_wakefield 2013, Sales Training, Sell, Sponsorships, Tickets May 1, 2013November 2, 2018Objection Flip Cup, objection Rolodex, overcoming objections, roadblocks, role play, sales habits, selling, training 2 Comments

by Sean Ream – May 2013

Handling Objections

How often do you hear the proud statement from a sales representative, “I just had a great conversation, they are definitely going to buy.” A natural response from the manager usually is, “What are his/her concerns?” And then comes the answer you don’t want to hear. “They don’t have any. They just want to look the information over first.”

How do managers eliminate these conversations? How do we not only handle the stalls and objections, but seek them out? Younger salespeople typically avoid objections because they aren’t fully prepared to handle them.[dropshadowbox align=”right” effect=”lifted-both” width=”250px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]

Coupling urgency techniques and preempting objections before they become an issue is a crucial step to shortening the sales cycle, which gives the salesperson more time to find that next client. [/dropshadowbox]

How should objections be handled? Let’s line up all of the objections so we know what we are working with.

Identify the stall or objection,
Ask for and isolate all roadblocks, and
Gain a commitment from the customer pending a solution to all of their concerns.

As veterans in the sales process we understand that drawing out objections is a natural part of the sales process. Yet, one challenge I have faced as a manager/trainer is how to impart confidence and excitement to attack the hoops customers make us jump through.

At the Major League Soccer National Sales Center, we have built a library of drills to battle this challenge. Here are a couple of favorites you might want to add to your arsenal.

Objection Rolodex Workshop

Trainees begin with a standard issue Objection Rolodex (see picture below). Start by asking the trainees to whiteboard all objections heard on the phones, no matter how crazy they may seem. Once all roadblocks to a potential sale are exhausted, the class enters these objections on the top of an index card within the rolodex.

Take the top two or three objections and ask the class to contribute or develop their best rebuttals. Responses are recorded on the back of the corresponding index card.

The real power of this exercise lies within the freedom to think creatively with no pressure and to build off of teammates’ ideas. Perhaps you can award a prize for the best new rebuttal.

Running this exercise each month brings recent objections to the forefront and salespeople can share rebuttals that are working. The Rolodex then becomes an updated resource to review and share throughout a sales career. Documenting great responses ensures they are habit-forming and never lost.

Objection Flip Cup

We repurposed a favorite college drinking game, flip cup, utilizing root beer or water for this game. (Google if unfamiliar.)

The catch is that a common objection is entered on the bottom of the cup. Once the root beer is consumed, the trainee reads the bottom to find the objection. Before attempting to flip, the person directly to the right must provide a rebuttal to the objection. If the cup does not land on its top, the partner must reply with another rebuttal. This continues until the cup is flipped on its top. The process begins again with the next teammate and progresses down the line. It’s a race!

Managers can stand behind the trainees as a judge. Was the rebuttal truly a response that could handle that particular objection? We also videotape these games for review on a debrief. Practice and repetition helps make these rebuttals commonplace on the phone.

Our younger sales staff loves this game. I wonder why? More importantly, it forces your partner to develop a new rebuttal in a very short amount of time. Especially if you have a teammate who is as bad at flip cup as I am.

Improvisational Comedy Exercises

Improv forces participants to listen, accept all ideas given to them by their partners, and react in a way that moves the scene or conversation forward.

In the clip, “What’s in the box?” we explain the way the exercise can be completed and how it relates back to ticket sales. Please contact us if you would like more information on this exercise. We are happy to provide tips to get the most out of these drills from a facilitation standpoint.

Are you investing enough time into training? The 3 elements of good programs

kirk_wakefield 2013, Learn, Sales Training, Sell, Tickets May 1, 2013November 2, 2018Cleveland Cavs, essentials, learning curve, ongoing, Pittsburgh Pirates, reviewing game film, sales training 0 Comment

by Drew Ribarchak – May 2013

In February 2008, Starbucks shut down all of its stores because of bad habits and inconsistency among their baristas. A sign on the front door that read,

“We’re taking time to perfect our espresso. Great espresso requires practice. That’s why we’re dedicating ourselves to honoring our craft.”

Implementing a strategic and on-going training program will avoid shutting down the sales office due to poor execution and consistently bad habits. Investing time perfecting the sales pitch and process will far exceed simply learning by doing.

A sales department must lay a solid foundation with the initial training program because

Fundamentals established in the first weeks of on-boarding determines the slope of the learning curve during continuous training.
On-going training taps the full potential of top talent and maximizes revenue.
Developing well-rounded sales and service reps provides them opportunities to learn and grow in their current roles while preparing for the next steps in their careers.

Essential Training Topics

Effective training includes variety in the way the sessions are conducted, especially if training occurs on a daily or weekly basis. Common topics include:

Scripting
Needs Analysis
Handling Objections
Up-selling
Product Knowledge & Benefits
Face to Face Appointments
Time Management
Prospecting
CRM Advanced Finds & Strategy
Presentation Skills
Arena Tour Walk-through

Some areas require more focus than others: needs analysis, handling objections and face to face appointments.

Reviewing Game Film

Role playing generic situations can get stale and monotonous after the initial training period. Call Copy is a voice recording system the Columbus Blue Jackets use to develop sales and service skill sets. Similar to an athlete watching game film, the representative and sales leader listen to real situations with clients and prospects. This tremendous tool re-enforces the strengths of the sales rep and identifies areas of improvement.

Matt Fahr and the Cleveland Cavaliers utilize iPads and video cameras to record role plays. “We have been using the iPads at our team members’ desks during calls to record conversations and mannerisms. We use a positive recording and negative recording in our weekly team training sessions where we will hook the iPads up to a large big screen TV and review film.”

Interactive Ways to Stay Sharp
CRM Brown Bag Lunches:
Jeopardy:
Arena-wide Scavenger Hunt:
Co-op Business Role Plays: pair senior & entry level rep

Takeaways

The on-going training program will be most effective when it:

Systematic: Completed on a regular basis with a diverse mix of training scenarios
Engagement: Offers the rep a high level of engagement and periodic control of the agenda
Balanced: Re-enforces strengths and recognizes areas of improvement

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”lifted-both” width=”600px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Travis Apple and the Pittsburgh Pirates give the sales team more control over the weekly agenda by pairing an Account Executive with an Inside Sales Representative:

“The AE and the rep meet a few days before the session with ideas and a plan of attack. The representatives would actually conduct the training session based on what their peers were currently experiencing on the front line. All of the training sessions were very interactive and really help the management staff identify future leaders of the department.” [/dropshadowbox]