Track Selling Times: The Voice of the Sales Profession

Track Selling Times - June, 1999

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Track Selling Times
The Voice of the Sales Profession
Issue No. 115
June 1, 1999
Published by Max Sacks International,
Home of 100% Guaranteed World Class Sales Training, and
Developers of the Track Selling System™.
Author/Editor: Roy Chitwood, President, MSI
Archives of this Newsletter are available at
http://www.maxsacks.com/newsletter.html

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In this issue:
Feature:

"Five Great Ways to Add Value in Sales"

Sections:

"Playing Straight with Personnel"

"Keeping on Track, by Larry Godt"

Focus on the Professional: Sal Pizzuti
Ask Roy
Survey Newsletter Archives

"Five Great Ways to Add Value in Sales"
by Roy E. Chitwood, CSP, CSE

You've all heard about partnership selling. Unfortunately, most think that it only means understanding the customer's needs and offering solutions. While this is certainly one important aspect, there is so much more to it. Implicit in the definition of partnership selling is the concept of adding value to the transaction beyond the simple acquisition of a product or service.

And how exactly can you add value to your sale? Here are five proven ways to lay a solid partnership foundation.

1. Training

Product, technical or sales training offers a lasting contribution to your client's future prosperity. Although many pay lip service to this idea, those who reap the most benefit take the time to train customers to gain the full value from the product or service purchased.

An excellent example is a manufacturer of home improvement products who was having trouble selling via distributors and dealers to the general public. Although the distributor represented 15 other companies, the manufacturer began a sales training program to improve the sales skills of anyone involved in selling its products and services. This campaign proved so successful that the company was able to dominate the market.

2. Specialized expertise

Many firms possess specialized expertise that can easily be leveraged into added value. Perhaps you or someone within your organization is a wizard at strategic planning, marketing or tradeshow selling, for instance. By making such skills available at no charge to your customers, you can differentiate yourself from the competition.

One manufacturer of industrial equipment, for example, has a senior-level executive who is a true visionary. His firm makes him available to some of its key customers to assist in the development of their overall strategic direction and approach to the marketplace.

3. Referrals

Although many firms give referrals, to really do it right you have to provide more than just names. Make it a personalized reference, and it quickly becomes clear how much of a true business partner you are. Call the individuals you mean to refer, and tell them why you feel they should use that firm. Then, call your client and provide the contact information.

One of our vendors, for instance, that handles trade publications and other business-related communications for Max Sacks International, is a source of high-quality leads. On several occasions, the president of this company has spent time briefing her own clients on ours services before handing me the referral. When I contact them, they are invariably receptive.

4. Forming an Association

I know of one firm that makes shop towels which are basically industrial rags. As well as showing their distributors a list of 47 different points of added value for these rags, the company has formed an association of distributors to share business knowledge for the common good. If all this can be done for shop towels, think of the potential with your own product or service.

5. Build a Strategic Relationship

Once you have established your own integrity and professionalism in the eyes of your customers, you are ready to take added value to the next level - building a strong strategic relationship. This is where you tailor your products to their needs and become totally involved in their business. It can mean acting as an advisor or helping them to formulate key points of strategy.

A fine example is a Southern California ad specialty company that does much more than supply pens, key rings and desk pads. One of its clients, for example, was experiencing legal challenges in the safety arena.

The advertising specialty company developed a safety incentive program, using various means of communicating the message to employees. The result: an $8 million reduction in workers' compensation claims in one year. Now that's what I call adding value to your product or service!

Please let me hear from you on how you add value to your products or services at rec@MaxSacks.com

Integrity Pays:
"Playing Straight with Personnel"

Joan Johnston is Vice President of Johnston and Culberson, an insurance firm in Seattle. As she has overseen the human resources department for many years, she understands the importance of playing straight with personnel.

"In personnel, integrity is really all you have. People have to trust what you say is true, or you won't be able to do your job effectively."

Can you give a specific example of how this applies in personnel?

"We make it a point of corporate policy not to match offers or try to buy people. This idea, however, was put to the test when a valued employee let us know that he had been approached by a competitor and offered $5000 more per year, a 21 percent increase, and that he would stay with us if we matched it."

What did you do?

"Although some firms make secret deals with certain staff, it's my experience that everyone in the office gets to know about these and they only lead to resentment and the loss of good staff. As we had others in the same job who were earning a little less than this person, we felt we had no good reason to match his offer. Though we may have kept one good person by paying him more, we'd probably have lost several others by not playing fair. Plus you could end up having to pay all your personnel a 21 percent increase once word gets around."

What happened?

"After he left us, he kept in touch with friends in the office. Less than six months later, we found out that he was unhappy in his new position. I then contacted him and persuaded him to come back at what we considered a reasonable salary. It was a little more than we had been paying him, but no where near what he was getting. He took the job due in part to the fact that he felt we always dealt fairly. Since he returned, he's become a great advocate for the company and tells others that the grass isn't always greener elsewhere."

To reach Joan Johnston, please call (206) 622 2141.

World Class Sales Management:
"Keeping on Track"

By Larry Godt, Director of Business Development,
Deltapoint Corp., Bellevue, WA.

I work for a management consulting firm that is focused on performance improvement at the implementation level, primarily for the health care and financial services industries. I have 35 consultants in my department who all sell and deliver, each of whom has completed the Track Selling workshop.

We use the Track Selling System as our baseline selling process as it contains the steps you need to complete in any sales cycle. It has helped us with proposals, for instance. As far as I am concerned, you should never write a proposal alone. It must always be done with the client. Since we implemented this, our acceptance rate on proposals is high, and we use them as cementing tools.

Additionally, it is vital for anyone in sales management to continue to meet face-to-face with clients, otherwise you lose touch with their needs, the current business conditions and competitive forces.

For example, we might receive a referral card, requesting help in improving operating effectiveness. If I just sat in the office, I could perhaps narrow it down on the phone, but would fail to understand the corporate culture and business style that are essential aspects of correctly qualifying the prospect. It takes a visit to understand what they really want and to uncover needs that they don't even recognize.

This aspect of familiarity is essential in my position due to our flat mode of organization. Rather than running the consultants, I am focused on the marketing side in order to drive in new business. I set up trade shows and conferences where I can speak or run workshops. During these presentations, I get to see what works and what doesn't. Based on that data, I adjust the presentation materials the other consultants use to bring about better results. It's a very workable system.

Larry Godt can be contacted at: Lgodt@deltapnt.com

Focus on the Professional - Sal Pizzuti

Sal Pizzuti is Marketing Manager at Inlighten.com of Los Angeles, a one-stop personal and professional enhancement site on the Web. He's been involved in sales for three years and completed a Track Selling workshop only two months ago.

"As a salesperson, I always had particular strengths. Once I'd successfully made an initial contact, I was very good at building and strengthening relationships. As a result, I could establish trust and perform well as an account manager."

What were your weak points?

"Getting that first call done. Although I was fine once I reached point B (establishing trust), I had real difficulty getting there from point A, where you know nothing about the prospect and he/she knows nothing about you."

How did this affect you?

"I felt self-conscious and awkward on cold calls which held me back in business development. I was never quite sure what would be considered abrasive and what was just right for a presentation. Despite that, however, I did well overall and became the most successful salesperson in the Western region. But I was very aware that I needed to handle initial contact to become a real professional."

How did the Track Selling system assist with this problem?

"It handled it completely. I'm now comfortable when making the initial call as I have a process to follow that takes me through to the points I am natively good at. Rather than having a set presentation that never varies, I establish good communication with prospects and discover their needs. By understanding these needs and working to meet them, I find selling more rewarding."

Sal Pizzuti can be contacted at: Sal.pizzuti@inlighten.com

Ask Roy

Sally Ryder of Schenectady, NY, asks,

What can I do to change this?

Roy's Answer:

When you figure that out (I suggest you bring it up at your next sales meeting), you'll have a fresh approach to clients and can position your company as being a cut above the rest. That way selling isn't reduced to its most demoralizing level - the cut-throat world of price undercutting. "

Reader Survey

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