Track Selling Times: The Voice of the Sales Profession

Track Selling Times - July, 1999

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Track Selling Times
The Voice of the Sales Profession
Issue No. 116
July 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 More Ways to Add Value "

Sections:

"Taking Responsibility for your Mistakes"

"Empowering the Sales Team, by Len Spratt"

Focus on the Professional: Ken Kristoffersen
Ask Roy
Survey Newsletter Archives

"Five More Ways to Add Value"
by Roy E. Chitwood, CSP, CSE

So great was the response to last month's article on adding value that I've decided to share another five ways to give your products and services broader appeal. Each of these methods has been tested and proven in the real world.

Increase sales for your customers.
The Coca Cola company provides one of the great examples of adding value. This beverage giant feels that it is truly in partnership with its customers and has an obligation to help them be successful. One of the ways it accomplishes this is by creating marketing and merchandising ideas that are designed to sell Coke and other products, especially those that bring in higher profits to the store.
Provide outstanding customer service.
One manufacturer's representative in the Northeast found its products were increasingly regarded as commodity items due to intense, high-quality competition. After studying the market, the company realized that outstanding customer service was the key to differentiating itself from others.
Accordingly, this manufacturer assisted one of its leading suppliers to adjust policy to meet this need. Between them, they created a program known as 'Right Now Customer Service'. This resulted in all calls to the supplier being returned within four hours and systems being put in place to provide ease of accessibility to customer data. Even if someone does not have the information the customer is seeking, the call must still be returned within the allotted time.
Create and offer alternate means of service delivery.
In training, most companies hold workshops at specific times and locations, and businesses have to arrange their schedules to accommodate this. At Max Sacks, we take the additional step of offering workshops in-house to minimize inconvenience. One East Coast performance improvement firm, however, takes alternate means of delivery a step further. Not only does it provide workshops onsite or at central locations, this company also conducts multi-media and self-directed training, either paper or Web-based. No matter what the delivery needs of the client are, this training firm can meet them.
Follow up consistently.
One Canadian training company offers management workshops in competition with many others. It separates itself from the pack in two ways. It tailors workshop content to the specific challenges its clients currently face, and once complete, graduates can attend free quarterly follow-up sessions which provide an open forum on successes and difficulties. Not only does this action serve to increase customer satisfaction, it provides a steady supply of referrals.
Go the extra mile personally.
To add value is more than a corporate mandate. It is the individual concern of each employee, whether in sales or not. During a recent trip to Cleveland, for example, the hotel bell captain really performed beyond expectation. He truly went out of his way to see that all his guests were fully satisfied with their stay. Whether it was tickets for the game, a meal in your room (the hotel didn't have full room service) or the rapid delivery of a package, you knew he would always be there for you.

Like this bell captain, make yourself and your company stand out by adding value to what you do. It's the only way to win in the global economy.

Integrity Pays:
"Taking Responsibility for your Mistakes"

John Barclay is owner and president of The Barclay Group, of Chalfont, PA, an independent manufacturers representative selling custom components to the medical device industry. John's company has been in business for five years and he's been selling since 1981. Here he explains what can happen when the desire for expansion outstrips the ability to deliver.

"For about a year, I'd had one very satisfied customer for straight PVC tubing. This company expressed interest in co-joined tubing, and we agreed to take the order. While this represented a major step up for us (a half million-dollar contract), the order itself was far more complex than we had previously encountered. That's when the problems started."

What problems?

"Simply put, we fell flat on our face in developing it. We made dumb mistakes and caused our client a lot of frustration. Finally, he told me that the order for co-joined tubes was being given to another company, though we could keep the smaller order for straight tubing."

What did you do?

"We accepted it. We told him that we took full responsibility for our own failure to deliver and that we appreciated his sticking with us on straight tubing. Interestingly, we were allowed to continue working on co-joined tubing while the replacement company built tooling and ramped up for production. During this six-month interim period, we stayed in touch with the client and briefed him on the improvements we'd made, with five straight months of no rejects. While he was impressed, he was also very clear that the order was going to the new firm."

How did it work out in the end?

"As our competitor spent six months struggling to master co-joined tubing technology, we didn't lose the whole order after all. Just this week, the customer called. He said that because of our integrity and the fact that we never whined about losing the business or what he called his 'unreasonable deadlines,' we'd be given back some of the co-joined tubing business.

Even though I never thought it would happen, we saved half the loss and may even gain another half million in other orders from this client. That's the value of taking responsibility for your mistakes, working doubly hard to show that you care and going above and beyond the call of duty to earn the business."

John Barclay can be contacted at: Jbmedsales@erols.com

World Class Sales Management:
"Empowering the Sales Team"

By Len Spratt
President, Management Development Institute, Toronto, Canada.

I've been in sales for nine years and currently oversee seven salespeople who sell self-management training. With a background in professional hockey, it's hardly surprising that I stress the importance of operating as a team. As we are a small, but growing business, everyone wears many hats. For example, our sales staff often takes on marketing responsibilities.

As we cover a wide geographical area, it is only feasible to meet together once a month to go over company and individual goals. To compensate, I make it a point to foster individual independence, empowering each salesperson to think on his or her feet and accomplish the demands of the job.

Such an approach can only work, though, with a large degree of involvement from the sales manager. I make it a point of seeing each salesperson once a week for a one-on-one meeting. This brings a sense of intimacy to the sales relationship and stresses each individual's importance to the overall team. It also shows that the sales manager cares what goes on.

Although we'd been fairly successful, I decided to take sales to the next level by attending a Track Selling System Workshop. I realized that our sales system had become overly 'cookie cutter'. If one prospect didn't respond to our presentation, we'd move on. Now, we actually listen to what people say and fit our presentation to those needs.

Take, for instance, the response, "Why don't you send me some information in the mail." Before, our salespeople would accept this and send a package. Now, we identify ourselves, find the business challenges facing the client and tailor our packages to those requirements.

Len Spratt can be contacted at: Lspratt@spectranet.ca

Focus on the Professional - Ken Kristoffersen

Ken Kristoffersen is director of corporate business development for the western region at General Physics Corp., a Columbia, MD-based firm specializing in human performance improvement. Ken has 10 years of sales and marketing experience has a BS in Training and Development and an MBA. Earlier this year, he completed a Track Selling System Workshop.

"As a sales veteran, I'd developed a solid grounding in business. As a result, I was able to go in at a high level and communicate in terms of strategic business needs, demonstrate a good understanding of how our services could help senior management and what tactical steps would be needed to accomplish improvement. This might involve bringing in the right specialists or figuring out the best way to tailor our programs to the client."

What did you gain from the Track Selling System?

"It improved my ability to ask the right question at the right time and gave me a systematic approach for taking an organization apart and developing the big picture. Because of this, there is less likelihood of missing something important. Additionally, it forced me to be better disciplined which means I am better prepared for each and every call. I now know in advance the questions I specifically need to ask. Also, I obtain far more information on prospect challenges than I ever did before."

What are the results?

"In my business, the sales cycle is anywhere from six to 18 months. That's why its so important to have someone move on to the next level of commitment, whether it is setting up another appointment or arranging for our consultants to come in to conduct an in-depth study of the business prior to making a proposal. The Track Selling System has already doubled my ability to take the prospect to the next level. In a few months, I know this will be reflected as a major increase in sales."

Ken Kristoffersen can be contacted at kkrist@Genphysics.com

Ask Roy

Megan Brittain from Lake Havesu City, AZ, asks,

" My boss is always talking about adding value. He keeps telling us to stress the added value our company brings in terms of high quality and responsive customer support. But when I tell this to prospects, it doesn't seem to make any difference. All they seem interested in are rates and discounts. Have you any idea what's wrong? "

Roy's Answer:

"Your boss is wise to stress added value, but quality and good customer service are no longer considered such in today's business climate. So many firms push these things that they are now considered a given. And if you don't have them, you're not even in the game. Value added, however, means going that extra mile, whether it's providing tangible business assistance, a consultant's expertise, or tailored programs and products. Discuss this with your boss and see what you can come up with to really distinguish you company from the competition. "

Reader Survey

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3. If you have sales questions for Roy, or know of a salesperson, sales manager or integrity story that should be featured in Track Selling Times, mail it to:

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